I felt realistically we could win the first round but I didn't think anything else was probable because Milwaukee was a problem for us. I felt like they would be standing in our way...and this was in my head prior to when we found out our seeding. And here we are with a different conundrum - Prime SPO.

This series is a referendum on Thibs and whether he can function at this level of the game...we know he can coach with or outcoach Doc somedays and Mazulla most days, but Spo is an apex coach - he has rings and he has hit the right buttons in the past couple of weeks to set his team on fire. We are clearly the more talented team, but the things that the Heat can do well could end our season sooner than we'd like (although at this point, it has been an amazing run).

So, will Thibs sub when he needs to? Is he willing to give minutes to some of the guys buried on the bench (D-Rose, Fournier, Deuce) if the rotation is not yielding results? Will he extend the minutes of Obi, I-Hart, Grimes or IQ when they are hot??? Will he keep a guy in for defense even if he is not scoring? Spo is going to test Thibs ability to put his ego away and ignore his tendency to hold onto his cards when the game is getting away from him. If Thibs can pass this test, there is no reason why the Knicks can't march into the Finals.