Two teams that aspire to the Eastern Conference championship are Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers.
Both teams are loaded with young talent and certainly hope to make some noise when the playoffs start in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.
According to former NBA manager Stan Van Gundy, the 76ers would have had the edge over Heat if the two teams met in the post-season.
“I would favor them [the 76ers] in a series but Miami plays so fearlessly. If they can get the ball right, I don’t know what could happen, “said Van Gundy.
“I love watching Miami. They play with incredible energy. They play with great confidence, which is something that Erik has always been able to instill in his players, even in young people. They play without fear. They are a threat to anyone. They and Philadelphia would be an infernal series. Obviously, they beat Philly three out of four during the year. put [Philadelphia] at the Toronto and Boston level, in the same group of threats in Milwaukee. Their training is really excellent. “
Van Gundy knows a lot about the culture of heat. He was assistant coach of the team from 1995 to 2003. He then worked as head coach from 2003 to 2005.
However, he clearly didn’t let his history with the Miami team lead him to play favorites. Eventually, Van Gundy was likely to feel the need to go with the 76er’s two-headed dragon which is Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Having said that, the Heat have their own two-headed dragon in All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. In addition, they undoubtedly have better perimeter shots than the 76er.
As Van Gundy said, Heat went 3-1 against the 76ers during the first half of the 2019-2020 season. Their most recent victory against Philadelphia came in a 137-106 breakout in early February.
Despite this, it is clear that some experts doubt the Heat’s playoff potential.
In the end, this kind of doubt could play right in the hands of Miami. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is a great motivator. He will surely find a way to fuel an underprivileged narrative for his players, which could lead to great success in the playoffs.
