Syncing up early

The Heat are certainly on the right track now. After stumbling through the opener against the Celtics, the Miami Heat have not lost a game, including what I would consider to be an extremely impressive win vs Orlando. It has been said that Miami's biggest problem would be playing against big men, and yet they handled one of the best centers in the game today.

LeBron is really firing on all cylinders in Miami. He clearly understands what he has to do in order to win the game. We saw an all too familiar pattern in Cleveland of LeBron trying to get the team involved in the first half, realizing they are not going to do much of anything, and taking over in the second half. We saw against the Timberwolves that when LeBron tries to get others involved early in Miami, Dwayne wade and James Jones shoot lights out. By the time the third quarter comes around, when most teams are starting to feel winded, LeBron is just warming up. It is hard to imagine any team being prepared for the second half intensity that Miami brings.

Wade is also doing a terrific job with LeBron thus far. He understands that sometimes he is going to be cold, and instead of trying to prove something he needs to just swallow his pride and let LeBron pick up the slack. These guys talked a lot about distribution of the ball in the off season, and it is really nice to see it working out so well. With Wade having that bust out potential at any given time, defenses will constantly be on edge.

Bosh is doing his thing. It seems to me like he has not really found his rhythm yet. Luckily for him, there is plenty of time to do so. Bosh understands that he is not going to have a ton of points, and that he has seemingly gone from first option to third option over night. Thats a tough pill to swallow, and he is handling it VERY well. I expect him to be a role player on this team, and to casually get his numbers and help propel Miami in the post season.

I am liking the way the bench has emerged in the last two games. James Jones is lights out, andI like how he plays off of LeBron and Wade. He looks for openings to shoot, rather than standing there and waiting for one of them to create. He is my X factor every game. I like the way he plays, I like his quick stroke, and I think he is going to do a lot of scoring as the season goes on.

I remember when the Heat first signed Bosh and James that people were running around going, "WELL NOW, WHO IS GONNA TAKE THE LAST SHOT IN A CLOSE GAME?". Every single time someone asked that question I just remember thinking to myself, "Who thinks the games are going to be close?". After these past victories, it is clear to see that most games wont be, so we don't really have to worry about that last shot scenario. If and when that opportunity does present itself, I strongly believe that the most open man will take the last shot, whether it be LeBron, Dwayne, Bosh, House, Jones, or big Z. The Heat have a lot of veterans on their team. When you look at players like Howard and Stack, you know that they are hungry for a ring. When you really want to win, it doesn't matter who takes the last shot, as long as it goes in. As long as the unselfish play that has been seen as of late continues, there is no ceiling for Miami.