Heat coming back but still overrated

Every sport has a team people love to hate. The Yankees have had that position in baseball for decades. The recent ascension of the Patriots to dynasty status in the 2000s cemented their place as the most demonized team in the NFL.The NBA, however, remained slightly more ambiguous until July 8, 2010, when Lebron James uttered the infamous words, ?I?m going to take my talents to South Beach.?In that moment, the heart of every person in the Cleveland area broke and the NBA?s newest villain was born in the form of a Miami Heat team that was suddenly armed to the teeth with talent.As Cavaliers fans burned his jersey in the streets, James left his home region to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Florida.The messiah of basketball had now found his trinity, it seemed.The news was flooded with hyperbolic claims of how dominant the Heat would be before they ever set foot on the court.America prepared to hate them in the same way every team who has found success in nefarious ways has been hated.There was only one problem: the success never came.At least, not success of the magnitude everyone expected. The Heat lost their season opener 80-88 to the Boston Celtics on Oct. 26. Bosh was 3-of-11 that game for a paltry eight points and Wade was 4-of-16 for 13.James, on the other hand, was 10-21 for 31 points.Instead of the juggernaut everyone expected, Miami looked more like a rusty copy of the Cavs, with James taking the wheel and steering wherever he pleased.It was easily apparent to all who watched that the Heat was still struggling with their identity.However, not many expected the Heat to still be struggling now. Yet here they sit with a 15-8 record, ranked only 16th in the league in both points per game and rebounds per game, and 22nd overall in assists.Their defensive intensity remains the only exemplary thing about them, allowing opponents an average of only 91.7 points per game for a second overall ranking in the NBA behind just the Orlando Magic.Many have suggested that the Heat is over their initial slump because they?ve won their past five games in a row.On closer inspection, however, it?s apparent that their recent success is a reflection of mediocre opponents. Of the five wins the Heat has had since Nov. 29, only one has come from a team with a winning record, an 89-77 victory against the Atlanta Hawks.In fact, to date, the Heat are 4-7 against teams .500 or better.A quick glance around the league shows how other clubs have been doing in comparison: the San Antonio Spurs are 7-2 against good teams, the Utah Jazz are 7-5, the Dallas Mavericks are 6-3 and the Boston Celtics are 7-2.If an unbiased perspective somehow still exists in America, it might just say that Miami is more than happy to pick on sub-par teams but when the going gets tough against difficult opponents, they somehow can?t seem to make things happen.The most common opinion voiced by analysts is that the Heat hasn?t had enough time to develop as a team. Tom Haberstroh, a writer for ESPN, summed it up nicely this week.?Calling attention to the Heat?s struggles against good teams oversimplifies the issue,? Haberstroh said. ?The majority of winning teams already have a long history of playing together and understand their roles on the team. That?s a valuable and absent ingredient with this Heat team in the early going.?The Heat need time to brew their chemistry but that excuse won?t last long. If their record against quality opponents does not improve as the season goes on, then we can start worrying. But it?s too early now.?Of the many issues raised over the Heat?s chemistry, the most prominent are the fact that they lack a big center inside for rebounds, James isn?t the proper fit for a point guard, and the supporting cast around the big three is too old/incapable to help bring in wins consistently.The great Miami experiment has definitively proved that you can?t just toss a bunch of superstars into a pot and add Gatorade for instant championships.

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