LeBron James and Miami Heat Show Depth and Poise Against Indiana Without D-Wade

In all of Miami's games thus far in the season, we haven't had the opportunity to see how they rebound after a loss. That was until Wednesday night, when the Heat bounced back with a massive victory over the dark-horse Indiana Pacers by the score of 118-83.

Miami played their first game of the season without All-Star guard Dwyane Wade due to a nagging foot injury suffered during a contest with the Charlotte Bobcats. While the team will need him for healthy for the crammed schedule, sitting him a game and letting him rest was a must.

Luckily for Miami, they ended up playing good enough to secure a win before a rematch with the Atlanta Hawks Thursday night.

After having their depth questioned by many based on a disappointing NBA Finals exit, Miami has shown this year just how deep they can be when healthy.

James Jones filled in nicely for Wade at the shooting guard spot, hitting his first four shots from downtown.

Joel Anthony actually showed touch around the rim by contributing six points in the first quarter. For once, I'm not pulling my hair out every time the big man touches the ball in the paint.

Miami totaled 29 points off the bench, as well as a 10-rebound performance from power forward Udonis Haslem.

The most important aspect witnessed Wednesday was the fact that the Heat were victorious without a crucial member of the Big Three.

There is a lot of concern as to how Miami would do if they lost a star player for a significant period, and while it is a small sample, the Heat still looked like contenders in the end.

Miami ran a fluent offense with minimal turnovers and had role players step up when called upon. It was a positive factor to see the Heat chemistry continue to grow as the season progresses.

Defensively, Miami proved as to just why they can be an elite team giving up only 83 points on the night. Along with that, the Heat forced 21 turnovers while only giving up 11 themselves.

It's a bonus for coach Erik Spoelstra to know he can sit a member of his star trio and still have a productive game from the rest of the team. Playing injured or fatigued during the shortened season should be avoided at all costs to prevent problems deep in the season.

Miami was led by LeBron James, who had 14 points at halftime and finished with a near triple-double at 33 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists. James continued to show improvement in the post, as well as playing in a relaxed fashion.

Chris Bosh added 22 points and six rebounds, but hit his stride from the free-throw line, making all eight of his attempts.

The Heat also got nice production from their duo of talented point guard in Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers, who both had double-digit point totals.

Miami will travel to Atlanta for an encore of Monday night's game. With or without D-Wade, Miami should have a competitive showing to follow up a nice performance against the Pacers.