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Q: Ira, no more tweeting at lunchtime. I almost threw up in my mouth when Erik Spoelstra said he was playing all his players on Friday night. Why risk an injury or even the lottery? – Nate.
A: I would think the primary reason was that there still was something to play for, in case Atlanta or Chicago stumbled on Friday night (they did not – not close). From that perspective, I could understand a don’t-let-go-of-the-rope coach refusing to let go of the rope. Also, sitting players for what would be a full week before the play-in opener might have been viewed as excessive. Plus, for all the lottery factors, there still was the unknown of the approaches of Portland and Phoenix. So perhaps it was one last tune-up before play-in madness. Still, I agree that the risk of injury superseded the odds of a longshot, lottery-bound team offering help on Friday night in the seedings standings. To his credit, Erik Spoelstra did pull the plug with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo midway through the third period, even if a case could have been made that 2 1/2 quarters still was too much. That said, the early prediction here for the starting lineup on Sunday in the season finale against the visiting Wizards is Keshad Johnson, Josh Christopher, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Terry Rozier, and, if healthy enough, Isaiah Stevens.
Q: Ira, can you imagine if Jimmy Butler was here and was asked to play in a game like Friday night’s? Give Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro credit. I like how both said they wanted to play as much as possible. – Steve.
A: Then again, the last time Jimmy Butler was in New Orleans, he was at the center of a brawl that led to ejections and suspensions. So perhaps there would have been some feistiness, which there certainly wasn’t in this one. Then again, coaxing Jimmy onto the floor for any Heat regular-season game hardly was a given. As for Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, it might be best not to let them get anywhere near a jersey on Sunday. To their credit, they went out with solid efforts Friday.
Q: If a team beats you four times in a season, I think you’d have to concede they are the better team. Looking forward to watching Bulls-Heat 4.0. – Douglas.
A: And that’s the thing about the Bulls going into Wednesday night at 3-0 against the Heat, it’s not as if they are some type of dominant team that simply needs to do the job one more time. The Heat held late leads in each of the three losses. So now it’s about whether the Heat have 48 minutes, or more, in them in Chicago. The Heat can beat the Bulls. The Heat can beat the Hawks or Magic. Whether they can contest against the Cavaliers is a question for another day.
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A: I would think the primary reason was that there still was something to play for, in case Atlanta or Chicago stumbled on Friday night (they did not – not close). From that perspective, I could understand a don’t-let-go-of-the-rope coach refusing to let go of the rope. Also, sitting players for what would be a full week before the play-in opener might have been viewed as excessive. Plus, for all the lottery factors, there still was the unknown of the approaches of Portland and Phoenix. So perhaps it was one last tune-up before play-in madness. Still, I agree that the risk of injury superseded the odds of a longshot, lottery-bound team offering help on Friday night in the seedings standings. To his credit, Erik Spoelstra did pull the plug with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo midway through the third period, even if a case could have been made that 2 1/2 quarters still was too much. That said, the early prediction here for the starting lineup on Sunday in the season finale against the visiting Wizards is Keshad Johnson, Josh Christopher, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Terry Rozier, and, if healthy enough, Isaiah Stevens.
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Q: Ira, can you imagine if Jimmy Butler was here and was asked to play in a game like Friday night’s? Give Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro credit. I like how both said they wanted to play as much as possible. – Steve.
A: Then again, the last time Jimmy Butler was in New Orleans, he was at the center of a brawl that led to ejections and suspensions. So perhaps there would have been some feistiness, which there certainly wasn’t in this one. Then again, coaxing Jimmy onto the floor for any Heat regular-season game hardly was a given. As for Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, it might be best not to let them get anywhere near a jersey on Sunday. To their credit, they went out with solid efforts Friday.
Q: If a team beats you four times in a season, I think you’d have to concede they are the better team. Looking forward to watching Bulls-Heat 4.0. – Douglas.
A: And that’s the thing about the Bulls going into Wednesday night at 3-0 against the Heat, it’s not as if they are some type of dominant team that simply needs to do the job one more time. The Heat held late leads in each of the three losses. So now it’s about whether the Heat have 48 minutes, or more, in them in Chicago. The Heat can beat the Bulls. The Heat can beat the Hawks or Magic. Whether they can contest against the Cavaliers is a question for another day.
Continue reading...
