Miami Heat vs. Golden State Warriors
Even when Miami Heat had won four in the row, the argument was that the Heats can’t pull off a win against the big boys of the league. With convincing victories against the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz on a trot, the men from South
Beach have surely quelled all doubts cast on their credentials and a visit to Oakland against the struggling Golden State Warriors shouldn’t pose too much problems.
It was only less than two weeks ago when the Heats were being heavily criticized as the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were underperforming during a 1-4 stretch that included losses at Dallas and Orlando.
In facts doubts were being raised about the relationship between LeBron James and the Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. But, an embattled Heat coach who appeared to be clueless until that point, finally pulled out the magic card, a 45
minute meeting after the loss to Dallas Mavericks, as the Heats fortunes changed and they turned their season on its head.
The Heats are currently riding high on a red hot six match winning streak and they will be rearing to extend their impressive run that has witnessed them annihilating their oppositions by a whooping margin of 16.5 points.
The high point of the streak is the ever increasing chemistry of the Big Three. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh ripping through the defense of the opposition in full flow – a thought that can send chills down the spine
of the best defenses in the league. Though not at their ultimate best, the trio is fast changing fantasy into reality.
The Miami troika has been letting it rip in the last three games scoring more than 78 percent of the Miami points and will be a force to reckon with for the beleaguered Warriors, come Friday night.
LeBron James, who leads Miami with averages of 24.1 points and 7.3 assists, could be in for another big performance against Golden State. The two time reigning MVP is averaging 28.8 points per game with 7.9 assists over 13 meetings,
but 33.3 points with 10.3 assists in the last three.
To make matters worse for the Warriors, James will not be the sole forward, who is in the groove. Wade, who had 28 points Wednesday night, is averaging 34.4 points in his last five meetings with the Warriors and has been instrumental
to the Heat winning four in a row over Golden State, while taking five of the last six visits to Oakland.
The Warriors, on the other hand have been struggling big time after a solid start to the season. The Warriors are currently mired in a 1-10 unwanted stretch that includes two season-high five-game losing streaks and a four-game
slide at home.
With players like Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry and David Lee in their ranks it’s not the offense that has struggled. The Warriors are still in the league’s elite when it comes to scoring the points, notching up 100 or more points
in 13 games, but, it’s the fragility of their defense that has been their nemesis all season. The Warriors are one the worst teams in the league in terms of points allowed to the opposition, (107) and they don’t seem to have an answer.
To add to their woes their star guard Stephen Curry who has been leading them on assists (5.6) and is second on the team with 20.1 points per game behind Monta Ellis (24.5) is a doubtful starter for Friday’s game. Curry sprained
his right ankle in the last match against the San Antonio Spurs and is likely to miss out.
With so many odds pitched against the Golden State Warriors, it is highly unlikely they will be able to arrest their slide.
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