73 is Possible

Now that the dust (I mean hate) has mostly settled on the Heat getting LeBron James people in the media are realizing how sick this team is gonna be. A lot has been said about egos, low post defense, final shot and other possible downfalls of this team. So I'm here to dispel or debate (which is what this blog is all about) how the 2010-2011 Miami Heat will overcome it all.

vs. EGO

I'm sorry but very few people seem to realize that these guys are actually friends and are really cool with each other. I think they'd know better than anyone how they will interact with each other having played with each other on All-Star and Olympic teams. Even though LeBron's "Decision" made him look like an ego-maniac I think he'll be cool with sharing the spotlight, he is a very team oriented guy (why else would he let the Big Z puppet in on his commercial, joke) he had to know that some of his teammates in the past were just not as talented as he was but he still made the right basketball play (this will be a theme) and actually passed them the ball, something guys like Kobe Bryant just aren't crazy about. Dwyane Wade is also a willing passer and he already took a back seat to Shaq with no fuss, something that Penny Hardaway and Kobe couldn't do. The only question mark would be Chris Bosh but he seems like a guy that is just happy to be out of the T Dot.

vs. Interior Defense/Teams with Size

This seems to be what a lot of pundits keep harping on, I don't think it'll be that much of a problem. Bosh isn't known for his D but if he's giving up 20 and 10, he's giving 20 and 10 right back so that's a wash against other top power forwards in the league. Udonis Haslem on the other hand is a very good defender even though he's undersized, so guys like Carlos Boozer for example won't be getting off when he goes up against the Heat. If the Heat put out a line-up of say Bosh, Haslem, Miller, Wade and James that's a lot of length (pause), and will give any team trouble with all those guys being good on the boards, thus making second chance points for the opposition almost non-existent. If this were the mid 90's and David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and a young Shaquille O'Neal were around it might be an issue but no centers in today's league demand a double-team. Dwight Howard should be that guy but his best post move is a running hook, which is effective but if you make him shoot that, it's a win for your defense he's not prolific with it like Kareem yet. Yao Ming is the only center that would torch them but he'll only play like 40 games this season so it's not an issue.

vs. 4th Quarter/Final Shot

This issue pisses me off the most, how many of you out there really think this team is gonna have any close games? Really?!?!?! These guys won't be logging heavy minutes and most of these games will be done by the end of the 3rd quarter. LeBron was dancing on the sidelines in the 4th with the Cavs for crying out loud. If and when the final shot ever becomes an issue I think the Reilly puppet/lottery winner/luckiest coach ever, I mean Eric Spoelstra will put the ball in James or Wade's hand and they will make the right basketball play. Whether that be driving and kicking it to the open man or finishing it solo. Some players are glory hogs and would love to take a step back with 2 defenders in their face (e.g. Jamal Crawford, Kobe, etc.) but I think these guys have been there, done that, and are really focused.

vs. Injury

This is a very real possibility, especially with Wade on the team, but he's been pretty durable these past 2 seasons. Having said that he won't feel the need to attack the basket as much on the offensive end and won't be logging as many minutes. Freak injuries do happen so you can't rule this out, and I do expect some thuggery/hate so these guys might take some hard falls. So barring injury this team should be just fine.

This Miami Heat team will be on a mission from day 1 of training camp. They hear all the hate and want to prove a point especially LeBron, who still does want to be considered the G.O.A.T. despite people saying he doesn't have the heart for it. When Michael Jordan's Bulls got 72 the league was much weaker than it is now, but I think this team can at least flirt with 73.