Even though they beat the Thunder, there are still questions about the Miami Heat.
Miami has the best player, but to reach its goals it needs to play like a better team. Center has been a season-long issue, so much so that on Tuesday Spoelstra yanked the poor rebounding Joel Anthony out of the starting lineup in favor of Ronny Turiaf, fresh off the waiver wire and admittedly out of shape. The Heat can get away with small, Bosh/Udonis Haslem fronted lineups against a lot of teams but as they get deeper into the playoffs against Orlando or Chicago, if they get to the Finals against Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Memphis or the Lakers, they will need someone to step in and fill the void. Bosh is a bigger concern. Lately his superior moments have come against bottom feeders (a 30-point, eight-rebound effort against Toronto) and his invisible ones against teams that matter.
Commissioner David Stern says the NBA is close to finalizing a deal to keep the Hornets in New Orleans with a very favorable lease, important capital improvements, intense tax benefits and a new television deal.
VIDEO: Blake Griffin Flushes Tip-Dunk Over Pau Gasol - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
While everyone was watching the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder go down to the wire, Blake Griffin was doing Blake Griffin things, and Pau Gasol was the poor victim.