And So It Ends. And So It Begins.

"And so it ends. And so it begins." - Ira Winderman

And So It Ends

Notes on the 1st-round ouster of the Heat:
1. Down 0-3 was such a big hole. That Game 3 Paul Pierce buzzer beater was a heartbreaker.
2. I really thought Wade could do this. But it seemed his whole season was epitomized by a desperation 3 with the game tied and lots of time left on the last possession of their ultimately last home game - he really did not get to the hole that much.
3. No one on the roster did get to the hole that much. To Boston's credit, their defense made the Heat a jump-shooting team and forced a lot of turnovers. Not an easy thing to do since the Heat are 2nd in the entire league in taking care of the ball during the entire regular season.
4. The thing that struck me most about this series was how much Kednrick "Perpetually-Pissed" Perkins and Glen "Ticket Stub" Davis outplayed JO, UD and Beasley. Really. Think about that for a moment.
5. Buti na lang Rasheed Wallace was playing for the Celtics, kung hinde, baka na-sweep pa ang Miami.
6. Buti naka isa (Game 4). At least, hindi na sweep.
7. With Miami out, who do I root for now in the East? Orlando? Cleveland? Ah alam ko na. The SPURS.


Ans So It Begins

So now the anticipation of Heat fans shifts to the offseason. No one really has any idea how this summer is going to turn out for this franchise. I'm reading really good articles regading how much more cap space the Heat will have over other teams. That Miami can sign 2 superstars and another all-star caliber player.
Yes, Lebron is the holy grail of free agents. But no one is really pegging him to leave Cleveland. Why would he? He's been there all his life and he has a winning team. So if the probable happens, and Lebron stays with Cleveland, I just hope that Riley signs the next best FA - Chris Bosh.
My personal FA priorities in order (no Bron) - Bosh, Boozer, Stoudemire. I really don't have anything good to say about Amare Stoudemire's defense. Be it post or help. In fact, he rarely plays it, that he's not just a liability, he's a weakness. Boozer, on the other hand, can only play the 4 but would be a much better fit, I think, with Miami's offensive and defensive strategies. Bosh meanwhile will be the best 1-2 punch partner to Wade not named Lebron. He can slide from 4 to 5 and will be the next celebrated big man in Pat Riley's history - from Kareem, Ewing, Mourning, to Shaq. I know that's a huge list, but Bosh will have that potential in Miami.
Here's hoping for the best. I have to say this again - In Riles we trust.