It's the last day of the second round of SB Nation's NBA 3 on 3 Tournament. Both of last season's NBA Finalists will be in action today, beginning with the Miami Heat versus the New York Knicks in a rematch from the first round of the playoffs.
NBA 3 on 3 Tournament Round Two -- Miami Heat Vs. New York Knicks
The Heat often seem to play 5 on 5 as if they only have three players, so one can only imagine what Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh would actually do in a 3 on 3 setting. The mind fairly boggles. These are some of the most difficult matchup problems in the NBA even when there are five defenders to choose from and lots of chances to double team. They'd be nearly impossible to stop in this format.
The Knicks bring Iman Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler to try to contend with the Heat juggernaut. Anthony can score with anyone and will be able to put points on the board, and Chandler is a defensive force. But will it be enough against this Heat squad?
Let’s see what our panel of experts has to say.
- Tom Ziller, SB Nation NBA, Sactown Royalty -- Miami wins 17 of 20
- Andrew Sharp, SB Nation -- Miami wins 18 of 20
- Steve Perrin, SB Nation, Clips Nation -- Miami wins 19 of 20
- J.A. Sherman, Welcome to Loud City -- Miami wins 17 of 20
- CA Clark, Silver Screen and Roll -- Miami wins 16 of 20
- Probability to win any given game -- Miami 87 percent; New York 13 percent
- Probability to win series -- Miami 95.37 percent; New York 4.63 percent
Expert Comments:
This is like last year’s playoff series all over again. Even a healthy Shumpert won’t make a difference, because only Melo can score for the Knicks, and LeBron will make his life miserable in every single game. Just like last year’s playoff series. -- Sharp
Melo would have to shoot like he did against Nigeria just for New York to win one. -- Perrin
Chandler’s D forces more Heat jump shots than they are comfortable with, but this still isn’t close. -- Wilco
Haven’t we already seen this in last year’s playoffs? ‘Melo will deliver a solid 2-3 wins on his own by shooting and making everything that comes his way. He’ll give Knicks fans a shot of confidence, they’ll start to get a little bit of swagger, expectations will rise, and then LeBron and his gang will close them out by winning 15 games in a row. -- Sherman
The Bottom Line
The experts see the Heat as the clear favorites in this one, giving them an 87 percent chance to win any given game, which translates to better than 95 percent they go through to the next round.
All that’s left to do now is to roll the dice. The Heat simply need rolls of 87 or lower, while the Knicks will cross their fingers and hope for 88 or higher.
Who do you think would win this one?
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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