Miami Heat: 10 Reasons the Heat Remain Title Contenders Despite Loss To Celtics

The Miami Heat have had a rough time this season against the Boston Celtics. They are 0-3 against them; they only average about 90 points per game and shoot 43 percent from the field against the Celtics.

They are fine against everyone else in the NBA, with a 39-12 record when they don't play Boston. They have a great defense, the big three of course and they are getting better as time goes on.

The problem is that for any team to be great there is always that one obstacle that stands in their way. They have to be able to get over that hump before they can become champions. The Boston Red Sox had that with the New York Yankees. Peyton Manning had it with Tom Brady. Steve Young had it with the Dallas Cowboys.

There is no reason to write the Heat off as legitimate championship contenders because they have struggled with Boston in the regular season. They will get to the playoffs, and they will probably meet Boston in the eastern conference finals. Boston would be the favorites, but don't discount the Heat in that series quite yet.

Here are 10 reasons that the Heat are still serious championship contenders despite their third consecutive loss to the Boston Celtics.

10. The Eastern Conference Stinks

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MIAMI, FL - FEBRUARY 08: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heatis congratulated by Chris Bosh #1 during a game against the Indiana Pacers at American Airlines Arena on February 8, 2011 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees th

There are really only two dominant teams in the eastern conference: Miami and Boston. Those two have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

Chicago can be an elite team, but they are still missing another backcourt player to go alongside Derrick Rose. They do have a lot of pieces in place that would allow them to make a significant deal, it's just a question of if they want to.

Orlando played a great game against the Lakers on Sunday, but they have been so hot and cold this season that they aren't the threat we thought they would be going into the year.

Aside from those four teams, no one else in the east should even be talked about. Atlanta has a nice record (33-20), but they aren't a championship caliber team. Besides that, no one else in the conference is more than one game over .500.

9. Boston Is An Old Team

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BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 10: Ray Allen #20 of the Boston Celtics reacts after he is called for a foul in the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 10, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Lakers defeated the Celtics 92-86. N

As great as the Celtics are, and they are the best team in the eastern conference, they are very old. Age has a way of catching up to you over the course of an 82 game season. We have seen the Celtics crumble before due to injury and fatigue.

Aside from Rajon Rondo, their main starting players this year are Ray Allen, 35, Kevin Garnett, 34, Paul Pierce, 33, and Shaq, 38. While Boston does have tremendous depth, if they are without one of those guys, particularly Allen, Garnett or Pierce, for any length of time they will be in trouble.

8. Miami Had the Best Record in the East Before Yesterday

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MIAMI - FEBRUARY 06: Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat reacts against the L.A. Clippers at American Airlines Arena on February 6, 2011 in Miami, Florida. The Heat defeated the Clippers 97-79. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that

The Heat entered yesterday one-half game ahead of Boston in the eastern conference standings. With the loss they fell one-half game behind, but they are still very much in the mix to get home-court advantage in the playoffs.

In the one game that those two teams played in Miami, the Heat were able to put up 107 points against that vaunted Celtics defense. Sure, they gave up 112 to lose, but they looked far better on their home court than they have in the two games in Boston.

If the Heat are able to get home-court advantage they will be in a great position to knock off the Celtics in the playoffs.

7. Dwayne Wade Has To Show Up at Some Point, Right?

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AUBURN HILLS, MI - FEBRUARY 11: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat gets to the basket in front of Tracy McGrady #1 of the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills on February 11, 2011 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledge

The most significant impact that Dwayne Wade has had in any of the three games against the Celtics this season came yesterday. After Garnett set a hard screen on Mike Miller, Wade shoved his forearm into Garnett's chest.

Wade, who is one of the five best players in the NBA, has not figured out how to play against the Celtics yet. This year, he is averaging just under 13 points per game against them. He has never found a comfortable rhythm going up against that defense, and it has shown in his performances.

Great players are able to figure out what's going wrong and fix it, so Wade should be able to turn it around at some point, right?

6. The Heat Have Played the Celtics Close in Every Game This Season

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BOSTON - FEBRUARY 13: Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics catches a pass against Joel Anthony #50 of the Miami Heat at TD Garden on February 13, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics won 85-82. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees

The Celtics have beaten the Heat in three games this season by a combined 16 points, so it's not like they are getting completely destroyed in these games. They just have to get better at being able to play better early in these games.

In the first two games that these teams played, the Heat trailed by 15 points at the half each time. They were ahead by four points at the half in the third game, but they were outscored 35-18 in the third quarter to find themselves down by 13 going into the fourth.

They make the game close at the end, but they just have to play better in the second and third quarters in order to walk away from the game with a victory.

5. The Heat Have Three Separate Win Streaks of at Least Eight Games

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AUBURN HILLS, MI - FEBRUARY 11: LeBron James #6 and Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat look on while playing the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills on February 11, 2011 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Miami won the game 106-92. NOTE TO USER: User exp

It took awhile for the Heat to gel as a unit, part of that was because the five guys they expected to be on the floor from day one have not been on the court all season, part of that is because they brought in a lot of new parts and it took awhile for them to mesh.

When this team is firing on all cylinders, they are the most dangerous team in the NBA. They have had three separate win streaks of at least eight games so far this year. They went through a stretch where they won 21 of 22 games.

They can look like the best team in the NBA on any given night. The problem is that they have had moments where they look like one of the worst teams in the NBA.

4. The Heat Defense Is Stout

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BOSTON - FEBRUARY 13: Dexter Pittman #13 of the Miami Heat defends against Kendrick Perkins #43 of the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on February 13, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading an

The Heat offense has struggled to get things going at times, but the defense has been solid all year long. They currently rank fifth in the NBA in scoring defense (93.9 PPG). They hold opponents to the lowest field goal percentage in the league (42.6%) and second in opponent three-point field goal percentage (32.6%).

They are one of the best defensive teams in the league, but people don't want to focus on that because they have Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, who are two of the most exciting offensive players in the NBA.

Their defensive ability is going to carry them throughout the playoffs.

3. They Might Not Have to Play the Celtics in the Playoffs

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BOSTON - FEBRUARY 13: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat and Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics take a breather at TD Garden on February 13, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or

Though it seems unlikely at this point, there is always the chance that the Heat won't even have to play the Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals. If the Celtics players get hurt at some point and can't go in the playoffs, they will be in trouble. It may not catch up to them in the first round, but if they had to play a team like Chicago or Orlando in the second round, they will be in danger.

If the Heat don't have to go through Boston to get to the Finals they will be perfectly content with that. It makes for a better story if the two teams have to play each other in the conference finals, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will happen.

2. LeBron James Is Still the Best Player on the Planet

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Whether you like LeBron James anymore or not because of how he handled "The Decision," you have to admit he is the best basketball player in the world right now. Some people might try to make an argument for Kobe Bryant, but he doesn't do everything that LeBron does.

LeBron can have an affect on the game in so many different ways. He doesn't have to score to be great; Kobe does. He can play four different positions on the court; Kobe can't.

LeBron was probably right earlier this season when he said that he can't win an MVP award because of the team that he plays for; he is still the most valuable player in the NBA.

1. They Have the Best Threesome in the NBA

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WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 18: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat celebrates with Dwyane Wade #3 and Chris Bosh #1 after a 95-94 victory over the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center on December 18, 2010 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly

Some teams might be deeper than the Heat, but no one can boast a threesome like they have. With LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, they have two of the five best players in the NBA. Add Chris Bosh, who is one of the best power forwards in the NBA, and you have a top three unlike anyone else.

In any sport, it doesn't matter which one, you are going to win a championship with superstars. Average guys can get you into the dance, but those elite guys are going to push you over the top. When LeBron was in Cleveland he was surrounded by a lot of average (at best) guys. They were able to win so many games because of him, but with no one around to help him they couldn't get to the ultimate goal.

LeBron is surrounded by guys who can help him in ways that he never had in Cleveland. So even though there are teams out there with more total talent, there is no one who can match Miami 1-thru-3 in the NBA. Not Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago, Orlando. No one.

Even though they may not put together the best record in the history of the NBA, they will be extremely dangerous come playoff time.