Can the Miami Heat accomplish a three-peat?

The Miami Heat celebrate after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals at AmericanAirlines Arena on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida.

The Miami Heat will start their 2013 campaign against the Chicago Bulls at home in pursuit of history making three-peat. With back to back titles in the bag, LeBron James and the Heat would be looking to get even better. Having added crucial players to key positions in their roster, Miami fans would no doubt expect the Finals to once again be held at South Beach.

However, other teams in the East have either taken steps to improve their roster or made changes in the front office. Keeping in mind all events of such nature, does the Miami Heat have what it takes for another championship?

Strengths

Team chemistry and locker room atmosphere are key checks as to how confident and comfortable the teammates are with each other. There has to be a band of brothers’ philosophy and mentality preached by the coaching staff. The comfort level of the players in each other’s company is shown in their performance. Now, how much would you give the Heat out of 10 on team chemistry? Well, judging by their pre-season, I would give them a 9 considering the time taken by the new players to blend in. I give them that high a number on 10 because any team who can go unbeaten for 27 games, the second longest winning streak in the history of the league, definitely has the chemistry and the required trust in each other.

Their play in the open court is punishing and ruthless. The majority of players who are part of the Heat’s main rotation are extremely agile, quick and athletic. These abilities contribute to their defence being one averaging among the top teams in the league when it comes to capitalizing on opponents turnovers. They don’t just capitalize; they get the crowd involved in the game, many a time finishing with alley-oop dunks on fast breaks to get them roaring.

Even in their championship years, the Heat has always been considered a team weak in the paint due to their lack of size and the height of players at the centre. They acquired Chris Anderson in the mid-season when he was waived by former team Nuggets and in this post season they have added 2007 NBA draft #1 overall pick Greg Oden. Both these players are capable of playing the role of centre as well as make a mark in the power forward position.

The depth and fire power on their bench is amongst the top ranked in the league. Firstly, there’s Ray Allen, a great three point shooter and the man who saved the Heat in game 6 and forced a game 7 with a clutch 3-pointer in the NBA Finals. Then there’s Shane Battier, a great 3-point shooter in his own regard and a great on-ball perimeter defender. There’s also Norris Cole, a young and refreshing point guard capable of shooting the ball from distance too.

They have a great coach in Erik Spoelstra who has led them for five years now as the head coach, winning the championship in two of the years he has been in charge. He is a very unorthodox coach but does what he can to get the win and trusts his instincts which have reaped rewards for the team in the past couple of seasons.

Can Greg Oden provide the much needed height in the paint for the Miami Heat?

Weaknesses

The Heat have usually been known to be weak and find it hard offensively against teams with quality big men in their roster. Although they have quite a lot of forwards, they lack a qualified centre in their squad who can impact a game with his height to pull down rebounds on both ends of the floor. Chris Anderson and Greg Oden are both capable of playing centre. However, none of them have a rebounding average or the shot blocking skills which could help the Heat deal with opposing big men in the paint. One of the main reasons last season’s Eastern Conference Finals extended to 7 against the Indiana Pacers was the presence of Roy Hibbert and the impact he created at both ends of the floor.

Heat fans would be hoping that Chris Anderson and Greg Oden can help fill the void that the Heat have in the paint in terms of height of their big men. It is their biggest and (safe to say) only weakness which has led them to losing games or just scraping through them by close margins.

Opponents to fear in the Eastern Conference

The return of Derrick Rose and Danny Granger to the line ups for the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers respectively would bring their chances of title contention right next to that of the Heat. Don’t forget the New York Knicks; a team who has looked strong on paper and continues to be a threat with acquisition of Metta World Peace into their roster. If at all we do suppose an upset is to take place, place your bets on the Pacers.

However, the Heat’s immense talent would bulldoze the idea of an upset and overcome any hurdle which lies ahead of them in their quest for a three-peat. But they might be taken to the limit of seven games, in the playoffs.

Final word

Considering all the factors listed above, my prediction would be that Miami are set for a three-peat next June. By no means would it be easy, but the facts are on the table for us to see. So love them or hate them, the Heat is most likely going to have another parade on South Beach, celebrating yet another ring championship.