A day to celebrate and embrace our Miami Heat

It sure doesn't seem like it, but today is exactly 1-month from when Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh went on ESPN and told the world they were going to play together in Miami.  That would be the first of many dominoes to fall, because about 21 hours later, LeBron James went on the same network and told the same audience that he was also coming to Miami. 

The majority of what has been talked and written about since then regarding the ‘big 3' and their separate/collective decision to join forces in Miami has been negative.  Whether it be criticism towards the players, reasoning why this will never work or just outright hate, it's all being done to cast a dark cloud over South Florida because everyone outside of here wants to rain on our parade.

Considering it's the 1-month anniversary of when these great events took place, and since we're being bombarded with negative crap (which we better get used to), I thought we should instead celebrate and bask in the imminent glory that any realist will say is coming to Miami in the near future.

In fact...I'll take it a step further.  Let's take some time and talk about some of the reason why the Heat WILL be the next NBA dynasty.  Why they will be winning multiple titles in the next few years.  You can go to almost any NBA website and read something about why the Heat wont succeed. 

So instead, on the day we're celebrating, I'll list some of the reasons why the Heat are going to win more titles in the next 5-years then they aren't.  I say only ‘some of the reasons' because I don't want to keep you here reading all day long when you should be out celebrating that you have the best collection of talent in NBA history playing in your backyard. 

I'll start with our offense, which is going to be so much fun to watch.  Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have very good reputations for making some ridiculous plays, and both of them have been making magic happen on their own until now.  Both guys can get to the rim by cutting through three defenders and finish with authority, and both guys can step back and hit a jumper. 

Wade has improved his jumper over the past few years but I have to give the advantage to LeBron on this one.  I've seen him hit shots from everywhere on the court with hands in his face that I was sure weren't going in.  He just rises above the defense and then...swish.  Now James doesn't do things with the grace and elegance that Wade does, but I like that there is going to be a noticeable difference in the ways that they dominate.

For all the attention that Wade and LeBron are going to draw from opposing defenses, they'll have that Chris Bosh guy to unload the ball to.  Bosh has some sick low-post moves but he is another guy who can step back and hit a long J.  For a bigger guy, Bosh can handle the ball and has a quickness that catches many by surprise. 

I think its safe to assume that those three will average around 70 points a game.  That's just three players.  There were those who said the Heat wouldn't be able to win with just those three guys and a bunch of fill-ins.  I guess the ‘big 3' thought so too because they all took pay cuts so that the Heat could surround them with very talented players and properly build a championship team. 

Udonis Haslem should probably be gone.  He is worth way more then what he is going to make, and we know that for a fact because he turned down over 30% more money from other teams to stay with the Heat.  Udonis epitomizes what this team is all about; hard work, sacrifice and being part of a family. 

He has been here with Dwyane Wade since the two were rookies in 2003, and the respect that Wade has for him has filtered down to his ‘Super Friends', who have already acknowledged and appreciate how important Haslem is to this franchise.  Now Wade wasn't the only one to bring some friends down to Miami; Udonis also brought one of his closest friends to play with the Heat.

Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem have been best buds since they were roommates at the University of Florida.  Miller is bringing an element to Miami that the Heat has needed for years; an outside scoring threat.  Miller has been one of the best shooters in the NBA since he was drafted in 2000.  With all the defensive attention that the LeBrontourage will draw, Miller is going to get a ton of open looks at the basket. 

When D-Wade was here by himself an outside shooter like Miller would have made the Heat a much better team, so imagine his importance now.  Who are opposing defenses going to cover?  No matter what, someone with a supreme ability to score is going to be left open or single covered. 

Along with Miller, the Heat also brought in former fan favorite and current outside threat Eddie House.  He has also shown to be a very good outside shooter as well as a very quick player and a good teammate.  Thinking of it from that perspective, this Heat team is going to be a very tight family.  They already have that sense of ‘its us against the world' and will likely lean on each other for support. 

If something happens and is bothering one guy, there will be two other guys right there to pick him up and help him out.  If someone is struggling its no biggie, as there will be no pressure on one single guy to perform.  I really think that as this season goes on we're going to see the players get closer and closer.  By the time the Playoffs roll around we're going to see something very special both on and off the court from these guys. 

I'll wrap up this celebration with a little defense talk.  Obviously the Heat are going to score a lot of points...and anyone who thinks otherwise is trying to fool themselves.  But anyone will tell you that trying to outscore a team every night won't always fly in the playoffs.  Not to worry though because the Heat have some of the best defenders in the league, you just don't hear about it as much because they are so good at scoring. 

We're all familiar with Dwyane Wade's shot-blocking ability and the shutdown capability that Udonis brings off the bench.  One thing that I think a lot of Heat fans will be very impressed with is how amazing of a defender LeBron James is.  He can block shots just as good as our Mr. Wade but also can man-up and cover guys like white on rice. 

Remember, whenever the Heat would play the Cavs it was LeBron covering D-Wade in the 4^th quarter.  The guy is a stud on D but he is just so amazing offensively that what he does on the other end of the court often gets overshadowed.  Another great defensive asset the Heat have is their ‘soon to be not so unknown' center Joel Anthony. 

Nobody on the team and maybe in the league can block shots with the effectiveness and efficiency that Joel can.  In limited minutes he's put up some very impressive numbers and is likely going to get a lot of attention this year. 

Combine that he'll likely be playing around 30 minutes a game (almost twice his career average) and that the Heat will be getting more national coverage then any other team and you'll see why I think Joel will be a very popular guy this season and for years to come. 

Now I could go on and talk about Udonis' defense, how deep our bench is, the many many rotation possibilities that will keep opposing coaches awake at night, the ‘line around the corner' of very good players waiting for a roster spot to open up...the list goes on and on. 

So I'll wish all you Heat fans a Happy 1-month ‘reminder day' of when Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh set in motion a series of events that would culminate in the creation of this amazingly good roster that will eventually be known as one of, if not the best ever collection of players the NBA has seen on one team. 

Time will go by, games and championships will be won...but we'll all be able to look back and say ‘I remember when it all started; I saw these players make history before every playing a game'.  Enjoy it, because who knows if we'll ever see any athletes in any sport do what these guys have done in order to win.  Not only are we seeing it happen, but it's happening to our team in our home town.  Like the t-shirt says...'Let them hate'.