The Miami Heat are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes they could reach the conference finals by season’s end.
Shortly after the Heat defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-104, on Wednesday night, Smith was asked what he thinks the ceiling is for Miami.
“I think they can go as far as the conference finals,” Smith said. “I think they have the ability to upset anybody. They’re a bit undersized, but they’re athletic. They’ve got skywalkers. They can finish at the rim. They can hit three-point shots. They can defend individually, and if you ask them to switch to a zone, evidently they know how to do that too.
“I’m not saying they’re gonna do it, but outside of Milwaukee in my estimation, because there is no answer for the Greek Freak (Giannis Antetokounmpo) on Miami. The bottom line is this, the Miami Heat look like they can beat anybody else in the Eastern Conference. So I say the ceiling is the conference finals. I’m not saying they’re gonna get there, but they could.”
The Heat’s win last night certainly proved that they can play with the best teams in the NBA. The Sixers had not lost at home this season, but the Heat showed that they are capable of stopping a team that boasts multiple All-Star caliber players.
Miami held Philadelphia’s bench to just 19 points on a horrendous 6-of-16 shooting from the field. The Heat played zone defense, frustrating the Sixers to shoot a mere 42.2 percent overall from the floor including 30.8 percent from beyond the arc.
If the Sixers matchup is any indication, it shows that this Heat team is a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.