Miami has an amazing opportunity to achieve a three-peat for the NBA Title this coming year and at the moment, is there any team capable of challenging them? With such a powerful starting five and sixth man they would be hard enough to beat even without their versatile bench. Lebron and Wade have both shone that they are capable of single-handedly leading teams in seasons past and after three years playing together and developing chemistry, they are seemingly unstoppable duo. Together, they conquer teams and while watching them, it seems like you're watching men play among little boys. They tear through defenses by finding holes, drawing fouls, and making their shots and pummel offenses with their stealing, blocking, and rebounding. It is bad enough having to try to stop this dynamic duo on their own, but when they are also on a team full of other great players it is damn near impossible!
When Bosh, Chalmers, and Allen are added to the equation, the chances of even staying in a game with the Heat are far worse. Bosh may not be one of the tallest centers around, but what he lacks in height is more than made up with his quickness and versatility. Chalmers is a well-rounded and solid point guard who can easily dish the ball out to any other one of his teammates on the field without any hesitation caused by questioning their skill sets. Allen is one of the best, if not the best, sixth man in the league right now and is a tremendous threat from beyond the arc. Knowing this, how can the Heat be stopped?
The only thing that they are lacking is size. They are just a very small team compared to most in the league and are forced to overcompensate with hustle, aggression, and three-point shooting. Lebron may play a big game, but he is not very tall compared to other players at his position especially when he is the power forward. So, an ideal team to beat the Heat should have height or a roster with great depth of skilled players. Clearly, no team that just has one superstar and a couple other decent players has a chance to be greater than the Heat. This knocks off the Bulls and the Thunder as candidates to beat the heat because having just D-Rose or Durant won't cut it when they are having to battle James and Wade. So, who could challenge them?
It seems that the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks are the only teams with a fighting chance. The Nets have great depth and are a team full of seasoned all-stars, but they do have their downside. There has to be a lack of chemistry among the team that has acquired multiple new players, such as Pierce and Garnett, who now must begin their first year under the franchise with a very different roster. Also, they do not have height either, having only Garnett and Plumlee both at 6'11", which will not make the Heat a good match-up for them. The roster is alos old which decreases their chance in future years and is not as quick or aggressive as the Heat. Thus, the Nets' chance is slim, but if chemistry is not an issue they will still be a threat. The Knicks seem to have more of a chance. They have an extremely talented roster like the Heat and also have height. Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire are both aggressive and agile big men that are great on both sides of the ball and give them the height advantage and over the Heat along with support from Aldrich. They also have star-player talent from Carmelo Anthony and other skilled players such as Felton and Peace. J.R. Smith is a top sixth man just like Allen from the Heat which makes their sixth man talent evenly matched. They still will most likely not be as good as the Heat because Chalmers is a better guard than Felton, they have no match for Wade at guard, Lebron gets the edge over Carmelo, and the height advantage alone isn't enough to stop the Heat. Thus, there are few teams that even have a chance at beating the Heat and none probably will.
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