NBA Finals 2012: Ranking Miami Heat's Big Three with the Best in the NBA

It's the latest trend and whether you like it or not, more NBA organizations may just be ready to pounce on the idea of creating a three-man core surrounded by average role players.

In fact, the two teams currently in the NBA Finals made it there on account of their big three's.

The standard was set in 2007 when the Boston Celtics decided to bring in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to play alongside Paul Pierce. The results were extraordinary, as the Celtics won 65 games before moving on to the NBA Finals to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

The chances are likely that they would have won the title the next year, too, had Kevin Garnett not gotten hurt.

They made it to the Finals again in 2010, but would fall in seven games to the same Laker team, which also had a huge three-man core of their own.

Since then, a number of teams have tried out this concept, with the Miami Heat's big three becoming the talk of the NBA community. Two years after the team brought in LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play alongside Dwyane Wade, they already have two finals appearances to show for it and are currently two games away from winning their first championship.

However, they'll have to take down a big three that has some advantages of their own.

Let's take a look at four of the best big three's in the league and see how they stack up with the Miami Heat.

5. New York Knicks

I was going to put the Boston Celtics in this spot, but with age playing more and more of a factor and a huge free-agency period looming, I decided to go with the next best thing in the New York Knicks.

The great thing about this New York Knicks' core? They have the potential to be the best three-man core in the league.

The terrible thing about this New York Knicks' core? They don't want to be, because stats and not adjusting are a lot easier.

What goes through Carmelo Anthony's mind when he's taking 30 shots per game and Amar'e Stoudemire is taking 10? Did he really leave the Denver Nuggets just to say he has a better teammate?

In all honesty, he probably would have found just as much success if he stayed in Denver with Chauncey Billups and Nene Hilario.

When LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined up, they knew they'd have to make sacrifices and learn how to make adjustments; Carmelo Anthony doesn't get the concept of adjusting and attempting to make these things work out.

He has one of the league's top pick-and-roll players and he simply refuses to execute the play because of his scoring mentality.

Either way, this three-man core of Anthony, Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler is one of the best in the league because of the blend of offense and defense.

When Stoudemire and Anthony commit to playing defense, they're actually pretty good at it. However, most of the time it's Chandler making up for the lackadaisical efforts of Anthony and Stoudemire.

Chandler deserved to win Defensive Player of the Year just because of what he did for this Knicks team on the defensive end. Before he got there, the Knicks were among the worst teams in the league in points given up per game. Chandler plays there for one year, and New York suddenly finds itself near the top 10 in the same category.

That tends to happen when you sign the defensive anchor of the reigning championship team.

As much as I criticized Anthony, he's still an incredible player and is probably the best scorer in this league. His quick release off the dribble, tremendous footwork, ability to finish around the rim, unlimited range and fearless mentality allows him to become the toughest player on the court to defend.

It really shouldn't be that surprising that Anthony shoots so much; you would too if you had his offensive skill set.

It was a disappointing 2011-12 season for Stoudemire, who had his lowest numbers since his rookie year, after averaging 18 points on 48 percent shooting to go along with a career-low eight boards per.

Once he escapes hampering injuries, Stoudemire needs a pure point guard to feed him in the spots he's comfortable in.

If Raymond Felton was effective with him last year, then there's no excuse why Anthony shouldn't be too.

This Knicks team has the potential to be great if they can find a way to secure a solid point guard with a pass-first mentality. Stoudemire and Chandler are best on offense with a point guard leading them, but this team will only work to its fullest potential if Anthony can learn to adjust to his teammates.

4. Los Angeles Lakers

They may not have looked like it the past two seasons, but the Los Angeles Lakers three-man core is among the most effective in the league.

While a few too many of us may solely remember the Lakers getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks and losing in five games to the Oklahoma City Thunder this year, we also must remember that this is the same core that went to three consecutive NBA Finals, winning two of them.

"But that's in the past, John!" It doesn't matter; this three-man core can be just as effective now as they were then.

In fact, with the development of Andrew Bynum, they could be even better. Bynum has long been a headcase for the Lakers since being drafted as out of Saint Joseph High School in 2005 at 18 years old.

Outside of constantly putting his foot in his mouth, Bynum has also been seen as a disturbance amongst the coaching staff, specifically this past year with Mike Brown. He would often "zen," as he put it.

Injuries have also played a key factor. However, he finally experienced his first healthy season since the 2006-07 campaign this past season when he played in 60 of the team's 66 games.

In that time, he averaged career high's across the board with 19 points, 12 boards and two blocks in 35 minutes worth of playing time.

Coupled with Pau Gasol in the frontcourt, the Lakers have one of the league's greatest advantages with two top rebounders, interior scorers and finishers. The length of Bynum and Gasol can prove to be devastating against just about any opponent that doesn't have the size or can't make the proper adjustments to limit them.

As for Kobe Bryant?

In 2012 he averaged 28 points, five boards and five assists per game as a 33-year-old with a bad wrist and a finger on his shooting hand that will never be the same. I think I've made my point.

3. San Antonio Spurs

Certainly the most successful of any trio currently playing in the NBA, the three-man core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili has won three titles together since joining forces in 2003.

Not bad for a No. 1 pick, a late first-rounder and a second-rounder.

Whenever a new season approaches, we always say the same thing about the San Antonio Spurs and their big three: "This is totally going to be the year where they start falling apart."

Every year goes by and we make the same mistake, especially this year, when the Spurs managed to secure a No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and end up taking a 20-game winning streak deep into the postseason.

Unfortunately for them, the athleticism and offensive firepower of the Oklahoma City Thunder was just too much, as it would be for just about any NBA defense.

Despite Duncan being 36 years old and Ginobili being 34, they still remain just as effective as they were in 2003 when they first won a title together.

Manu is still one of the league's craftiest players when driving and also happens to be one of its most volatile shooters, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc this past season.

However, injuries played a large factor throughout last year's postseason and the majority of the 2011-12 season.

Duncan, too, is constantly doubted for his age, and while his stats have declined significantly, he's still just as mentally focused and fundamentally exceptional as ever. He averaged 15 points and nine boards and is still banking in the same shots he's been making since he was at Wake Forest.

He's even throwing down like he used to.

However, this team has relied on Tony Parker for the most part. A legitimate MVP candidate this year, Parker looked like the player from 2006 that was among the league leaders in points-in-the-paint.

With Ginobili ailing and Duncan playing on tired legs, Parker stepped up in a huge way to lead an aging core to the same heights they've been reaching for over a decade.

He averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game.

Every year we say it's over and every year we're all left scratching our heads in May, wondering how they're still doing it. Maybe it's time we just start believing these three are immortal.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

Want to know the scariest thing about this three-man core of Oklahoma City's?

The fact that they currently have a three-time scoring champion, arguably the league's top point guard and the reigning Sixth Man of the Year? That's scary, but not the most fear-inducing fact.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook being signed up until 2016? The fact that those two will most likely be paired up for at least another four years is a devastating idea to think about, but it's not the scariest part of this team.

Well, what about the fact that those three are all capable of consistently shooting from the perimeter and can just as easily take it inside and finish around the rim with the best of them?

That's certainly scary, but I'm not going to be checking out my windows every night to see if Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are coming to get me.

The scariest part about this team is their age.

You may not know it from watching them, but Durant and Westbrook are both 23 years old, and James Harden is 22.

This must be how people in the 1970s first felt after watching 'The Exorcist,' because knowing that each player in one of the top three-man cores is 23 years old or younger leaves me bewildered every time I watch the Thunder.

Each player can shoot from just about anywhere on the court, possess the athleticism and the quick first step to take it to the rim if he wants to and is already gaining the postseason experience that most veterans never achieve.

While the next team's 'Big Three' is currently the top out there now, the Thunder's big three will certainly be the best in the long run.

1. Miami Heat

Depending how the NBA Finals end, I'd say that the No. 1 and No. 2 spots could very well be interchangeable.

At the moment, the experience and defense of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh far surpass that of the Oklahoma City Thunder's core.

Defense, in particular, gives the Heat the edge because they have two of the league's top individual defenders. Compare that to the Thunder's core, who are above-average at best.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have figured out this whole playing together thing.

It's funny how nearly a year ago, people were still debating over whether or not two players with a similar offensive skill set could coexist. It's just too bad they didn't realize earlier that these two are extremely smart basketball players that were willing to make the adjustments in order to work this thing out.

Now we are witnesses to some of the greatest displays of basketball in the history of the game. Wade and James are finally learning to play off of each other, instead of taking turns.

When one player has the ball, the other guy isn't just standing in a corner out of his way; he's moving without the ball, keeping his defender on his toes and crashing the boards if the shot is missed.

Those two are so prolific together that they nearly won two consecutive playoff series by themselves.

When Chris Bosh went down with his injury, it was James and Wade to the rescue. They recovered from a 2-1 deficit against the Indiana Pacers behind a 40 point, 18 rebound and nine assist effort by LeBron and a 41 point and 10 rebound game by Dwyane Wade.

Then, they came back from a 3-2 deficit behind LeBron's 45 points in Game 6.

Of course, this team may not have even made it to the Finals if Chris Bosh wasn't there in Game 7 hitting timely shots.

Without being too cliche, Chris Bosh is the glue guy for this Heat team. Without him on the floor, the Heat's opponent is allowed to pack the paint and send their best frontcourt defender to attempt to block Wade and James' shots on their drives.

With Bosh on the floor, defenders have to be wary of his jumper and it leads to the lane opening up.

This team has the advantage over every other big three because of their defense. James is arguably the best defender at his position and Wade could be, too, if he didn't gamble so much.

As much criticism as Bosh draws for his toughness on defense, his length is still a deterrent for slashers.

These three bring about more criticism than any other three-man core on this list. That's saying something about a team that has made it to two consecutive Finals. Obviously, only the best is expected from these three and the best is only what we expect in the coming weeks.