Heat vs. Mavericks: Miami Heat Offseason Moves Will Lead Heat to Victory

NBA Finals rematch for the holidays? What more could fans ask for?

The 2011 NBA Finals matchup between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks gets carried over to the 2011/12 season, as it will inevitably have fans jumping out of their seats and enjoying a fresh start to the basketball season.

The Miami Heat will be led by their Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh—a Big Three seeking revenge against the NBA-champion Mavericks.

The Mavericks have made few offseason moves, keeping their championship team together in the hopes of winning a second straight title. The Mavericks got rid of both Tyson Chandler and Caron Butler this offseason, also adding Lamar Odom from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lamar Odom will be a key asset to this team in this game and this season, as Odom is a veteran with championship experience that will pay dividends for this team going forward. He is a big body that plays strong defense and has a special knack for rebounding the basketball.

Yet it by no means outweighs the moves of the Miami Heat this offseason.

The one stand-out move for the Heat was the acquisition of Shane Battier this offseason.

Another key asset this offseason was the acquisition of Eddy Curry, a monster on the defensive end who will be a force on the interior in the paint offensively. Curry will be essential in playing solid help-defense for the team, forcing Nowitzki into more difficult shots in the process.

Battier is one of the top defenders in the NBA today and easily one of the better defenders the league has seen in recent years. He is a veteran defender who will be a significant help in containing Shawn Marion in this contest.

In the 2011 NBA Finals, Marion had his way with the Heat defense and was able to put up solid numbers throughout the series. In the last five games of the series, Marion averaged 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds.

These points and rebounds were the biggest reason for the Mavs coming out on top, as they were combined with the stellar play of NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki and point guard Jason Terry.

Battier will be assigned to guard Marion for the majority of the game when LeBron James isn't on the floor, as his ability to play lock-down defense will undoubtedly be the reason the Heat come out victorious on Christmas Day.