Miami Heat: 10 Obstacles Standing in the Way of a Heat Title

The Miami Heat (16-5) have won five straight and are still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference after a thriller last Sunday against the Chicago Bulls. 

Despite a slew of problems that face the Heat, LeBron James is cementing his name at the top of the MVP talk yet again this season with 29.5 points per game and a 54.7 field-goal percentage, second and third in the league, respectively. 

However, this team is far from worry-free and has many major concerns to address before they gear up for the playoffs and try to prove why they're the favorites to win it all. 

10. Lack of Wide-Range Scoring

The Heat have only seven players who average more than five points per game, which is tied for lowest in the Eastern Conference.

Only four players average double-digit scoring.

Miami doesn't exactly have the type of system in place to feature a wide-range of scoring, but nobody outside the Big Three except Mario Chalmers have shown that they can get a few baskets when their top guys are struggling.

9. Pressure

We all saw how Miami dealt with the pressure of being a favorite to win the NBA Finals last year, and they undoubtedly have even more pressure to bring home a title in 2011-12. 

A majority of the sports world strongly dislikes the star-studded Heat, but they're also widely considered a favorite to win LeBron's first championship. 

The only players on the Heat roster that have won a championship are Wade and Udonis Haslam in Miami's 2005-06 run, and the pressure is mounting for their first title since then, especially for King James.

8. Shy from Beyond the Arc

The Heat are in the top five in three-point percentage (38.2), so why aren't they shooting more?

They're outside of the top 20 in threes attempted per game. 

It's obvious that LeBron is attacking more than ever this season, as he averages only 1.6 three-pointers attempted per game (a career low by far).

But 37.9 percent from three is his career best, so shooting the ball could help the Heat, who already are second-best in the league in scoring.

The three-ball is considered "the great equalizer," and with many deep-shooting threats on their roster, Miami's bashfulness from beyond the arc could hurt their scoring chances if/when King James gets tired from driving the lane so much.

7. Lack of PG Depth

Miami was a four-headed monster at point guard in 2010-11, with Mike Bibby, Eddie House, Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo combining for 27.3 points per contest. 

However, the Heat are down to two PGs on this year's roster (Chalmers and Norris Cole), and although they are averaging 11.1 and 8.6 points per game respectively, their depth took a huge hit, and Cole has yet to prove himself for a full season.

They have yet to show that their depleted PG position is a handicap, but a lack of depth could derail the Heat against the NBA's best. 

6. Turnovers

The Heat boast a whopping fifth-worst turnovers-per-game average of 16.2, a far cry from last year, when they averaged 13.9 and were in the top dozen of the league.

The super-athletic, high-flying Heat need to spend more time getting the ball in the basket and less time scaring the life out of their court-side fans. 

5. Derrick Rose

If there is one person who can single-handedly take down the Miami Heat this season, it's Derrick Rose.

LeBron and company bounced Rose's Bulls out of the playoffs last season, but Rose is the only player to put up 30 points against the Heat this season, and his late heroics Sunday nearly caused Chicago to pull out a comeback win in Miami. 

It will take a team effort for Chicago to take down Miami in these playoffs, but if Rose is in his 2010-11 regular season form, the Heat will have trouble advancing to the NBA Finals. 

4. Issues at Center

If there is one personnel piece keeping the Heat from being a championship team, it's a center. 

Joel Anthony is being out-played by both the opposition and his teammates this year, as two forwards coming off the bench average more minutes.

His 4.3 rebounds is only fourth on the team, and his 3.7 points per game is not even in Miami's top 10.

Their most formidable opponent in the East, Chicago, boasts two big men who out-rebound and out-score Anthony, and the surprisingly third-in-the-conference Philadelphia 76ers have Spencer Hawes, who is averaging 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds a game.

Atlanta has even filled Al Horford's gap, as Zaza Pachulia is averaging 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds since Horford went down. 

The depth behind Anthony is also deplorable, as the Heat don't have another center on their roster who has played in 10 games this season. The Heat may not have a system in which a center can thrive, but they need much more than what they're getting out of their current starter.

3. No Improvement Defensively

The Heat may be off to a better start this year than in last season's campaign, but it's no thanks to their defense. 

Albeit their scoring was a main component in their 2010-11 run to the NBA Finals, but their sixth-ranked defense was key in getting them deep into the playoffs.

They've had a major drop statistically this year, as they boast the eighth-worst points-against average in the league. 

Their tough, ball-hawking D will have to get back to last season's form if LeBron wants to win his first championship. 

2. Injuries

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in street clothes on the bench is nothing short of an eyesore for Heat fans.

Wade has missed nine of Miami's 20 games this season with an ankle injury.

Despite going 8-1 without the former Finals MVP, they need their leader to be a go for the playoffs.

Mike Miller has been injury-ridden for his whole Heat career, missing the first 12 games of the 2011-12 season, and is still fighting through a tweaked ankle and hernia. 

James has only missed one game, but admitted his ankle hasn't been 100 percent and has fought through the pain in this heavy 66-game schedule.

1. Inability to Finish

What else did you expect to be No. 1?

We've all heard the jokes about LeBron's disappearing act in the final quarter, and we've all seen the Heat lose their offensive groove during clutch moments of games.

The Big Three all believe in one another to make the game-winning shots, but often don't believe enough in themselves to pull the trigger and hit.

Wade is arguably the only player who's proven able to hit the big shot on this team, and LeBron's lack of a clutch gene certainly takes away from whatever late-game groove D-Wade boasts.

The two other teams most likely to win it all—Oklahoma CIty and Chicago—have gained notoriety in the past few years for being resilient and winning games late in the fourth quarter.

The Heat (more directly, LeBron) must reverse the late-game choking act they've become so well known for in order to become champions.