Pistons vs Heat NBA Handicapping
In Muhammad Ali’s 1974 Rumble in the Jungle bout against George Foreman, Ali backed into the ropes, covered up and let Foreman wail away at him. The ropes absorbed a lot of the force of Foreman’s punches, tiring him out. Ali then attacked and won the fight.
Detroit Pistons (23-46) at Miami Heat (53-14)
Friday, March 22
American Airlines Arena, Miami
7:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Heat -15.5 at Sportsbook.ag
Total – 199
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Are the Miami Heat employing the NBA version version of the old Ali rope-a-dope?
In the Heat’s last two games, their opponents (Boston and Cleveland) have roared off to big leads as the Heat nonchalantly go through the motions during the first half.
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And in both games LeBron James and the boys have expended just enough energy in the second half to come away with tight wins (105-103 in Boston and 98-95 in Cleveland).
Miami has now outscored four straight opponents (toss in Toronto and Milwaukee into the mix) in the second halves in running its winning streak to 24 in a row. So if the Pistons get off to a fast start tonight in Miami, it probably won’t mean a lot because the Heat can casually turn on the afterburners in the second half as they run their streak to 25.
For those keeping track of these things, Miami can tie the NBA record for consecutive wins (33, by the Lakers in 1972) at home against Philadelphia on April 6, set the record three nights later at home against Milwaukee, and finish the regular season with 39 at home against Orlando. [ad-6571516]
The Heat figure to be favored in every game the rest of the way, with the possible exception of their game in San Antonio on the final day on this month.
The Pistons will surprise everyone in the league if they out up much of a fight tonight. They lug a 9-game losing streak (and 12 of 13) into American Airlines Arena as they play out the string in what has been a painful season in which they have lost two games for every time they’ve won.
And if you thought things couldn’t get worse, Detroit could be without its entire starting backcourt. Brandon Knight is dealing with a sprained ankle and Jose Calderon had to leave the last game (a 37-point loss at home to the Nets) due to illness.
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Time for the Heat to preen for the home crowd a bit tonight. A line this heavy would seem to scream stay away, but the Heat are way overdue for an old-fashioned don’t-even-think-about-beating-us blowout.
Plus, Erik Spoelstra is starting to think about the playoffs and the Heat actually NEED to win on a regular basis to finish with a better record than San Antonio and home court advantage in what looks like a very possible Finals playoff matchup. Heat to cover.
