The Miami Heat have snagged their first victory of the 2015-2016 season.
Starting off the year at home at the AmericanAirlines Arena, the men of South Beach finished off Wednesday night, 104-94 over the Charlotte Hornets.
One game down, a whole season to go.
Just like one should not make too many assumptions based on preseason alone, the first game (well, games) is not necessarily an indicator of what is to come. However, that does not mean Heat Nation should hold back its’ excitement either.
This newly renovated Heat team is deep.
In fact, no one played more than 32 minutes on Wednesday. And 10 players surpassed the 10-minute mark.
If head coach Erik Spoelstra has a favorite rotation, he sure did a good job of keeping that to himself. Besides Amar’e Stoudemire and Josh Richardson, who were both inactive prior to the matchup, the only guys who did not touch the ball were Chris Andersen, Tyler Johnson and James Ennis.
And the lineups were ever-flowing.
Miami fans can be certain that this team will never put individual egos before the success of the team, either by way of the coaching staff or the players themselves. This is a truly well-rounded group of guys who value their performance as a whole, over selfish needs to hit a certain number of minutes on the floor, or produce a specific stat-line.
But while on the subject…
Heat 2.0 not only plays selfless basketball, but brave basketball as well.
Remember how many people drove home the idea that this squad would have problems beyond the arc?
Well, Gerald Green went 5-for-8. Luol Deng went 3-for-3. Justise Winslow went 1-1. Even Mario Chalmers got one in, of two attempts.
Does that mean Miami will never have problems shooting from outside? No, of course not. But it does mean that they are not afraid to try. And that they are clearly making it a point to improve.
Everyone seems to be in a different frame of mind, too.
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Take Chris Bosh, for example. It is no surprise that after a health scare like his, he has come back more driven and determined. But not to prove the league wrong, in calling the Heat underdogs. Or to top the charts. No, Bosh seems motivated simply by the fact that the game of basketball is something that he loves. And because he has been given the chance to come back and play it, that is exactly what he will do.
Then there is Dwyane Wade, a man nearing the end of his career, transitioning out from under the face of the franchise, to the leader of it. The 33-year-old is well aware that he only has a couple more years under his belt, and has already started to mentor the likes of Winslow.
Hassan Whiteside had a pretty bad night, and yet, not a single outburst. For a guy who was his own worst enemy last season, he handled the evening surprisingly well.
So yes, Miami has only played one game of 2015-2016 thus far. And naturally, anything can happen. But there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this team, is nothing like ones prior. From not just the raw talent but the variety of it, to the transformed mindset of both the organization and the players, this year will be marked by change. And sometimes, change can be a great thing.