The Miami Heat Show Why They are The Team To Beat

By Aime Mukendi @aDOTmukendi on October 30, 2012

It’s safe to say that the Miami Heat are still the best team in the NBA, at least as of today.

I expected the Heat to lose to the Boston Celtics because Boston would have so much venom towards them and because Dwyane Wade was not fully healthy.

I was very wrong.

LeBron James had 26 points, 10 rebounds,  three assists, and two steals in just 29 minutes. James left early in the fourth quarter with cramps and did not return to the game. When he went to the locker room the Heat had a 19 point lead. Boston was able to cut the lead to just six points late in the fourth, but in the end Wade, Chris Bosh, and Mario Chalmers were just too much.

It’s hard to fathom that a healthy, fresh, and angry Celtic team could not beat the Heat when James was no longer on the court. It’s pretty clear that they could have used ex-Celtic Ray Allen‘s 19 points in the season opener as well.

I won’t say just yet that Miami will sweep Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. After all, Boston did add a lot of new pieces so they don’t have the greatest team chemistry yet, combined with the fact that it was ring night in South Beach, but it is evident that they are just not nearly as good as the Heat.

Miami scored 120 points shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three point line. They also had only eight turnovers while compiling 25 assists. Heat also shot 81.3 percent from the free throw line.  The case can be made that the Heat played really well but Boston had more fast break points than Miami outscoring them 27 to 12 in the category.  Boston shot 52 percent from the field, 46 percent from the three point line, and 82 percent from the free throw line. Rajon Rondo played well recording 20 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds.

The two teams will meet three more times this season but for a Miami team that was missing their best player for the final 10 minutes of the game the Heat proved why they are the team to beat.