They can but probably won't. The Heat really want it this year. If they couldn't win game 4 with a 17 point lead I don't see them winning.
You could even make the argument that the Heat blew game 1 and the series would be over now. The only way I can see they winning is if LeBron doesn't play game 5.
You could even make the argument that the Heat blew game 1 and the series would be over now. The only way I can see they winning is if LeBron doesn't play game 5.
I wouldn't call it free money, and I'm thinking you're not serious
they have to win Thursday. If they do, anything can happen in OKC
they had to win one game in Miami, they have one chance left to do so
they have to win Thursday. If they do, anything can happen in OKC
they had to win one game in Miami, they have one chance left to do so
Since the Magic suck right now it's the next best thing Floridians have to root for lol
it may be worth a small bet. If Lebron's cramps are worse than we thought (hinder him in game 5) and OKC can pull it off then those odds should change a bunch going back to OKC. obv if they can win a game 6 they are favored then they become series favorites.
Never been done but this is probably the most misleading 3-1 series lead I have seen in a while.
Never been done but this is probably the most misleading 3-1 series lead I have seen in a while.
The answer is no. But the refs might finally ease off the OKC foul calls and no calls on Miami to help get the series back to OKC. They all know it would be good for the NBA and the ratings to stretch this series another game. The biggest question is if OKC has thrown in the towel? They played just about as good as they could last night and still couldn't get a win. I'm not sure how much they have left in their tank...I don't get any warm fuzzies over this game 5. Something tells me it could be a 20 point Miami win.
Deron Williams' big FA decision
Nets and Mavs look like front-runners, but Suns, others could enter mix
By Chris Broussard | ESPN The Magazine
With Dwight Howard and Chris Paul each having opted in to the final year of his contract, and with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Steve Nash all in the twilight of their careers, there is only one superstar free agent on the market this summer: Deron Williams.
Williams has said that he hopes to make his decision shortly after July 1, when clubs can first begin contacting free agents, so the good news is that he won't keep us waiting long.
Here's what I can tell you, from speaking with people close to the situation, about Williams' upcoming decision:
• Williams has not yet made up his mind. He is still uncertain about what he will do, and he is weighing several issues when it comes to deciding where he'll play next.
• Money is not going to be the deciding factor. Many believe the Brooklyn Nets, Williams' current team, have the advantage because they can give him a five-year, $108 million contract, while other suitors can offer only a four-year, $81 million deal.
But Williams is a smart guy who has not wasted the significant amount of money he has already made. He knows that the difference between $81 million and $108 million will not alter his lifestyle, so don't expect Williams to sign with Brooklyn simply for the dollars. (Several players have recently shown that it's not all about the money. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were all willing to take less money to play together for the Miami Heat.)
<offer>• The Nets, despite losing their lottery pick in the ill-fated February trade for Gerald Wallace, are not out of the picture. Williams legitimately likes the Nets' location and franchise. He has close relationships with coach Avery Johnson and general manager Billy King. He and his family love living in the New York metropolitan area. And he thinks the Nets' future is brighter than most observers do. Williams believes that with himself, Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks and Wallace (assuming they sign him as a free agent), the Nets have the makings of a playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
Williams also believes that free agents will be willing to join the Nets -- they are more than $20 million beneath the salary cap -- once they see the club's sparkling new arena and the extra marketing opportunities that could come with playing in Brooklyn.
Wallace's decision to become a free agent could have an effect on Williams' choice. Williams has great respect for Wallace's game, so if Wallace goes elsewhere, it could hurt the Nets' chances.
• Williams will not base his decision on Howard. Williams would love to play with Howard and his best-case scenario has the two of them teaming up in Brooklyn (also Howard's best-case scenario), but Williams understands that Howard's future is uncertain. Even though Howard wants to be traded to Brooklyn, the Orlando Magic are not likely to move him until August or September, if at all. Knowing it's possible that the Magic could keep Howard all of next season, Williams is not going to put his decision on hold to sit around and wait for Howard's situation to play out.
• This is no revelation, but the Dallas Mavericks are the Nets' greatest competition. Just this month, Williams called Dallas his favorite city to play in, and he has always dreamed of playing in his hometown. While Dirk Nowitzki is getting older, Williams realizes that if you slide him into the Mavericks' lineup that the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated in the first round of this year's playoffs, you have a title contender. Williams has said he wants his next team to be his last team, meaning he hopes to settle down for the long term in his next destination. Where better to do that than at home?
• The Phoenix Suns are probably the only other team with enough cap room to offer Williams a maximum contract that can get in the mix for him. The Boston Celtics already have Rajon Rondo, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have Kyrie Irving.
The Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Bobcats and Sacramento Kings aren't in great shape basketball-wise, and while better than the aforementioned three, neither are the Houston Rockets. The Indiana Pacers could be a good fit, but Williams, being from Dallas, is willing to settle in just one cold-weather city -- New York.
New Orleans is interesting because the Hornets have Eric Gordon, assuming they re-sign him, and presumed No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis. Throw Williams into the mix, and the Hornets could make a huge leap in the West. But it's hard to see Williams basing his decision on a rookie draft pick.
That leaves Phoenix. The weather and golf (Williams is a huge golf guy) is great, the offense is free-flowing (something Williams is definitely looking for), and with him, the team could be on the rise. While the Suns' first choice appears to be re-signing Nash, the younger Williams is a better option. I don't think the Suns could move ahead of Dallas on Williams' list, but they should not be completely discounted either.
• Sign-and-trade options abound. Williams knows he can control this situation, if he likes, by demanding a sign-and-trade to a certain club. Los Angeles has some appeal to him, and with Paul on the Clippers, that leaves the Lakers as the main possibility. Would the Lakers surrender Andrew Bynum for Williams? A Pau Gasol trade won't get it done, not with Gasol turning 32 years old on July 6. Also, with Kobe Bryant having just a few years of greatness left in him, the Lakers, without Bynum, aren't necessarily world-beaters with Williams. Now if the Lakers could get Williams and Lopez for Bynum, that might change things.
Then there's the New York Knicks. We know Williams likes New York, so if he decides he wants to leave the Nets and the Knicks are willing, maybe a Williams-for-Carmelo Anthony deal could work.
• If Williams tells the Nets he doesn't want to re-sign with them, they will ask him about sign-and-trade opportunities. They will not just trade him for the sake of trading him, preferring to have the incredible cap space they'd receive rather than a collection of marginal players, but if they can get a star in return, they'll consider it. Expect them to call the Lakers about Bynum and the Knicks about Anthony, if indeed Williams tells them he is open to a sign-and-trade. You can also expect them to go after Nash in free agency if Williams bolts.
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