Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat Preview: Matchups, Forecasts, & Middle Names

Paul Pierce, LeBron James
Truth, meet King. (AP)

PG: Mario Chalmers vs. Deron Williams

Marion Chilliams

Have you ever watched a Miami Heat game and said, “hey, who’s that little guy all the Heat players are yelling at?” Well, mystery solved: it’s point guard Mario Chalmers, the recipient of so much teammate scorn that there’s an entire Tumblr page dedicated to people yelling at Mario Chalmers. He’s a go-to punching bag and the team’s lightning rod of hate.

Though classified as the team’s point guard, Chalmers essentially functions as a floor spacer and occasional facilitator. The team’s offense runs through their “Big 3” before Chalmers gets considered, and he’s a good enough shooter from three-point range (.402 from deep in the last three seasons) to play that role.

Still, as far as overall impact, he’s no Deron Williams, even with Williams hobbled by an ankle injury.

Head-to-head: In 11 games against each other, Williams holds the clear statistical edge, averaging 16.5 points and 8.4 assists while shooting 46.1% from the field; Chalmers’s 8.7 points, 3.7 assists, and 39.5% shooting don’t hold up. But in those 11 games, Chalmers’s team has won out 10 times, with Williams’s lone win coming in 2010 as a member of the Jazz. The bonuses of having LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on your side.

Middle Name Alert: Mario Chalmers’s middle name is Vernard, but more importantly, his given name is Almario. Deron Williams’s middle name is Michael, which is way less interesting.

Edge:

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Next: Dwyane Wade vs. Joe Johnson