Miami Heat: 10 Reasons Why They Can Still Be Considered Title Favorites
No one was going to argue if the Miami Heat were title favorites at the start of the season. Who would argue? Who could argue against a team with the reigning two-time MVP, a former NBA finals MVP and an elite power forward as it's core?
There were holes at the point guard and center spot, but surely the big three would compensate for anything the rest of the team lacked. The sheer presence of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh alone would be enough to win 60 games.
Fast forward to March, and the Heat are at 46-22 and are struggling through an 11-game stretch that has them facing nothing but teams that have spots in the postseason.
This was imagined to be a dream campaign for the Heat, as it was expected that James, Wade and Bosh would easily lead this team to a fantasy match-up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals, which they would ultimately win.
It turns out it wasn't that easy, though, because apparently, it takes more than just talent to beat the best.
They have lacked chemistry and cohesion for most of the way, their offense can look horrible at times and the coach might have no idea what he is doing, but the Miami Heat can still be considered title favorites.
Even with the team at 0-6 against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, when it comes down to the postseason and a seven-game series, it's going to be considerably difficult for any team to limit James, Wade, or Bosh enough for the opposition to pull out a series victory.
It's for those three reasons alone why Miami should still be considered one of the most dangerous teams when the postseason does begin.
With a third seed most likely locked down, Miami might have a more difficult road than it had hoped for with the highly likely chance of them having to play Chicago and Boston to get out of the Eastern Conference. With a possible date against the New York Knicks to start, the road to the Finals for the Heat will not be an easy one.
Nevertheless, we should see a completely different Heat team when the playoffs roll around. Each player has plenty to prove.They can wait no longer to complete the task of taking home a title and silencing the critics and doubters that have surrounded them since coming together in early July.
The road won't be an easy one, but the Heat need to be up to the task of taking on any team if they want the title that they came together for.
More Secure Rotations Between Lineups
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With time and experience comes a better understanding of the game. The Miami Heat needed a few months and a slow start just for the team to better understand each other's moves and individual games before they could get the ball rolling by winning 22 of 23.
Because of the completely new lineup that had over half a roster of players that recently joined the team, the correct lineup rotations for the right situations became an issue.
Coach Spoelstra has run LeBron James at the end of the first while allowing Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to sit; other times, it's Wade at the end of the quarter or even Bosh taking over the offense.
A number of tweaks and adjustments have been made over the season with the starting lineup as well, with the current one of Mario Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh and Erick Dampier looking to be the permanent one. After plenty of moves, it appears that the Heat might be set when it comes to sending out the right lineups.
With the postseason looming, the Heat have just about found the best possible rotations. They've implemented more Jamaal Magloire and less Joel Anthony, have Wade and James learning the ins and outs of playing off the ball while playing together, and even putting in the right defenders against whichever offense they're supposed to play against.
After three games with Boston, and one more left with Chicago, the Heat should have an idea of what lineups they need to send out to match the fire power of the Celtics and Bulls.
The Return of Udonis Haslem
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Remember that one guy on the Heat? One of the better sixth men of the league and probably the best rebounder and defender on the team?
OK, if you don't know by now, I'll just give it away: He's the only player in the league that hasn't gotten the memo that cornrows were out of style three years ago.
Cornrows or not, Udonis Haslem is still one of the Heat's most important players and has been dearly missed this season when it come to the intangibles that he provides on a nightly basis.
Haslem hasn't played since November 20 after suffering a leg injury while battling with Zach Randolph in a game against Memphis.
He's a career 10 point and eight rebound player and has played a huge role in the team's offense and defense since signing with the Heat as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He was supposed to help the team's rebounding woes thanks to his tenacity and ability to muscle up against any type of center or forward.
Not only does he bring rebounding and an automatic mid-range shot, he is one of the team's most clutch players.
Over the past two seasons, when he was basically the No. two option in the final moments, Wade would find him for a number of open jumpers in the waning seconds of games that Haslem would make nearly all of the time.
With the way Miami has struggled late in games this season, Udonis would've been huge as another option for the team to look to for easy buckets.
Come postseason time, Haslem is going to be a necessity when he faces off against the likes of Carlos Boozer and Kevin Garnett. He can provide the defense and rebounding that Bosh has lacked for most of the season.
Solid Cohesion Between the Big Three
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If you compare the Big Three today to the Big Three in late October and early November, it would be impossible to not notice a complete difference.
Early on, they were three individuals who couldn't find each other for easy shots if their lives depended on it.
Four months later, and the Big Three are beginning to look like the superstars the team shelled out over $100 million for over the next six years.
They're all beginning to find a comfort zone that has Wade and James learning to play off the ball and thriving off of their teammates and Bosh finding his spots to score at or near the basket.
Not only that, but the Big Three as a collective whole are attacking the rim now more than ever with more trips to the foul line, easier scores and with a better flow and rhythm on offense.
Each player has begun to get a better feel to the offense, and because of that, the team is beginning to win games easier with less moments of stagnancy.
Against teams like Boston and Chicago, it's going to take more than just sheer talent to pull out a series win against these two top defensive teams.
The Big Three need to keep doing what they've been doing on offense over the past week and keep running against these teams that can't keep up with them on fast breaks.
There are still some kinks to work out on the offensive end, but Miami needs to keep running and playing at a faster pace if they want to be the team to beat in the East.
Improved Defense
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Their defense against the Oklahoma City Thunder might have been a let down, but we have officially seen what this Heat team is capable of when they're motivated on the defensive end.
Dwyane Wade's defense on Kobe Bryant was some of the best individual work by any player this season, and the team's overall defense on the Grizzlies, and more importantly the Spurs, was even more impressive. Over that short win streak, the Heat didn't allow more than 90 points.
There should be reason to believe that the Heat team you saw giving up 125 points to the Spurs only a few weeks ago did not have the right defensive mindset for that game like they have had over the week. They look inspired, motivated and put in a lot of effort to at least put a hand up on close outs in an attempt to affect a shooter in the slightest way to cause a miss.
Beating up on a disciplined team like the Spurs was huge for the team's confidence because it proved that they could go against some of the more offensively disciplined teams of the league and play just as well as they could against any other team.
They have some of the best perimeter and individual defenders in the league, and they will all be required to play at their highest level if they want to make a legitimate championship run.
Late Season Confidence
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With Chris Bosh learning his place in the offensive system, Miami has added a completely new and volatile part of the offense. It also couldn't have happened to a better player either, as it seemed that he was set to become one of the biggest busts of the offseason after getting a deal that was set to pay him $15 million per year over the next five seasons.
He was averaging 18 points and eight rebounds, but it was still frustrating to watch Bosh miss open jumper after open jumper and fighting himself mentally to actually making a positive impact.
The 1-for-18 shooting in their loss to Chicago and his seven points against Portland must have lit a fire under Bosh because he's been a completely new player over the past four games.
He's had at least 18 points and nine rebounds in each game and has played with a confidence and swagger that no one has seen from Bosh since he was still playing in Toronto. He's driving, getting to the line and hitting the shots that he has become notorious for.
However, the one player that the Heat have needed to step up off the bench has provided little to no support. Mike Miller was supposed to be the team's biggest three-point threat, but has seen no consistency to his shot and has been a liability more than anything. Apparently, Miller has no trouble with hitting his shots during shoot-around, so this appears to be a mental problem more than anything.
With only a few weeks left until the postseason, Miller will need to get his act together and his confidence back, unless he wants James Jones taking his spot.
The Heat want to play Mike Miller, though; it just depends if Miller is ready to play.
Momentum Heading into the Postseason
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Following a back-to-back with Atlanta and Denver, the Heat conclude a stretch of games that had them taking on 11 consecutive teams that are currently in a playoff spot. Miami is 3-6 so far over the absurd stretch, with two of the three wins coming by 30 or more points and four of the six losses coming after the Heat blew a double digit lead.
After the Heat's match-up against Denver at home on Saturday, they take on only three playoff bound teams, with only one being recognized as a legitimate title contender.
The rest of the teams down the final stretch? They appear to be nothing but stepping stones, with Houston, Cleveland and New Jersey being the only headliners.
After a difficult stretch like the one they had just gone through, it's a perfect situation for the Heat to regain some confidence and momentum heading into the postseason by winning at least 10 of the next 12 after this upcoming Saturday.
Games against the lower tier teams of the league will give Miami a chance to experiment by implementing Udonis Haslem back into the rotation and allowing the Big Three to develop a little more cohesion between themselves.
Awaiting the Heat down the final stretch will be their fourth, and final, meeting of the regular season with the Boston Celtics before a potential postseason match-up in either the semifinals or conference finals. With the way Miami has played as of late, appearing to figure out some key components down the stretch, this could be their best chance of the regular season to beat the team that has tormented them all season.
A win against Boston heading into the postseason, and the Heat will ride that momentum all the way until their long awaited playoff match-up.
Veteran Leadership
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Despite having a core of three players with none older than 29, the Miami Heat have the oldest team in the NBA with the average player being 30 years old.
There are nine players on the team at 30 years or older with the starting center in Erick Dampier being 35, the top three-point shooters in Mike Bibby at 32, Eddie House at 32 and James Jones at 30, and the two key players off the bench in Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem respectively at 31 and 30.
Juwan Howard is the oldest on the team at 37 years old and has played his fair share of basketball, enough to give the team some sort of veteran leadership come postseason time.
More importantly, players that might play a large role on the team during the playoff's such as House, Haslem and Dampier all have NBA Finals experience to offer to the team. House and Haslem are both former NBA champions, and Dampier was a part of that Dallas Mavericks team that lost to the Heat in 2006.
Mike Bibby might become the key part of this veteran-laden team, as he offers his incentives and experience at the point guard spot. Currently, he is still learning the ropes of the offense and will soon be able to dictate and control the offense once he learns how to run the system and once he gets a better feel of the team he is playing with.
Point guards like Bibby and House will be huge to relieve Mario Chalmers when the playoffs are on the line, and could play as key intangibles on a team already chock full of veterans.
LeBron James on a Mission
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LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for one clear reason: to win the championship that eluded him for over seven years.
He and the Cavaliers were easily the best regular season team over the past two seasons, notching over 60 wins each year, but were ousted in the postseason with ease each time they faced a title contender.
They lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic in six games the year they won 66 games and then lost to the Boston Celtics in six games the next season.
With the way LeBron's supporting cast has led his former Cavs to an NBA worst 13-53, it was painfully obvious that James would have never won a title with the players surrounding him.
As much as James was criticized for his postseason play, the key players on the rest of the roster hardly did anything to give LeBron some sort of help when the regular season ended and the games really mattered. Now that he's with Miami, James has a new and improved team and something to prove to all who doubted him.
No one should be playing harder in the postseason this year than LeBron James.
He has the most to win and the most to lose, as he has the chance to solidify himself as one of the greatest in NBA history with his first championship while also having the chance to silence his critics and show the city that scorned him following his departure that he was capable of winning a title all along.
Dwyane Wade
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It's a pretty solid list at the top of the best postseason players in the league. It's Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade at the top and then everyone else.
Despite Wade not advancing past the first round of the postseason since the team's one and only championship, Dwyane has proven that he has the tenacity and ambition to do whatever it takes to lead his team to a series victory.
Against one of the league's best defenses in the Boston Celtics, Wade was a one-man army, averaging 33 points on an absolutely stunning 56 percent from the field while setting the postseason high for points with 46 in Miami's lone victory.
In the postseason before that, where his Heat lost to the Hawks in seven games, Wade wasn't as effective from the field at only 44 percent, but he still averaged 29 points to lead the team.
These were teams that featured rookies in Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers, as well as an over the hill Jermaine O'Neal in the starting lineup. Now with LeBron James and Chris Bosh running alongside of him, Wade should only worry about advancing past the semifinals and conference finals.
Aside from Bryant, there isn't a more dangerous player in the postseason than Wade. Everyone saw what he was capable of in the 2006 NBA Finals when he torched the Dallas Mavericks for 36 points per game while leading the team back from a 2-0 deficit to win four consecutive games.
Over the past few weeks, we have seen Wade play some of the basketball of the season; it's quite the coincidence that the postseason is only a month away.
Wade is sending a message to every team in the NBA that he and the Heat are ready to make a statement.
A Statement To Make
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This hasn't been the season that the Heat, or anyone for that matter, envisioned. No one knew that the Heat would have 10 home losses by mid-March. No one expected the Heat to lose eight of their first 17 games.
Surely, no one expected that the Heat would be a few games behind the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics for the first spot that was all but theirs for the taking at the start of the season. Trade rumors surrounding the power forward that they just gave $115 million too? Seemed highly unlikely at the jump.
Yet here we are, and the Heat are a somewhat disappointing 46-22. They have control of the Southeast Division, but a No. 1 seed seems highly unlikely, barring a collapse by Chicago and Boston. Each member of the Big Three has had their struggles, the supporting cast has struggled and the team has dealt with a myriad of injuries to their top bench players.
Throughout the clouds of criticism, the Heat still appear to have a bright future and postseason with the way they have played as of late.
The Heat have more to lose than any other team in the NBA. No matter how many excuses you can give the Heat for their struggles, whether it's the lack of chemistry or the way the team is being coached, there will be no excuse at the end of the road if the Heat end up with anything less than an NBA title at the end of the season.
Wade, James and Bosh all have something to prove to their critics, the city of Cleveland, the country of Canada and to the rest of the NBA that this experiment will be recognized as a success for years to come.
It would be hard to believe if these three aren't the type to keep promises.
