On Wednesday night, The Miami Heat was hit by a thunderstorm codenamed “KD-35” as in Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder down on South Beach.
Despite being blown out by over twenty points, the Heat as the team to beat. The two-time defending champs have taken losses before, only jump right back with an explosive game. With their “Big Three” in the form of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh all healthy there isn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind they cant beat every team in the NBA.
When you have the best player on the planet in LeBron you are still considered the proverbial top dog until someone beats you in June and in late January. Heat president Pat Riley has done a great job in assembling the ultimate NBA version of the “A-Team” in a short time.
Riley has also quietly built one of the best benches in the league in Greg Oden, Chris “Birdman” Andersen, Rashard Lewis, Udonis Haslem, Michael Beasley, James Jones, Ray Allen, Roger Mason Jr., Norris Cole and Toney Douglas that all provide quality points and minutes when called upon.
They say it isn’t what you do in the regular season it’s what you can do in the playoffs. Over the last four years, Miami has made it a habit to play lax and lackadaisical at times in the regular season, only to dominate in the playoffs.
There is not doubt that even despite the loss to the Thunder on Wednesday, the Heat are still the team to beat.