Right out of the regular season gate, the Miami Heat will have a great opportunity to send a strong message to the rest of the league.
With their first two games of the season coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons (and both at home), the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Heat are going to be tested right away. And if they can successfully navigate through both of those challenges, it will say a lot about where this team falls in the early-season hierarchy of the East.
At the very least, the Heat will be able to see where they stand against two teams that are widely expected to be fringe contenders this season. At most, the Heat will be able to send a message to the rest of the league. One that says they're a legitimate force now that Giannis is in the fold.
The Heat can establish themselves as a contender in opening week
Understandably, even after the acquisition of Giannis, there's been a level of pushback against the idea of the Heat as a strong championship contender this season. Honestly, as much as it may rub Heat fans the wrong way, it's not that unfair.
Despite the clear talent upgrade with Giannis, the Heat still have many questions about everything around the superstar.
Does the Heat have enough playmaking? Will the additions of Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. be enough to calm the shooting and spacing concerns? Are the Heat deep enough? Can Erik Spoelstra find the right formula to help Giannis and Bam Adebayo coexist (and quickly)?
While there were some positive signs in the preseason, none of that will mean anything if it doesn't translate to the regular season. That's truly the thing to keep an eye on heading into opening week.
Will the Heat be able to carry anything of substance from the preseason into the regular season? Can they keep their momentum going?
And against stiff competition, there are going to be some interesting conclusions to draw from the Heat either way.
If the Heat struggles, you can be sure that the loud minority of critics won't wait around to pile on, as they've done all offseason long. However, if the Heat does flex its muscles in opening week, the narrative around this team is going to continue to shift.
It's a trend that has already started over the last couple of weeks, thanks to a strong preseason showing. If the Heat can start the season strong, especially with two wins over the Wolves and Pistons, the hype surrounding them is only going to grow.
So while it may just be games one and two on paper, the Heat have a great opportunity to send a strong message out of the gate. If the Giannis-era Heat is going to be taken seriously this season, they almost certainly need to get off to a quick start. It all starts with an important two-game tilt against the Wolves and Pistons.
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