Why Steve Nash to Lakers Makes L.A. Biggest Threat to Miami Heat in the NBA

The Miami Heat's road to a repeat just got significantly more difficult.

According to radio host John Gambadoro, Steve Nash has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, rendering Purple and Gold the team with the best chances of dethroning LeBron James and Co.

The Brooklyn Nets? They're suddenly interesting but hardly contenders.

The San Antonio Spurs? Same song, different dance as age remains an issue.

The New York Knicks? That's funny.

The Oklahoma City Thunder? Their small ball is no match for the Lakers' suddenly versatile attack.

That leaves Los Angeles, and we are not talking about the Clippers. Nash has not only made the Lakers title contenders once again, but he made them one of the favorites.

Miami proved that you can win a title playing small ball—an encouraging sentiment for advocates of James' "not one, not two..." proclamation and the athletic Thunder, who are more formidable sans Kendrick Perkins.

That said, the best way to counteract a prolific dose of wings and stretch 4s is to put forth a more balanced attack—one that devastates from both the inside and out, a la Boston Celtics of 2008.

And this is just what the Lakers have done—assembled a Big Four that can fire from all cylinders to battle a Heat Big Three that can be rather limited in their inside-out approach. 

James is Miami's best all-around player, but after him, the Heat's superstar trio lacks consistent versatility. Dwyane Wade has struggled from the perimeter his entire career, while Chris Bosh is rapidly developing into a stretch 4 who lives and dies from the outside.

The Lakers, on the other hand, are a different story. Their most limited offensive player is Andrew Bynum, who has yet to develop a consistent midrange game.

But Pau Gasol? He can score from anywhere on the floor. And Kobe Bryant and Nash? They too can—and will—attack from all different angles.

This is not to say the Lakers' lineup trumps the Heat's, though, because it doesn't.

Defensively, their star-studded casts match up well in terms of give and take. It's on offense where Los Angeles can now separate itself.

That said, James and Wade are still James and Wade. They led Miami to the utter dismantling of Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals—a feat that cannot be discounted.

And yet, while the Lakers have far from derailed the Heat's title hopes, they have shifted the balance of power in the Western Conference.

The Spurs are old and in dire need of injecting additional athleticism into their lineup, while the Thunder's penchant for disappearing down the stretch has become all too prevalent.

That leaves Los Angeles.

And now, on the verge of removing the Thunder and Spurs from their respective pedestals, it's clear there isn't another team better suited—or more likely—to unseat the Heat than the Lakers. 

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