Miami Heat 2011-12 Prediction: Why LeBron and the Heat Will Start 14-0 in 2011

Christmas is coming and so is the start of the 2011-12 NBA season.  With the beginning of the NBA season around the corner, so are the lofty expectations for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

If LeBron James wants to start his championship legacy, it must begin this year.  There is no doubt that the 2011-12 NBA season is the most important of LeBron James's career, and he undoubtedly knows that.

Good news for the Miami Heat, the early part of their schedule is set up perfectly for an extremely hot start.  Sure the Heat start the season off against the reigning NBA champions then hold their season opener against he Boston Celtics.  After those games, however, the Heat's schedule becomes much easier, paving the way for a potential 14-0 start.  

I don't see the Miami Heat starting off their season with a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, even though the game is in Dallas.  The Mavericks lost two integral pieces of their championship team in center Tyson Chandler and power forward Caron Butler.

Even though the Mavs replaced those players with power forward Lamar Odom and shooting guard Vince Carter, it is going to take time to replace and create the kind of chemistry Butler and Chandler brought to the Mavericks, and the lack of that chemistry will be put on display on Christmas day against the Miami Heat.  The Heat will leave Dallas with a double-digit win, starting the hype train for the big three. 

After a win in Dallas the Heat go back to Miami for their home opener against the Boston Celtics.  I don't need to go into the history between these two teams and their respective players.  After losing to the new look Knicks in NYC, the Celtics will be looking for their first win of the season, but they won't find it in Miami.

Miami will beat the Celtics with stingy defense and a new look offense, getting their first win over Boston much earlier than they did last year, which didn't come until April 10th.

With wins over the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks the sports world will be ready to crown the Heat the 2011-12 NBA champions, but wait, the best is yet to come.

Take a look at the next 10 games on the Heat's schedule.  They play @ Charlotte and Minnesota, home against Charlotte, Indiana and Atlanta, then go on a five-game road trip against Atlanta, New Jersey, Golden State, Los Angeles (Clippers) and Denver.  Talk about winnable games.  Aside from a road game against the Los Angeles "Lob City" Clippers, those games all look like easy wins for the Miami Heat.

Their next game is against the San Antonio Spurs, who gave the Heat a lot of trouble last year in their late season matchup by beating them by 30 points in March.  The Heat, however, returned the favor 10 days later, thumping the Spurs at home by 30 points, as well.  

While I don't think either team will win  by 30 points, I do think the younger and more athletic Heat will be more than the Spurs can handle, earning themselves a nice 14-0 start.  

So who's going to stop the Heat and end their early season winning streak?  None, other than Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, the real powerhouse from LA.  

The Lakers will come in to Miami and beat the Heat, not because they are the better team, but instead because they will be struggling and this game will be a must-win for them.

After a loss to the Lakers the Miami Heat open up another winnable stretch of their schedule with games against the likes of Philly, Cleveland and Detroit, which could end with them being 17-3 in their first 20 games. 

Get ready, because in the next few weeks the hype surrounding LeBron and the Miami Heat will be at an all-time high, after getting out to a 14-0 start.