“I don’t see Brooklyn or Philly winning four games in a series against Miami or Milwaukee” - Anonymous Western Conference scout betting big on Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks

An anonymous Western Conference scout has picked the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks to come out of the East.

With the NBA season approaching its business end, fans and media have started to pick their favorites for the championship. Both the conferences are stacked and have multiple teams that could make a run to the title. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald spoke to two scouts who have revealed their opinions on this season's race to win the championship.

Both scouts have ruled out the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers' chances to come out of the East. The reason they cited is player chemistry and the presence of the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks. The scouts chose to remain anonymous, but their take certainly made sense.

A Western Conference scout said in this regard:

"I don’t see Brooklyn or Philly winning four games in a series against Miami or Milwaukee. With Philly, who is going to guard Kyle (Lowry) and Jimmy (Butler)?"

"Harden you have to hide on the defensive end. You can put Thybulle on one of the Miami’s guys. But if you have Tobias on Jimmy and Thybulle on a shooter, who is stopping Kyle? Philadelphia sacrificed depth to get Harden. That’s going to hurt them."

The Eastern Conference scout, meanwhile, picked the Miami Heat as the favorite to come out of the East, followed by the 76ers, Nets and Bucks. Explaining his choice in ranking the teams, he said:

"I would put Miami one, Philadelphia two, Brooklyn three and Milwaukee four. Miami has got everything – depth, shooting, defense, a very good point guard who’s won, a great coach, guys that can get their own shot."

“Philadelphia’s starting unit (Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey and Danny Green or Matisse Thybulle) is very, very good. But I can’t pick Philadelphia or Brooklyn because there are so many question marks with chemistry. It’s not like they can have another training camp. And I’m not convinced Milwaukee can do it again; they haven’t (fully) replaced PJ Tucker.”

As per the two scouts, the Miami Heat are favorites to win the NBA Eastern Conference. Although teams like the 76ers, Nets and Bucks have a strong roster, over the course of the season, the Heat have proven that they are just as strong as any other team in the NBA. Despite multiple injuries and setbacks, they have stayed competitive in the East.

Players like Omer Yurtseven and Caleb Martin have come through the ranks, and have played a big part in the Heat's campaign. If they are to continue performing the way they have, the team from South Beach could outplay all the other teams to come out of the East

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Can the Miami Heat win the NBA championship this season?

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat - Game Six

The Miami Heat made it to the NBA Finals in 2020, and fell in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks last season. However, they have come back strong the build a solid team this term.

Adding players like Kyle Lowry, Markieff Morris and PJ Tucker has helped the team get strong on both ends. They are the top seed in the East with a 38-21 season record.

With 22 games remaining, many have already picked them as favorites to come out of the East. However, the interesting question is, will this team be able to win it all?

They can certainly not be ruled out completely. However, with teams like the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies challenging to come out of the West, the Heat have their task cut out to win the championship.

With the likes of PJ Tucker and Bam Adebayo, the Heat have some defensive menaces that can change the course of games. As far as the offensive end is concerned, they have Kyle Lowry who is a genius, and can also take vital charges to stop the opposition.

If things work out and the team maintains its form in the playoffs, they could make it all the way to win the NBA championship.