4 Things Standing Between Miami Heat and Another NBA Title

Trying to repeat for an NBA championship is a daunting task—one that only elite teams have been able to do in the modern era. Kobe and Shaq's Lakers, Jordan's Bulls, the Bad Boy Pistons are all considered iconic teams in the canon of NBA history.

The Miami Heat, with their current roster, have one of the best chances for a repeat in recent memory.

They return their entire rotation, while adding two potential upgrades in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. With their new acquisitions, Miami will use their small-ball approach that worked so brilliantly in the NBA Finals at excess, looking to dominate the league with a new brand of basketball.

Getting that second ring, though, is even harder than the first. Miami will have to ward off several impeding factors on their way to a repeat.

The Injury Bug

The Heat battled the injury bug like flu through the 2012 playoffs, including 10 games without Chris Bosh. In addition, Dwyane Wade struggled with knee issues that by watching him you would’ve thought he tore an ACL.

The injury bug is always a big ”if” scenario, but one that continues to be a common truth in the Association. Chicago’s title chances were dashed with Derrick Rose’s dreadful injury. Heat fans know this too well from the 2005 Eastern Finals against Detroit, when Dwyane Wade strained his rib in Game 5, and the Heat would bow out in Game 7.

The Big Three has only missed 33 games combined in their two full seasons together (regular season), most due to minor injuries. That's only 13 percent.

Those three can’t stay clean for long. And if not them, most of the role players have extensive injury histories.

Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis both have suffered season-injury hindrances in the last two seasons. Mike Miller couldn’t lay on his back during games because the pain was too severe. Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers have been rock solid in their Miami contributions, but those two are not enough to hold down the fort if injuries persist.

“The Disease of More”

Pat Riley coined the phrase “The Disease of More" in his novel about the Showtime Laker teams. In his published words: "success is often the first step toward disaster."

Championships bring a sense of entitlement, including a need for more minutes, more touches, and more recognition. If you’re a Heat fan reading this, Riles’ word is bond, so this couldn’t be any more true heading into next season.

The Big Three and Co. will face internal obstacles in attempts to churn out the same sweet harmony that persisted during the title run. Getting their players to fit this small ball system, with many having to swallow their ego in the process, will be no easy fix.

With Chris Bosh anchoring the middle, will he command more touches on the other end? Will Dwyane Wade still settle for 20-footers knowing that his shooters around him are exponentially better? How do the new additions Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis fit into their rotation of role players, and as a result, how do mainstays Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony handle a reduction of minutes?

If losing persists, all these queries will spiral out in reality. "The Disease of More," combined with the calls for “not 5, not 6, not 7” will be Miami’s internal bout.

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers were already considered a title contender after adding Steve Nash into the fold. With news of Dwight Howard to the Lakers just hitting the presses, Hollywood has the best big man in the game and potentially the Heat’s biggest thorn.

Frontcourt-laden teams present a tough matchup for Miami; they have been lucky thus far in avoiding dominating post threats in the postseason. That may be because there really are only two bigs in this mold, one just got traded to LA and the other was with them 24 hours ago. Go figure.

The addition of Howard provides the Lakers with an unmatched defensive presence that can oppose Wade and James at the rim, similar to Tyson Chandler’s impact in the 2011 Finals. His existence in the paint alone will make the Heat’s two best penetrators settle for more jump shots because they don’t want to get hit on the way the rim on every take.

Offensively, they have a ridiculous amount of firepower at their disposal; all you have to say is "fourth option Pau Gasol" and that makes any defense sweat. Sure, there will be growing pains, but Steve Nash’s presence speed up the process.

Nash’s inclusion will be a challenge to Miami’s defensive schemes as well; the team has struggled with point guards who can get to the paint.

The Lakers may be the only team that has inside threats that can challenge Miami’s small lineups coupled with a point guard who can penetrate at will.

Oh, and I forgot to mention Kobe Bryant. That’s downright scary.

Half-Court Ineptitude and the Matchup Zone

Defenses are getting more complex in the NBA, similar new construct of hybrid defenses in the NFL. In order to keep three of the top 20 players in the NBA on their toes, Dallas went to this type of formula in the 2011 NBA Finals, and no one has been able to emulate it since.

In turn, the Mavericks provided the rest of the NBA with a game plan to beat Miami.

Albeit it took six tight games, but Dallas was able to take the Heat out of their comfort zone and render them into an average offensive team. Here’s how they did it.

Step one: Have a big man who defends the basket like his newborn child. Most teams don’t have this luxury, so for those select few teams with a capable big, keep reading.

Step two: Construct a defensive scheme predicated on a mixture of matchup zones.

While some teams may have had too much pride to switch out of man-to-man (Indiana last postseason), setting up defenses that the Heat can’t plan for is a necessity. For those exclaiming that the Heat will have a variety of open three point looks, that’s a 40 percent risk teams will take if they can avoid regular layups and dunks.

Expect more zone looks and complex defenses to try to alter the Heat’s offensive game plan.  It only takes one team and a strong defensive mind behind the clipboard.