By Flint Wheeler
As the Miami Heat embark on a mission to claim a third consecutive Larry O’Brien Trophy, the prevailing notion in the locker room is that the team will have to be even better than last year’s 66-win juggernaut to accomplish its goal again this season.
During the current era of Heat basketball, the team has undergone a drastic evolution, even while having the same potent core. When LeBron James and Chris Bosh first joined Dwyane Wade in Miami, the overwhelming talent was evident, but the on-court mix was raw.
With each succeeding year, James, Wade and Bosh have improved their chemistry with one another, and the team has benefitted from added depth. But the Eastern Conference is as deep as it has ever been.
Even the Heat know the tough road ahead.
Below are who and why the Heat’s chances at a 3-peat should be questioned:
Indiana Pacers
That seven-game showcase we saw between the Heat and Pacers during the Eastern Conference finals was legitimate. The Pacers attacked the Heat’s one glaring weakness (size and depth inside) and tore at it until the final buzzer of that series. There’s a reason the Heat pursued a big body like Greg Oden in free agency. They need someone to help them fend off the likes of Roy Hibbert and David West, whose physicality in and around the rim was more than the Heat could handle. The star turn from Paul George during that series makes the potential for a third straight Heat-Pacers playoff series even more interesting. Toss in the return of Danny Granger and no team in the league is better positioned to challenge the Heat. The talent, experience, size, motivation and coaching are all in place for the Pacers to strike down the giants of the league. Coach Frank Vogel exited the playoff stage with a strange confidence about him, like he knew something about his team the rest of us didn’t. I see it now.
Chicago Bulls
Grinding through an entire season without the face of the franchise, Derrick Rose, only reinforced my belief the toughest pound-for-pound team in basketball (coach Tom Thibodeau included) resides in Chicago. Rose pushes the Bulls right back into the league’s true elite as a true threat to the Heat, much like Westbrook does for the Thunder. The Bulls also have a big man presence in Joakim Noah that could give the Heat all sorts of problems in a playoff series. The continued maturation of Jimmy Butler is also a reason to believe that the Bulls are ready to resume their position atop the Eastern Conference regular season standings. But if we’ve learned anything the past three years, regular-season accomplishments are one thing, testing your mettle in the glare of the postseason is an altogether different story. Winning a Game 7 on the road against Brooklyn and then trading punches with the Heat when they were clearly overmatched showed me the Bulls with Rose, Luol Deng and all of their other main components healthy are a very real threat to the Heat.
And Of Course, Our Los Angeles Clippers
No team in basketball did more to upgrade its position over the course of the Draft and free agency than the Clippers. And it all starts with the acquisition of coach and senior vice president of basketball operations Doc Rivers, who packed his championship bag of tricks with him when he left Boston for Los Angeles. Superstar point guard Chris Paul will orchestrate things and All-Star power forward Blake Griffin will co-headline on what is arguably the deepest and most balanced roster in the league. The Clippers have a surplus of shooters (J.J. Redick, Jared Dudley, Jamal Crawford and more) who will help space the floor and push the tempo. They’ve also added enough specialists and junkyard dog types to play the relentless defensive style Rivers teams were known for in Boston. The one question about the Clippers that has to be answered early on is whether or not Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are ready to take that next step as a duo on both ends, a la Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in Memphis. If they are, the Clippers will rise up the ranks immediately. If not, Rivers and CP3 will have to drag them along until they are ready. All of the other human resources needed, however, are already in place and ready to go.
I love the NBA and all its hype. But for a last second prayer by Ray Allen, Miami isn’t even in this years final! Look for one of the other teams, and hopefully it’s our Clippers, to break through this year.
