3 reasons Miami Heat can win without Hassan Whiteside
By John Buhler
1. Playoff Dwyane Wade is the best player on the court
In the NBA Playoffs, it’s not entirely about exploiting another team’s weaknesses in advantageous one-sided matchups, it’s more about who is the best player on the court and what team he is on. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals series between the Raptors and the Heat, the best player on the court is still easily playoff Dwyane Wade.
Wade may sputter at times through regular seasons because of the always persistent nagging injuries that are just a part of who he is, but come playoff time, few are able to kick into another gear like Wade can.
There is a reason why he is a three-time NBA Champion and the greatest member of the Heat to date. When the game is on the line, he finds a way to take over the ball game and he’s doing again in 2016 in the twilight of his prime.
While Toronto has the superior back court tandem of point guard Kyle Lowry and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, they simply do not have the ability to match Wade in playoff-mode. Lowry is still in the midst of a horrendous shooting slump and DeRozan is too streaky of a shooter to consistently take over every game if the Raptors need him to.
Wade has superior experience in being the focal point of a championship caliber offense. It also doesn’t hurt that point guard Goran Dragic is more than capable of winning a game by himself in a best-of-seven series.
With the front courts in flux because of injuries, Toronto will have to win with their back court. However, winning in the NBA Playoffs is a completely different animal than winning in the regular season. Miami is better equipped to win in May and June with their back court than Toronto is in 2016.
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