Miami Heat's Stars Need To Align in Order To Shine
Arthur Ashe once said, "You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy."
The Miami Heat are on the verge of what will soon be the biggest season in franchise history.
Come October 26, the NBA season will tip off, and when it does we will be bombarded by all things Heat related. They will lead off SportsCenter practically every evening. Their games will be showcased on national television one night and the results will be on the front page of your sports section the next morning.
In between all the speculation and pontification, there will be little left uncovered. The experts and cynics will all be out in full force to inundate basketball fans with a tsunami of opinions and analysis.
They're going to break down the Heat's strengths and weaknesses. They will tell you how the Heat match up against other top-echelon organizations and why they can or can't beat that team.
Still, it doesn't need to be that complicated. It's actually quite "elementary, my dear Watson."
Miami and their plethora of talent won't need to focus on the team that's sharing the court with them on any given night.
On the contrary, their biggest challenge will be in perfecting their game and gelling together.
During the course of the 82 game regular season Miami must manage to fuse into a cohesive unit. One which would epitomize the term "team" and be perfectly in sync come playoff time.
If they are able to achieve that, if they can reach their own "highest standards and limits," well then everything would work itself out.
Truth is, no team in the NBA can beat Miami. You're talking about a team with the two best players in the league come next year. Yes, I said top two. Sorry Kobe, but your arthritic finger and aging body are going to serve as a rude awakening come next year.
The Heat's biggest opponent will definitely be themselves.
Chemistry and health will be the two critical factors in either propelling Miami to the first of what may be many titles or simply sending them home for a summer filled with questions and lament.
For Miami to be special, they will need to mesh as a team. One in which everyone knows their role and responsibility.
Despite the wealth of talent that players such as Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade bring to the table, Miami will need production from the rest of their roster as well.
They will need for Joel Anthony to improve on his rebounding and provide them with a capable last line of defense. Mario Chalmers must take the next leap in his career and maximize his abilities.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Udonis Haslem must show they can come off the bench and give the team quality minutes. They certainly need for Mike Miller and Eddie House to be consistent long range threats so that opponents can't get by double teaming either Wade or James.
Pat Riley kept his word. He promised Heat season ticket holders that he was going into this summer with the sole intent of putting together a dynasty. Whomever coined the phrase, "Rome was not built in a day" obviously had no idea of what the Heat could accomplish between July 7 and 8.
Yet, this is not a dynasty yet. It's little more than the 2003-04 Lakers, in essence. A team with a constellation of stars. Perhaps not even as good a roster as that one which failed to beat the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 Finals.
Therein lies what Miami must overcome. The Lakers that year felt they were entitled to a championship ring. That their mere presence would suffice on any given night. On most days it did, but not when it counted most.
"A house divided cannot stand." The Lakers learned that the hard way. All the squabbling and bickering from the onset of that 2003 campaign had already doomed Los Angeles. Their two biggest stars were at odds and created a poisonous atmosphere which ultimately lead to the collapse versus a hungry Detroit team.
That is what Miami must avoid. They need everyone from the starters to the bench players to realize the lucrative opportunity that has been laid before them. There can't be a LeBron and Wade feud. Bosh can't be disgruntled because he is now a third option.
The role players must accept and complete the tasks set before them. Most of all, every man must come to terms with the name on the front of their jerseys representing much more than the name on the back of it.
The Heat need to transform into a well oiled machine. A locomotive that continues to pick up steam/speed as they get deeper into their journey. There by becoming an unstoppable force when the postseason rolls around.
This doesn't mean it won't be a challenge. Any train can be derailed. David Stern will not walk into the Miami locker room and present them with the Larry O'Brien trophy if they come out and romp over Boston opening night. Nope, it's going to take much more than that.
This will be a long drawn out season in which the entire team will be under the microscope every time they step on the court. Every opposing team will be gunning for Miami and will bring their "A" games when facing them.
Forget the Lakers, it's Miami which is now "public enemy" No. 1. They have the big bulls' eye on their backs and will have to make sure that they rise to the occasion each and every night.
It's for this reason that Miami will make a run at the best regular season record in league history. Because this year more than any other, you are going to see a team determined on winning every game, every half, every quarter, every possession.
They have a cache of ammunition at their disposal thanks to all the criticism that has befallen them since the "Decision." They have all the quotes and snide remarks remembered. If they forget them then Riley will simply tape it in their lockers or place it on the team board.
The "Big Three" have all the motivation and talent in the world. They also have a roster that forwent making more money elsewhere simply to join them in pursuit of the gold, thereby making a commitment to stand alongside Bosh, Wade, and James come hell or high water.
This entire team came together the way pirates would have back in the 17th century. It’s a group of men that said “to hell with settling with what we’re given. We’re just going to unite our forces and take everything that we wish.”
A band of pirates greater than any assembled before will set out on this quest. They will pillage and plunder their way across the land, leaving countless victims in their wake. All the while setting a course for the NBA Finals.
If and when they finally capture that which they treasure most, they would have done so not just because of the ships captain but because of the effort and work put in by the entire crew.
