Lakers vs Heat: Breaking Down the Matchup and Prediction for Who Wins

The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers are proof of why you should never panic three weeks into the NBA season.

Both teams have gotten off to their average start, but people have already begun writing them off. Whether they think LeBron James' inability to hit in the fourth quarter or Kobe Bryant's decimated wrist is the downfall of the Lakers franchise, everybody always has to find some reason to criticize these two superstars and their respective teams.

What we don't realize is that neither of these players care much about the regular season. They're built for postseason runs, so you won't see the full-on effort from them that you'll see in the playoffs.

However, this is one of those games in which you'll see nothing but effort. When James and Bryant are motivated, they play hard and well. They're both going to be out on the court Thursday to prove who the better player is, and neither player will be looking to back down at any juncture.

The Heat and Lakers met twice last year with the Heat winning a close one and a blowout. Unfortunately for them, they'll most likely be playing without Dwyane Wade for the second consecutive game and fifth time this season. Mike Miller or James Jones will get the start in his place if he doesn't return.

Only a few hours remain until this clash of the titans, so let's take a look at the positional battles and just who is going to come out on top.

PG: Derek Fisher vs. Mario Chalmers

This must be the battle that everyone is looking forward to. Forget Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, what we need is a healthy battle between Mario Chalmers and Derek Fisher.

Our collective hearts beat still.

The point guard battle between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers is a bit of a dud when judging the two players in question. At one end of the floor, you have the suddenly hot Mario Chalmers and on the other, you see a player that hasn't shot above 40 percent since 2009.

This battle isn't too lopsided, but it's obviously in the Heat's favor.

Fisher doesn't provide that much at this point in his career. He's never been a stat-stuffer in any sort of category, but he makes up for it in timely shots and attempting to play defense. It's his offense and reliability that keeps him in the starting lineup somehow.

Whenever the Lakers find themselves in trouble, they can usually depend of Fisher to hit a three-pointer to get them going once again.

However, averaging five points per on 36 percent shooting from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc certainly doesn't help.

Chalmers, on the other hand, is in the middle of a terrific season. With Norris Cole breathing down his neck and attempting to steal his starting job away, Chalmers has woken up and has begun to hit his three-pointers and limit his turnovers.

Averaging 12 points per and converting on 46 percent of his three-pointers, Mario is attempting to finally have that breakout season the Heat have been waiting on.

As long as Chalmers continues to play reliable basketball by hitting his shots and limiting his mistakes, this is one in favor of the Heat.

Advantage: Heat

SG: Mike Miller vs Kobe Bryant

Unfortunately for the Miami Heat in this matchup, they don't get the benefit of having the player that neutralized Kobe Bryant in their two meetings last season.

Dwyane Wade, who isn't expected to play this Thursday, had tremendous defensive success against Bryant last season. Even though Wade himself wasn't scoring all that well, he was holding his own against Kobe and would make several key plays down the stretch of the second game on defense that would ultimately help lead the Heat to victory.

It's doubtful that Wade will play due to the extent of his ankle injury, so we'll most likely either see Mike Miller or James Jones start. It's doubtful that either of those players will be guarding Bryant for any extended period of time, but it still doesn't work in favor of the Heat that they're playing without a key defensive stopper.

Especially with the way Bryant has played this year.

Currently leading the league in points per at 31 after scoring at least 40 points in four consecutive games, Kobe has been playing at a level we haven't seen since 2007, when Pau Gasol was still balling in Memphis.

Playing with an injured wrist that's mutilated beyond comprehension, Bryant is defying the odds and is leading a Laker team that most analysts already had behind the Clippers.

For the Heat, they'll most likely be starting with Miller. He returned on Tuesday after recovering from sports hernia surgery in their win against the San Antonio Spurs and would play a key role late. He hit all six of his three-pointers, hustled after every loose ball and played strong enough defense to keep the opponent at bay.

Miller looked promising in his return, but he won't stand a chance against a revamped Kobe Bryant.

Advantage: Lakers

SF: LeBron James vs Matt Barnes

Basically, if LeBron James and Kobe Bryant aren't guarding each other, they're going for dual 40-point games.

Kobe Bryant isn't going to be held down by Mike Miller and James Jones, and LeBron James won't be held down by Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace. No matter how good of defenders Barnes and World Peace can be sometimes, James isn't going to want to be bested by Bryant and will be looking to score—plenty.

While dealing with the loss of Dwyane Wade for a few more games, James has reveled in the opportunity to go back to his days in Cleveland, where everything revolved around him. Wade certainly makes the team better, but he also happens to open the floor up when he's on the bench.

Instead of teams focusing on two primary slashers, they'll have to defend a slasher in James and a three-point threat in whoever starts at the 2.

With a consistent three-point threat playing shooting guard and stretching the floor, James is going to be able to drive at will. He's not going to face as many double teams and limitations focusing on him as there would be when Wade is on the floor with him. Instead, James will have the choice of driving or kicking out to one of his two dangerous three-point threats.

As for the Lakers, if World Peace or Barnes score 10 points or better, it's been a successful day. Neither player can score that well from anywhere on the court and they'll be looked at as a defensive stopper and not much else.

If the Lakers even want to think about limiting James, they'll need to either place Kobe Bryant on him or play some superb team defense.

Advantage: Heat

PF: Pau Gasol vs Chris Bosh

The key matchup of the Heat and Lakers meeting Thursday, this battle between two electrifying teams from opposite coasts will come down to which power forward ends up outplaying the other.

Pau Gasol and Chris Bosh are extremely similar players. They're great scorers, so-so defenders and decent rebounders.

Gasol likes to find the majority of his points come from his back-to-the-basket game, but Bosh likes to find his points come from either on drives or from the mid-range. Bosh isn't your typical post-up forward and will seldom play without facing up immediately.

Even though Kobe Bryant was expected to regress with his wrist injury, it's been the exact opposite and that means Gasol not getting as many looks as he is normally used to. With Andrew Bynum also taking up plenty of attention in the frontcourt, Gasol has been suffering as a result and is only averaging 16 points on 53 percent shooting to go along with a little less than 10 boards per.

Chris Bosh, on the other hand, has had a more increased role due to Dwyane Wade constantly being on the bench due to various ailments. As a result, Bosh is averaging 20 points on 52 percent shooting, as well as eight boards per.

The rebounding numbers are a bit disappointing, but his scoring has been stellar as he's taking the initiative to drive and score at will.

This isn't the hesitant Bosh from last year; this player is adamant about playing aggressively and making his presence felt. He's coming off a 30-point game against the Spurs and will be looking to continue that trend against the Lakers.

Gasol has the superior post moves which will give him his fair share of points, but he won't be able to match up well if Bosh is constantly driving and forcing Pau to play strong defense on him.

Advantage: Heat

C: Andrew Bynum vs Joel Anthony

It turns out that the Miami Heat may be in a little trouble after all. Even if they do end up placing LeBron James on Kobe Bryant, they still have a huge problem to worry about when it comes to defending the middle.

For the first time in a long time, Andrew Bynum is healthy. It's not something we see too often, but it's happening now as he's played in 11 games and has yet to sit out a game due to an injury. The four games he missed at the beginning of the season was due to a suspension that carried over from game four of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Bynum's back now, however, and he's going to dominate this matchup if the Heat aren't careful. They need to recognize that there's no possible way Joel Anthony is going to be able to defend Bynum in the post.

If the Heat are going to limit Bynum in any way, they're going to need to throw constant double-teams at him.

Frustrating Bynum and having him take free throws would be key to keeping him quiet. His attitude and 53 percent shooting from the foul line have been contributing factors in why Bynum has yet to truly come around.

However, he still dominates this matchup and it's not even close. The Heat will also probably throw the larger Dexter Pittman and possibly even Eddy Curry for the first time this year, but they're not going to be scoring or defending well against the suddenly hot Bynum.

Averaging 17 points and 14 boards per, Bynum may finally end up becoming that player the Lakers have been talking about for so long.

Advantage: Lakers

Final Result

If there's anything about a matchup between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers, we immediately know it's going to be good.

Whether one team has been bad and the other has been good or vice versa, the Heat and Lakers always find themselves in a game that goes down to the wire. In last year's two meetings, the two teams played in one blowout and one extremely close game that came down to the last possession, both ending up in Heat victories.

However, the Heat had Dwyane Wade for those games. He wasn't scoring his usual amount, but it was his defense that helped the Heat win. Rather than allowing Bryant to go for the 30-plus that he was obviously aiming for, Wade made sure that Kobe struggled for all of his points and it showed, as he couldn't break 21 points.

If the Heat want to stop Bryant this time, they'll have to place LeBron James on him. Kobe will still get his points, but James is a good enough defender to at least limit him.

James will also have the benefit of playing against a player who is smaller than him in terms of height and weight.

This meeting is going to come down to who can outplay who in the power forward matchup. Judging by the course of the season thus far, it appears that Bosh is going to win outright. This new aggressive side to him has really boosted his confidence and without Wade taking up a lot of looks, Bosh will be given the ball early and often.

Unless Pau or someone else on this Lakers team plans on stepping up, this is going to end up in a close victory for the home team.

Miami Heat 105, Los Angeles Lakers 98

MVP

So who's going to walk away as MVP of this whole thing, you ask?

It's tough to predict due to the question marks that still surround the Heat at shooting guard. Dwyane Wade hasn't officially been ruled out, but the possibility is high that he'll miss another game. There hasn't been a timetable for his possible arrival back on the court and the Heat won't be looking to rush him back anytime soon.

Most likely, Miller or Jones will be starting at the 2. Fortunately for the Heat, either of those two could switch with LeBron on their defensive assignments.

Instead of James' defensive prowess being wasted on Barnes or World Peace, he could utilize it on Kobe Bryant without the worry that his small forward matchup will outplay Miller or Jones.

Kobe and LeBron both love these types of games. They love being in the spotlight, love going off for huge games, and love being matched up against each other. These two players want to beat each other badly to prove who the top player is.

With both players playing exceptionally this year, it's extremely tough to declare which would be the MVP of this game.

If the Heat don't put James on Bryant, he's going to try for 40. The Lakers can't say the same about containing LeBron. No matter who they put on him, he's going to have the advantage because of his size, speed and athleticism. Bryant, World Peace and Barnes don't stand much of a chance when it comes to defending a player that is much larger than them.

Bryant's going for 30, but LeBron's first triple-double of the season will overshadow it.