Does the Miami Heat have a stew going? Looking back after (just under) two weeks
Some people visiting NBA-themed blogs hope for serious statistical analysis of their favorite team. Some people want gratuitous Arrested Development references.
Click for Carl Weathers’ awesomeness
Hopefully we’ll have a little bit of both here. If you’re a Miami Heat fan, you can have nothing but positive feelings after the first two weeks of the season. A team that was little regarded by the national press (undeservingly so, in my opinion) has gelled into a team that knocked off one of the Western Conference’s really great teams. Don’t kid yourself — the Denver Nuggets are really, really good. They were two good inbounds passes away from knocking off the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. They’ve got another one of those super-duper stars in Carmelo Anthony (I’ve got an not-so-interesting Carmelo-related story from back home in Baltimore, I might tell it one day).
So what do we make of this people? I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’ve been very high on this team since before the season tipped off. I’m coming at this from a slightly biased perspective, but I do feel like I have some detachment from the team. With that being said, I think Miami did very well in their draft two years ago, and Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers will be big contributors on this team. If you’ve got a solid point and power forward, along with a hungry center, leader-guy small forward and an all-world shooting guard, you’re going to be okay.
Miami’s going to have another test tonight against a team they beat last week, the Washington Wizards. I’m someone who genuinely believes Washington to be good as well, as long as Gilbert Arenas dodges the injury bug that has latched itself to his body. It’s a team Miami should beat at home. If they do, there’s no reason why Miami shouldn’t go at least 4-1 on the current homestand, with the toughest game coming against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I’m going to have a word about that team, and a particular player on that team, later in the week. Until then, enjoy the big week of basketball in the Magic City.
Do you think I’m right on the money? Think that I should be committed to an insane asylum? Somewhere in between? Leave it in the comments section people!
8 comments
Gotta admit, I’m a bit surprised at the Heat’s start.
Can I guess who you’re going to talk about on the Cavs? Is it their big ol’ off-season acquisition, the guy who’s hurting the team on both ends of the floor? Yeah? Am I right? Heh.
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You’re right on the money. I’ve been a Heat fan since D Wade arrived. He is the real deal. He showed it in college in his run in March Madness, and he showed it by putting the Heat on his back for their Championship run. Wade is very underrated as a superstar and he has a chance to get recognition as his Heat supporting cast are ok, but he makes them better. Reminds me of Lakers supporting cast to Kobe a couple of years back. And I am by no means a Kobe fan.
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are u serious soft schedule these guys play 8 of first 10 games at home and have beaten on 1 team wit a winning record
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“luck in rmt { 11.10.09 at 10:11 pm }
are u serious soft schedule these guys play 8 of first 10 games at home and have beaten on 1 team wit a winning record”
And they held Denver to 56 points through three quarters, when they were averaging more than double that (115) per game heading in.
Similarly, they’ve shut down fast-paced, offense-oriented teams like the Knicks and the Pacers. One thing is to simply beat or out-gun those teams, but the Heat suffocated them on D, holding them 20+ points under their averages and still winning big despite being average at best on offense. And it’s not just an illusion of their slow pace, because they’re currently best in the league at holding their opponent’s field goal percent down.
Yes, they’ve had a relatively soft schedule so far (although Knicks aside they have yet to face the real dogs of the league), but they’ve controlled the weak teams convincingly, handled the strong teams very well (frustrating the resurrected Suns for a half and stifling the Nuggets altogether), and closed out close games. They’ve also rebounded better than last year (their biggest weakness then, in my opinion), and in the increasingly perimeter-oriented NBA are getting most of their points inside the arc. Hell, they’re even getting quality defense from Quentin freaking Richardson.
It’s a long season, and I honestly don’t see Miami going above 50 or so wins, but I think their fierce (sometimes even ugly) defensive focus puts them in serious contention for the fourth seed in the East, maybe even the third depending on whether the “elites” resolve their issues. Magic on defense and too much reliance on shooters, Cavs on what to do with Shaq, etc.
There’s a lot to like about this year’s Heat, and as the guys build more chemistry I think their play will only solidify. Maybe not making significant roster changes this summer turns out to have been a genius move? Even if they’re only good enough to contest through the second round, that makes them the only major player in 2010′s insane free agent market to already be a powerhouse with an impressive, proven system — oh, and they have D-Wade. Pat Riley has got to be loving the situation this team is in.
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6-1 bring on lebron and the fat man
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You read my mind!
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D Wade has the most class in the NBA, and in my opinion, he was the MVP of the league last season. #1 in scoring, #2 in steals, #8 in assist and #16 in rebonds, and the team with the biggest improvement from the previous year. How could he not be the MVP? The thing that impress me the most, is everyone thought the Heat was just going to ease their way through this season and wait for the summer of 2010. Wade and the Heat has too much class for that, he wants to win this season and he wants his second ring now! I always thought that the Heat would get better, just by being a more exper team.
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heat need to trade C.Chalmers for Monta Ellis.
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