NBA fans were perplexed all year by the Heat (58-24, 39-42-1 ATS), who were dominant at times and downright lousy at others. Statistically, Miami was right up there with the best of them, finishing among the Top 10 in both scoring and defense. Consistency is the biggest problem, as Miami would drop total stink bombs out of nowhere.

Obviously, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the lineup, you’re going to have a chance to win every night. The problem is, Miami doesn’t have anyone else worth playing. If one or two of the Big Three had an off night, the Heat were completely sunk. Those three better be ready for a ton of minutes over the next few weeks, because Miami will likely run them ragged during the postseason.

And after (mostly) settling the whole James vs. Wade debate during the regular season, you have to wonder if those kinds of questions will bubble back up during the playoffs. If James misses a game-winning shot at the buzzer, does D-Wade take the opportunity in the next game? The pressure could expose some psychological problems on Miami.

Philadelphia (41-41, 46-35-1 ATS) is rock-solid defensively, especially thanks to Andre Iguodala. Iguodala defends the other team’s top player on a nightly basis, and he does a great job of it.

Unfortunately, the team doesn’t have much offensive punch. Elton Brand led the club with about 15 points per game this season, a number surpassed by three players on Miami. Philadelphia isn’t good enough to win this series; it will need Miami to lose it to advance.

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