They Are Who We Thought They Were?

Photo from ProBasketballTalk.com


With the 2010 NBA season still in its infancy, I don't quite know what to make of the Miami Heat after two games, and I probably won't be able to figure them out for awhile. Are they immensely talented, absolutely. Do they have weaknesses, sure. So far in two games we basically saw what we were expecting in terms of how the games played out, without focusing on the final score. Both games played out predictably, so how much have we learned about LeBron, D-Wade and Co.?



In Game 1 against Boston, the Heat really walked into the lion's den. For one, the Celtics are THE best defensive team in all of basketball and have been since the Big Three came together a couple seasons ago. With the additions of Shaq and Jermaine O'Neal, the Celtics interior defense clogs up so many of the driving lanes that make LBJ and D-Wade so successful. Combined with the tough perimeter defense of guys like Pierce and Allen, the gambling of Rondo and the energy of guys like Big Baby Davis and Nate Robinson, it makes for a tough night for any opponent.

The Celtics are also working with a couple chips on their shoulder. One of which is the devastating Game 7 loss back in June to the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce said during the telecast the other day that no matter how many rings he retires with, he'll always have nightmares about that game. So no doubt that game will be a driving force this season, much like their blowout Game 6 victory over the Lakers in '08 motivated Kobe & Co. to a title the following season.

Don't think the Celtics haven't been paying attention to all the attention that the Heat have received this season. They are a prideful group of PROVEN veterans that all have rings. They undoubtedly got a little extra motivation to prove to the Heat that they were still the team to beat in the East. This was the same team that was a Kendrick Perkins injury from a 2nd NBA title in 3 years.

All these issues combined with the raucous home crowd at the new Garden made for a tough first test for a Heat team that played all of preseason without D-Wade. What was the outcome? A loss dominated with turnovers and tough, contested shots. Bosh was harassed all night down low where his finesse post game was no match for the bigger, stronger C's. Wade never seemed to get into a groove, much of which can be attributed to missing preseason. LeBron finished with a decent stat line, especially his 31 points, but his 8 turnovers and slow start helped put the Heat in a hole that they ultimately couldn't dig themselves out of.

OK fine, so they lose to the Celtics in Boston. That's respectable. They weren't going to go 82-0. So how do they respond?

Game 2 the next night, in Philadelphia, against a Sixers team that is severely lacking an identity, has a roster of talented players that don't gel together, and a new coach in his first game on the bench in years. The outcome? A 10 point victory that was a 26 point lead at one point in the game before the Sixers battled back with a barrage of 3 pointers.

The offensive performance of the Big 3 was much better than game one, and that's too be expected against a much inferior opponent. Wade, in particular, looked much better, scoring 30 and making several impressive drives to the hoop. Bosh was much more effective, finishing with 15 & 7 on 50% shooting. LeBron was his well-rounded self, with 16, 7, 6 and 2 steals, but also with 9 turnovers. 17 turnovers in 2 games is unacceptable and ultimately needs to be corrected. There is way too much talent to waste that many possessions. They also got tremendous production from their supporting cast, which they will need in order to compete for a championship, particularly from James Jones who looked like Reggie Miller dropping 20 points and shooting 6 for 9 from beyond the arc.

So what have we learned in 2 games? Absolutely nothing. The Heat struggled against a great defensive team loaded with veterans who slowed the game down and shut down all their driving lanes and didn't make the mistakes that will lead to a devastating Heat fast break game. Then they beat a brutal Philadelphia team and blew a huge lead in the process.

The verdict? The jury is still out on the Heat as far as their long term prospects. They are immensely talented and when they are able to get turnovers and run the break will be almost unstoppable. But when they face defensive-minded-veteran lineups and are forced to slow things down, will they actually run an offense or will they rely on their stars winning one on one matchups? I think they'll roll the dice with that, but in a 7-game series with Boston or the Lakers, I don't think they have the ammo to win that gun fight...not from what we've seen so far.