Seven Things To Remember About The Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have a grueling week ahead of them; they will play five games in a week, four of which are on the road. And while this type of schedule would make any fan nervous, this especially becomes the case given the lackluster performances the Heat have been showcasing recently. As of Sunday night, Miami has lost their last five match-ups. And to make matter worse, four of these were double-digit defeats. Currently, the Heat have a sub-.500 record and although it is still early in the season, people are panicking.
While I am certainly not here to tell you I am pleased with the way things are looking for the squad right now, I do have a few things that may bring the situation into perspective. So for those of you worrywarts out there, never fear. Hope is not yet lost.
1. First and foremost (and like I snuck in above…) it is early in the year. Miami has played 20 games so far and although on paper their record may not look too appealing, the reality is they are only about two games from breaking even. That, coupled with the fact that an NBA season tends to have surprises lurking around every corner, should make it easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In their 2010-2011 journey, the Heat started off terribly, only to end up making the Finals. Let us not forget: a winning streak can start just as quickly as a losing one.
2. After LeBron James announced his intention to return to Cleveland, Miami essentially had to start building the team again from scratch. Between free agents unsure of whether they should be loyal to the Heat or James, players who wished to retire all together and veterans who wanted to get the most bang for their bucks, the summer of 2014 was a period of total reconstruction. In the end, some (Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Chris Andersen, etc.) stuck around and others (Luol Deng, Danny Granger, Josh McRoberts, etc.) came aboard. And although it may seem as though an entire summer and preseason together should be enough to get a rhythm going, realistically sometimes it takes an entire season to gel together. The Heat are still finding their groove and once that happens, things will look as different as night and day.
3. Let me just get this out of the way now. Chris Bosh is having one heck of a season. Averaging 21.8 points and 8.7 rebounds a game, his momentum is not going anywhere anytime soon. His numbers, combined with his leadership qualities and motivation, will continue to propel the team forward. Bosh knows how and what it takes to win.
4. Along the same lines, I cannot forget about Dwyane Wade. Yes, his injuries sometimes get the best of him, and yes, they can also lead to inconsistent lineups but at the end of the day, he is an all-star for a reason. He is still averaging 21. 8 points and 5.9 assists per game and recently exploded with two 28-point back-to-back appearances. Having such talent around is what many teams dream of but Miami has the good fortune of having both him and Bosh to fight for them. Wade is a natural-born leader and still has plenty in his tank to finish the season off strong.
5. Not to knock the Eastern Conference (I’m Chicago born and raised, and obviously hold the Heat close to my heart) but honestly, things are significantly easier on this side of things. A team with a 9-11 record (in other words, Miami…) can be seventh in the East while one who stands at something similar in the West falls to tenth place or worse. Playing in the East should not be taken for granted of course, but it is something to remember when the where-will-my-team-place fear, starts to creep in.
6. Even those who drink the Heat haterade have to admit that Pat Riley is kind of a boss. Actually, disregard that. He is the boss. Riley will forever do everything in his power to make sure that his team is taken care of, even if that includes taking risks that no one else would take. He gave newbie head coach Erik Spoelstra a chance, facilitated the Big Three era among much ridicule, and signed Andersen despite his bad-boy reputation. Riley is not going to let Miami go down the drain under any circumstance.
7. Lastly, sometimes it pays to be the underdog. Although the heat (no pun intended) these guys have had to endure is probably annoying at best, there is something to be said for having so-called “nothing” to prove. If everyone thinks the Heat will fail, there is no pressure being put on them. Not to mention the reward of proving everyone wrong, is always so much greater than proving everyone right. For the last couple of years the team has had to perform up to par with a certain expectation, but this year the tables have turned. With James no longer in the picture, few are looking towards Miami for a big season. And well, revenge can sometimes be a beautiful thing.