ASK IRA: Do NBA teams owe it to the playoff races to compete to the finish line?
Will the Miami Heat get a fair shake on NBA's closing night when it comes to playoff races?
Q: Ira, I read your playoff breakdown about the Heat’s chances on Sunday. What I don’t understand is how the NBA allows teams to alter the playoff seedings. They talk about integrity and gambling, but what about this? – Len.
A: In some cases, you can appreciate that if a team is locked into a seeding and has a tight turnaround, the last thing you would want to do is risk an injury. That would appear to pertain to the Hawks and their turnaround from Sunday’s game in Indiana to Wednesday’s play-in game in Chicago. And, yes, Hawks-Pacers is one of the games that impacts the Heat’s chances to make it directly into the playoffs. But the strange part of the NBA culture is that teams eliminated from the postseason and locked into draft position still sit out rotation players in season finales so as not to risk injury. Risk for what? That a player might be out a week? Two weeks? A month after his team’s season is over? You will likely see that from the Nets at the 76ers (another game that impacts the Heat seeding odds). As for possible manipulation for perceived favorable matchups, that appears to be the Bucks’ approach, as they wait out Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury (with Bucks-Magic the single most important matchup to the Heat on Sunday beyond their own). Bottom line is if you don’t like it, then you should have won more games so Game No. 82 doesn’t stand as an issue.
Q: With Duncan Robinson out, what about moving Jaime Jaquez Jr. to the starting lineup to defend the opponent’s best backcourt player? He had some success doing this earlier this season. This would allow Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler to focus on scoring. – Jace, Hollywood.
A: First, we’re not totally sure yet about Duncan Robinson’s playoff status with his back issue, but I doubt the direction turned would be toward a rookie. Caleb Martin certainly showed his playoff chops last year, even with somewhat of a regression this season, and seemingly would also be the preferred defensive choice. That problem is that without Duncan, the spacing becomes severely limited. But to Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s credit, he looked very good Friday against the Raptors.
Q: It all depends on which Jimmy Butler shows up. There’s the, “Crap, this guy is awesome” Jimmy, and there is the, “Crap, why doesn’t he do something?” Jimmy. I hope awesome Jimmy shows up in the playoffs, but I’m not holding my breath. – Rocco.
A: Which basically crystalizes the Heat’s entire playoff hopes. Has it been dormant? Or is it gone? Jimmy Butler is about to show us.