Impressions Through the First 4 Games

[Nitro]

After 4 games, the Heat are 3-1, with their only loss (opening night vs the Celtics) being the only game that was within double digits. By now we are starting to see this team come together a bit, with roles being defined, chemistry being built and certain tendencies showing up. Here are my thoughts on the team so far...

 

-First and foremost, Z needs to start...Joel Anthony offers the starting lineup absolutely nothing. Anthony has no offensive skillset, the basketball just bounces off his tiny hands to the other team when LeBron or Wade find him underneath, he's a crappy rebounder, is undersized and consistently misses defensive rotations. His shot-blocking is nice, and he does have defensive range, but overall he looks like a mess out there. So far Z has been lights-out with his jumper, he offers the team the size they desperately need, he's a decent rebounder who can block the occasional shot, and most importantly he has terrific chemistry with LeBron. Through the first 4 games, I'd say the team's bread and butter play has been LeBron/Z pick and roll. They have impeccable timing, and Z is making teams pay when they leave him to trap LeBron. Chemistry, size and having a guy who can prevent the Heat from playing 4-on-5 on offense should make his promotion to the starting 5 a no-brainer.

 

-Putting House in the starting lineup is IMO a little less of a necessity as Bosh/Z both have range up to 20ft out on their jumpers to give Wade/LeBron some space to work with, but I still feel he should take over Arroyo's job. Arroyo is a good, solid PG who handles the ball well and can stroke the midrange, but he's a horrible defender and isn't much of a factor offensively when both LeBron/Wade are on the floor. He doesn't have great 3pt range, and when you have two superstar wingmen who do all the facilitating in the halfcourt, he becomes relatively useless. House is not a great defender, but he is feisty and can at least make some kind of impact on that side of the floor. He is also a dead-aim 3pt shooter with a quick release who can kill teams who leave the Big 3 open. I know everyone wants Miller to start once he returns from injury, but I think House is a better fit at starting PG for the team on both ends of the floor.

 

-As I predicted before training camp even started, this team's defense is excellent (1st in the league in Drtg so far) and will only continue to improve. The team is making fast rotations, tightly contesting shots, defending the PnR very well, and creating a lot of turnovers. Most importantly, they are committed on that end of the floor, and so far the improvements have been evident...they gave up 46% shooting to the Celtics, 43% to the Sixers, a ridiculous 30% to the Magic, and 35% to the Nets. Their talent and athleticism, especially from the big 3, is really smothering a lot of their opponents. The biggest issues defensively have been at PG (where they won't get much better unless they make a trade), and C (with Anthony being undersized and missing rotations). If they start Z and continue to stay committed, this team is going to be dominant defensively.

 

-Because of Arroyo and Anthony's deficiencies as starters, I don't think we have seen anything close to the potential Wade/LeBron have together on the floor, due to poor floor spacing/chemistry/having an offensive blackhole at C. However, I think the scariest thing about this offense has been the rotations where only one of them is on the floor. What I have seen the first few games is Wade and LeBron are taking turns running the team, and the team is not missing a beat/getting better as the other is getting rest. That should terrify other teams. So far, it is allowing each player to get a ton of rest and stay fresh, and also play their own game as opposed to deferring to one and other. What has resulted the last few games is the 2009-2010 Miami Heat with Bosh for 1/4 of the game, the 2009-2010 Cleveland Cavaliers with Bosh for 1/4 of the game, and the entire trio/just LeBron and Wade for the other half. I really like the idea of giving each player a good chunk of the game to be the undisputed #1 guy as the other gets rest. It is a proven method, and as the two superstars gain chemistry, they can be even more dangerous.

 

-LeBron really needs to work on his off-ball movement when he and Wade are in the game. I think Wade has made the right adjustments and is doing a good job a making sharp cuts to the basket and staying active when the ball is in LeBron or Bosh's hands (although he should dive to the hoop more on LeBron drives), but LeBron acts like a spot-up shooter when he doesn't have the ball. Once he starts moving more without the ball, this offense is really going to be dangerous.

 

-Overall, they are going to win a LOT of regular season games on sheer talent alone. Today against the Nets the big 3 overwhelmed them on sheer talent and individual play, and the game was out of reach before anyone else on the team made an offensive impact. Against the elite teams, they need to work on some of their offensive philosophies and sets when both Wade/James are in, but the improvements can be seen already. Once this offense really gets clicking, this team is going to be a really, really tough out.

[reno]

I agree, personally I feel this may be the best team of all time, or one of the most best teams of all time. I can see them winning 76+ wins this season, like honestly how many games will they lose? Maybe the one n two against the lakers/magics/celtics, but thats about it. This team is killer made. They lost the home opener, on the road, against one of the elite teams/best defenders in the nba. They came to within 3 in the 4th quarter. First time playing together. This team will only get better, it will shatter all team records in the nba.

[Check my Stats]

I will never understand why Arroyo starts.

 

The scariest thing about this team, is that each year they will only get better if the current CBA is kept in place. To think they can add an MLE player each year is extremely frightening for the rest of the league.

Edited October 31, 2010 by Check my Stats

[Nitro]

I will never understand why Arroyo starts.

 

The idea is that Arroyo doesn't make many mistakes and can be trusted not to [expletive] things up, where as Chalmers or House will make some dumb decisions that can cost the team the game. I hate that kind of conservative approach when you have this much talent, but I understand the reasoning...it's just stupid.