The first round of SB Nation's NBA 3 on 3 Tournament comes to a close Thursday, and with that we have two matchups that look like mismatches on paper. That's because Thursday's schedule features the 2 seeds versus the 15 seeds, and the 2 seeds happen to be the combatants from June's NBA Finals. We begin in the East with the Miami Heat taking on the Washington Wizards.
NBA 3 on 3 Tournament Round One -- Miami Heat Vs. Washington Wizards
The editorial team at Hot Hot Hoops took about three seconds to decide which three players would represent the Heat before going with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. When the Three Amigos took their talents to South Beach, they didn't even know that a super-prestigious fictional 3 on 3 Tournament was on the horizon, but it's almost as if they joined forces just to win this here Betty Crocker Bake Off.
The Wizards have the first overall pick from 2010, one of the best centers in the Eastern Conference, and a tenacious defender on their 3 on 3 team, and it probably doesn't matter a bit. John Wall, Trevor Ariza and Nene form a pretty decent threesome, but they're probably doomed to an early exit by their first round draw.
Let’s see what our panel of experts has to say.
- Tom Ziller, SB Nation NBA, Sactown Royalty -- Miami wins 20 of 20
- Steve Perrin, SB Nation NBA, Clips Nation -- Miami wins 17 of 20
- J.A. Sherman, Welcome to Loud City -- Miami wins 20 of 20
- CA Clark, Silver Screen and Roll -- Miami wins 20 of 20
- Adam Francis, Raptors HQ -- Miami wins 19 of 20
- Overall probabilities -- Miami 96 percent; Washington 4 percent
Expert Comments:
There might be a goose egg game in this series. -- Ziller
Look, Wade/James/Bosh are not gods and Wall/Ariza/Nene are not stiffs. Nene can exploit Bosh in the post and Wall is crazy quick, so they steal a few. But not many. -- Perrin
John Wall's talent should be enough to give the Wiz at least one win, right? Maybe? Possibly? No. -- Sherman
Obvious result is obvious. -- Clark
Tough draw for an intriguing Wizards’ club who use Nene to power to a victory. But that’s the only one they get. -- Francis
The Bottom Line
According to our panel of experts, this is the most lopsided contest of the entire first round, and that’s a first round that featured the Charlotte Bobcats. Bear in mind that when the panel gives the Heat a 96 percent chance of winning one game, the odds are actually higher that they’ll advance by winning at least two out of three -- like better than 99.5 percent.
The dice will ultimately decide but it doesn’t look good for the Wizards, who need not one but two rolls of 97 or greater. The odds are better than 200 to 1 against that.
Who do you think would win this showdown?
The results will be posted at 5 p.m. ET.
For a complete look at the SB Nation 3 on 3 Tournament, check back with this StoryStream.
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