Miami Heat: Five Reasons They Won't Make the Finals, Let Alone Win It All

It seems that we are in the midst of another premature crowning of a king. Since July 8, 2010, the day that will always be remembered as the day of “The Decision,“ there have been several sports writers, basketball analyst, and millions of fans, who have proclaimed the “Miami Trio” as the kings of the NBA.

Even the book keepers in Las Vegas have picked the Heat to when it all. There hasn’t been this much hype surrounding one person, or team for that matter, since LeBron James’ draft in 2003.

There is so much hype that “Experts” such as Jeff Van Gundy, have gone on record stating that the Miami Heat will beat the 1995-96 Bulls record of winning 72 games in a season, or the 33 game winning streak of the 1971-72 Lakers.

I’m not saying that these feats are impossible to beat; it’s just very, very, very, unlikely. They should have a great season next year, and will have as much of a chance to win a championship as any other team in the NBA, say for a hand full of teams that are currently rebuilding.

The “Miami Thrice” are excellent players by themselves, and proved they could play together in the Olympics, but there is a lot more than a talented trio needed to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

I don’t believe they will make it to the finals, let alone win it all. And here are five reasons why you shouldn’t, either;

The Greats Have Spoken

I don’t know about anyone else, but when the greats speak, I listen.

After the “Decision,” Hall of Fame players, such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley, have spoken out publicly to share their distaste for the way this team came together.

Then most recently, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, and Scottie Pippen also weighed in on the Heat’s super trio.

It seems to me that the consensus among them was that none of them would’ve ever joined forces in an effort to stack the deck in their favor.

In my opinion, they were indicating that these guys don’t have the true heart of a champion, to do it on their own.

To me, if the greatest players to ever play the game don't give their collective vote of confidence, then why should anyone else.

Health Concerns

Health will be an issue for this very top heavy team. You have to figure that James, Wade, and Bosh will have to play some serious minutes during the course of the season, due to the lack of a solid bench.

Both Wade and Bosh, have already sustained serious injuries during their careers, which have limited them in the past. Although, James has been mostly injury free so far, (with the exception of the phantom elbow) in his career, his big health issue will be mental health.

I’m not talking Ron-Ron crazy mental health. I mean, total mental lapse, the likes of what we saw in Cleveland, the past few years. His decision, all the tweets, and just the over-all expectations, I feel will prove too much for James. And that is just as bad, if not worse than getting physically hurt.

There have been numerous super teams in the past, that have been subdued by the injury bug.

It would be a shame if they don't make it, for any other reason than playing their best ball and being ousted by the opposition.

The Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference has become very competitive over the last few years, and there are two, maybe even three solid teams that could beat Miami in a seven game series.

Yeah, the Heat look great on paper, but I’m not convinced that they stand a chance against the current Eastern juggernauts in Orlando, and Boston. Both of those teams dismantled squads led by James and Wade in the past few years, and neither of them lost any of their key players.

Also, the Bulls picked up some new guys too, who look to improve upon an already young talented team.

There is a huge target on Miami’s back, and front for that matter, so every team in the league will be looking to rough these guys up.

“Offense wins games, Defense (and rebounding) wins championships.”

This is the truest of truths, I’m sure it even says that somewhere in the bible.  This was evident in last year’s Finals match-up between the Celtics and the Lakers.

And this is one thing the Heat is missing in their plan to take over the world.  Wade and James are both decent perimeter defenders, and Bosh is certainly not known for his D.

We all have been mezmerized by all of those spectacular blocks and steals over their careers, but the majority were on help D from the weak side. 

The one thing that James, Wade and Bosh all seem struggle with is the post defense. The interior of their defense will prove to be their “Achilles heel”, with no real inside threat to block shots.

Teams who have players with length, that can play with their backs to the basket efficiently will have a field day down low, and on the offensive glass.

There is not a single other player on this team that is known as a lock down defender.

This team could look moore like Mike D'Antoni's Phoenix Suns, scoring high point totals, but allowing high point totals as well. And we all know how far they got.

It's Just Hype Until They Make It, and Win

For a team that hasn’t played a single game yet and has already been anointed kings of the league, they sure have a tall order to deliver on. What happens if they don’t deliver on the promises made? Is the super team a failure?

The current champions, the Los Angeles Lakers are locked and loaded for next season, and are as hungry as ever. The aged but very lethal Boston Celtics added some size, and in my eyes look to be the favorites to come out of the east.

The hype has been great for the league, it has been great for LeBron’s “brand”, but I’m not buying it.

These guys promised championships, when only one has actually accomplished it (two if you count Udonis “the weed man” Haslem). Until Kobe decides to hang it up, I just can’t see these guys winning it all, and that won’t be for a good three to four years. 

If this super team fails, the league should go back to a style that represents the rich history of the NBA, where the best players in the world battled one another for the right to say "I played against the best the league had to offer and prevailed."

That is the true essence of the NBA, what men like Magic, Bird, Jordan, and Kareem and those before them played for.