LeBron James: How a Miami Heat NBA Title Will Forever Change the NBA Landscape

So it turns out that the Miami Heat obtaining the NBA title was going to be a lot harder than originally planned.

A center and point guard proved to be invaluable commodities as the team has sometimes struggled with the lack of a pure point guard and on the boards with their biggest case being their recent loss to the Chicago Bulls where they were heavily outrebounded by the Bulls bigs. Their bench has also been depleted with injuries to Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem greatly affecting the Heat's depth.

Yet after all of these problems and obstacles, Miami is eight wins away from claiming its second championship in franchise history. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh have completely turned the franchise on its side with the high possibility of multiple championships in the very near future. Even after a devastating game one loss, the Heat still have high hopes that they can take this Conference Finals series.

The Heat have been resilient all season long and have recovered from losses much worse than the one they suffered on Sunday. Don't forget that this is the same team that lost five consecutive games, with four of those coming after Miami blew a double-digit lead. Losses have meant nothing to the Heat all season long and it shouldn't now when their season and a Finals berth is potentially on the line.

They've had high hopes all year and that dream might become a reality within the next month if everything continues to go according to plan. It would be Wade and Haslem's second title and the first for James and Bosh. Those two gave up millions upon millions of dollars for a chance to win a title and they've been key components of this well-oiled machine.

The team hasn't been too consistent, but one thing has been consistent: the overall dislike of this team by the consensus of NBA fans. Cleveland Cavalier fans and fans that were expecting LeBron James to join their team have all shared a sort of distaste to the Heat this season. Not only those groups, but even regular, fair weather fans have joined in on the fun in throwing jeers and boos to the Heat whenever they arrive in their arena.

However, it seems that as far as the Heat have gone, their popularity has also grown. It seems that they gained respect when they beat the Boston Celtics in the Conference semi-finals since they proved that they are well capable of not only being the best, but beating the best as well. After the loss to Chicago, that popularity has declined, but it's obvious that it will be there if the Heat can continue to prove themselves.

As expected as a Miami Heat title was, I don't think the NBA still wouldn't be ready for the impact that this would bring on the league. Not only would James finally have his first title and earn the respect and admiration that he has been lacking since joining Miami, but it would greatly affect the landscape of the league as other teams would possibly follow in suit.

James and Wade have already stated that the Boston Celtics were the inspiration for their blueprint of a big three with the New York Knicks, but what happens if the Heat prove once again that the concept of a big three brings success. It would then be nearly certain that if you have enough chemistry or talent between three top tier players that you're nearly going to be guaranteed success.

It would be pleasant to see the Heat take home the title, but it could affect the NBA in a negative light.

To have three top tier players, you need to have a large amount of funds. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen didn't come cheap and neither did James, Wade, and Bosh. For teams in dire straits that don't have the funds that those teams had are going to be left in the dust to compete with these super teams that could begin popping up amongst the more valuable NBA teams.

You can follow John Friel on twitter @JohnFtheheatgod