There has been a lot of speculation around the Miami Heat. It has been a very long while since a team has received so much media attention before the season had even started. When LeBron James made his announcement in the preseason saying that he was taking his talents to Miami, he not only became one of the most unlike figures in the professional sports but he also made the Miami Heat the No.1 pick in the odds to win the NBA Championship.
With LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade had finally received the backup that he needed to turn his Miami Heat into a team worthy of a NBA Championship ring. But as we have had a chance to see so far into the season, it takes far more then pure talent and one heck of a payroll to get a team going. Yes, player-by-player, the Miami Heat had the strongest team in the Nation. But, on the other hand, the Heat had been holding to an awful start just to move on to a somewhat disappointing 36-14 record in the regular season. Yes, the Heat is the No. 1 team in the Southeast. And yes, they are still working their way into the playoffs.
But beware: the Heat have lost both of its games, on the road and at home against their conference rivals the Boston Celtics; and as if that was not enough, quite frankly we have not yet been able to see the new big three really bringning on their A-game as a team. Yes, LeBron has had some amazing nights. Let’s not forget that just on Thursday James scored 51 points on the 104-100 win on the road against the Orlando Magic. And yes, Wade and Bosh had had a chance to show what they are really worth. But the Heat have yet to find their right combination on the court. The defense had been week, the bench was among the leagues weakest crew, and quite frankly, it didn’t really seemed as if they would survive long in the playoffs.
Until last night at Charlotte: Dwayne Wade and LeBron James where amazing as they guided the Heat into their first truly memorable game of the season. The Heat was a solid team, and that goes for both the offense (which is usually the case) and the defense (which has struggled a bit this season). For starters, Wade clinched his first triple-double since Miami’s championship season in 2006, with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. LeBron James was not too far away either with 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
And finally the bench began to work. For the first time in a while the Heat’s reserves gave signs of been alive. Eddie House and Mike Miller are putting together an impressive offensive squad. The pair combined to complete their first eight shots and finished 10-of-12 from the field, that is, including 7-of-8 shooting from the three-point range. If you add to that a very tought defense that managed to keep the Bobcats under the radar for almost seven minutes late into the 4th quarter, then you could have had a glimpse of what this team could really do down the stretch.
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