Miami Heat Check

The question everyone has been asking since the Miami Heat hoisted the trophy at the end of last season was ‘can they do it again’.

They have since added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to the team and left the remainder of the roster essentially untouched.

Lebron James is averaging 26 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Wade has 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists and Bosh is doing his part to share the load with 17 points and 7 rebounds. With the ‘Big 3’ rolling the Heat will go as far as they take them. Many still have the Heat as the sure fire bet to come out of the East and end up in the NBA Finals. It’s a pretty logical bet as long as they can get past the New York Knicks who are playing their best basketball in years lead by MVP candidate Carmelo Anthony.

With that being said, the playoffs and finals are months away and the Heat are currently 23-10 for the season. Out of 33 games only 7 of them were played against legitimate playoff contenders from both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Against those teams they went 4-3. To clarify my meaning of ‘playoff contenders’ I am referring to teams I truly believe could wind up NBA champions this year with either grind out, showtime, text book or fast break basketball along with a little bit of luck. The 7 games I am referring were those played against the Clippers (2), Knicks, Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder and the Celtics. I added the Celtics more out of respect which I know I shouldn’t have, but should any upsets occur involving the Knicks or Heat the Celtics would be eagerly waiting to step in and take full advantage.

With the hype surrounding the team considerably less than it has been the last 2 years, fans may be upset about this but the Heat probably prefer it that way. With fewer nationally televised Heat games and the majority of TV time now going to the Clippers and Lakers many might forget how dangerous the Heat still are. Some might scratch their heads when the Heat lose to teams like the Wizards and Bucks but truth be told it would be a relatively easy playoff series to win should they meet in the playoffs and these losses should not be taken as signs of weakness. The issue with regular season games against lower ranked teams is that losing teams play their very best and want to beat the champs knowing it might be their only chance to do so and it would be a highlight on the season schedule when it ends.

With the Knicks as the only legitimate Heat killers in the East don’t be surprised if you see the Heat in the finals this spring. The real question is if whether or not they could win against this year’s Western Conference champs who could be one of many dangerous teams all who have posed the Heat problems as of late.

It would be at that point the ‘Big 3’ will have to decide whether or not to bet on themselves or the team as a whole. The Clippers who are sitting at the top spot in the West have a bench that averages 39.5 points per game mirroring the East’s 1st place often criticized Heat bench that averages a respectable 36.8 points.

The truth is it still looks like a cake walk to the Finals for the Heat, but it might not be as easy for the Heat to hoist the trophy when it’s all said and done. With a bitter Thunder team, newly revamped Clippers, consistent Spurs and blue collar Grizzlies all dominating the West you can be sure they have their eyes on Miami.

Whether or not we are seeing it on our TV screens, blogs or magazines the target on the Miami Heat’s back will always be there and is always getting bigger.

Time to Talk New York Knicks

If there is one thing that has remained constant over the years in the NBA, it is the labels that certain teams are awarded at the start of the season or that are carried over from years prior.

Since Lebron took his talents to South Beach, the Heat have been ‘favored to win’. Since Kobe got back on track with Pau Gasol, the Lakers have always been ‘a team you should never count out’. The Spurs have been ‘old reliable’ for the last 5 years and the Nuggets are ‘a team on the rise.’ Last, but not least, we cannot forget new additions such as the ‘likely to come out of the West’ Thunder and the Derrick Rose led ‘Heat killer’ Chicago Bulls.

With all eyes on the 2012 Championship Heat and The Avengers, also known as the Lakers, little else has been talked about. Shame on all of us.

The only team that has been historically bombarded with attention whether expected to do well or not with no label ever sticking, are the New York Knicks.

We all know the stories that the Knicks and Madison Square Garden can conjure up even during a terrible season. We also know what types of headlines they can create with a successful one. To be fair, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudamire are regulars on the All-Star Ballot; add to that last year’s Linsanity and everyone and their grandparents were talking about the Knicks. With a 2012 1st round playoff loss to the Heat, an injured Amar’e Stoudamire and a trade that sent Jeremy Lin to Houston, this season started with little hype outside the matchup with the NBA’s new darlings the Brooklyn Nets. Still, no label.

The number one story that we as basketball fans should be talking about to start this 2012-13 NBA season is the undefeated 6-0 New York Knicks. Beating the Heat by 20 points barely registered on the NBA Richter Scale. That win was followed up with a 16 and 22 point win in back to back games versus the 76ers. Again, not a blip on the radar. The Knicks didn’t mind one bit. They went on to beat the 2011 NBA Champions Dallas Mavericks by 10 points, took 3 days off and then did the same to the Orlando Magic. As if all that was not enough, they defeated the ‘old reliable’ San Antonio Spurs 104-100 last night in an impressive comeback victory.

With point averages like Carmelo’s 26, J.R. Smith’s 18, Raymond Felton’s 14 and Tyson Chandler’s 10, scoring has not been a problem. Throw in about 20 assists per game and 42% 3-point shooting, you have your answer as to why they are so good offensively. On the other hand, 30 of their 39 total rebounds per game are coming from the defensive end. Add to that an average of 9 steals and it paints a clear picture as to why only 1 team has come within 5 points when the buzzer goes off.

So what label should the Knicks get for starting the season so well and having the best record in the league? How about the ‘team with the best record in the NBA’ and leave it at that. I hate labels.

(Photo from streetball.com)