Each NBA season presents new challenges, but it’s hard to imagine one with more Miami speed bumps than the Heat hit this year.
Injuries, controversies and disappointments, all covered with intense scrutiny by the national media writing for fans, who outside of Miami all want the team to fail miserably. The Big 3 brought that on themselves with LeBron James’ ridiculous “Decision” show and a preseason circus put on to celebrate the bringing together of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
There were injuries to key role players, like Udonis Haslem who was out from Nov. 20 (game 12 of the regular season) until Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a ruptured ligament in his left foot. Outside of Bosh, Haslem is the only other Miami big man capable of scoring with consistency in the post.
Mike Miller, who was the biggest signing after James, Wade and Bosh for the Heat, missed the start of the season with a broken thumb and was mostly a non-factor since his return. His sharpshooting was expected to be a perfect compliment to the Big 3.
It highlights how everyone other than those stars have been mostly busts.
James Jones had his share of hot-shooting nights on the perimeter, and Joel Anthony provided some defensive fortitude in the post. But trade-deadline acquisition Mike Bibby has been more often compared to a corpse than the player who helped lead the Kings to the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
Within the Big 3, there have been some problems, too. Wade missed all of training camp with a hamstring injury, which led to an 8-7 start that was met with delight from the NBA world. All season, James and Wade were dogged with questions about whether two stars with similar styles — both thriving as creators with the ball — could maximize their potential within the same system. And there were year-long concerns that the team did not know how to win in the clutch. And all this while Bosh has been disparaged as an above-average role player, that the Big 3 was actually the Big 2 ½.
That’s a question Bosh answered with a dominating 34-point performance in Game 3’s 86-85 win over the top-seeded Bulls that despite everything gave the Heat a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals and put them six wins from a championship.
If they can follow through despite all these distractions, injuries and inconsistencies, what’s to stop them from fulfilling James’ preseason promise?
“Not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven,” James said at the Miami introduction about the number of titles he planned to win. “When I say that I really believe it.”
Though six or seven may be a bit much, if they win this year it would be difficult to argue a dynasty isn’t on the way. Team president Pat Riley will have another offseason to amend some of the mistakes that were made this past one (something tells me we’ve seen the last of Zydrunas Ilgauskas in a Heat uniform).
Like his three stars, Riley is not likeable. But he knows talent, and now with the chance to see the team for a full season, he will have a better idea what will work around them.
Other teams will get better, too. But the Heat have started this idea that building teams around superstars is the way to win NBA titles, and everyone will be one step behind them, including the Knicks.
The Celtics are ahead of the curve, but were dominated by the Heat in a five-game knockout in the previous round of the playoffs. There will be plenty of challengers to throne, but the most difficult part of repeating is getting used to having a bull’s-eye on your back, knowing you will get the best from your opponent each night. That’s something the Heat have already dealt with this season as the most hated team in the NBA.
It always seemed that it wasn’t if the Heat would win a title, but how long it would take them? The Bulls can still rally; the Mavericks — one win away from eliminating the Thunder and advancing to the NBA Finals — are peaking at the right time. There’s still hope, but it’s cleat the Heat have become the favorites.
And as much as it pains me to admit it, if they can win it this year, it won’t be the only one their talents bring to South Beach.