2011 NBA Playoffs: Miami Heat Now Favorites in the Eastern Conference
The Miami Heat announced before the 2010-2011 NBA season that they would win multiple titles.
After the Heat started 9-8, everyone was quick to bash the Big Three. The Heat bounced back from the rough start winning 12 straight, and now find themselves favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
Miami finished the season 58-24, second best in the Eastern Conference. Their record was also good for third best in the NBA.
The Heat seemed to get over the mountain of beating NBA's elite when they beat the Lakers, Spurs, Celtics and the Hawks all in the final two months of the NBA regular season.
This team seems to be hitting their stride at the perfect time.
The 76ers get the pressure of playing the Heat first, which is bad news for Philadelphia. The Heat took the season series from the 76ers 3-0, and each Heat win came by nine points or more.
The Heat may end up playing the Celtics in the second round, should the C's handle the Knicks.
The Celtics took the season series from the Heat 3-1, with two of those wins coming in the first two weeks of the season. The Celtics will miss the presence of Kendrick Perkins.
The beast of the East may be the Chicago Bulls. Some people are saying that the Bulls are going to be the team to win it all.
The Bulls without a doubt have the best height in the East with the Boozer-Noah combination. Chicago was 3-0 against the Heat during the regular season.
Without a doubt, the Heat will have a tough track if they want to win the Eastern Conference. There are many reasons why I place the Heat at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Heat only allowed 94.6 PPG during the regular season, which was sixth best in the NBA. We all know that defense wins championships.
You also have to score though, and the Heat scored 102.1 PPG. That was good for eighth best in the NBA.
Winning championships is also about which teams have the most stars. The Heat may not have the most stars, but they do have the best three in comparison to any team in the East.
LeBron James is considered a favorite to win the Eastern Conference MVP award, as he is the two-time defending MVP.
Derrick Rose has gotten a lot of attention as of late, but James is the two-time defending MVP. James has put up MVP numbers as he had 26.7 PPG, 7 APG, and 7.5 RPG during the regular season. He also averaged 1.6 steals per game.
LeBron has plenty of playoff experience, but has never won an NBA Championship. Dwayne Wade has though. Wade has averaged 25.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 4.6 APG.
Dwayne Wade will need to step up and show some major leadership, as the Heat will be tested.
Chris Bosh is sometimes the forgotten man of the Big Three. Bosh put together a solid season with 18.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG.
Bosh will have to step up and be a force in the paint in order for the Heat to accomplish what they came together do.
Mike Bibby will be a low key guy that the Heat will need big things from. Bibby won't be asked to score a whole lot, but his ability to find open shooters will be huge.
Bibby has only averaged 7.3 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 2.5 APG. Mike Bibby, however, is very poor on defense.
Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas will need to step up on the boards. Ilgauskas has only averaged 5 PPG, 4 RPG, and nearly a block a game.
Bigs will be the weakness of the Heat, and Ilgauskas will be key to the Heat's run.
With all that said, the Heat will be a major factor in this year's NBA playoffs. The Celtics and Bulls may be problems for the Heat in the Eastern Conference, but the Big Three may be too much.
The Heat will need to focus on rebounding and assists during the playoffs, but they have a great shot to make the Finals.
