No team was more successful than the Heat last season as they finished with a championship under their belt. However, to repeat their success, the Heat will have to dedicate themselves to winning one game at a time once again.
There’s no question that the Heat’s great strength is that they have two superstar players. Shaquille O’Neal has long been one of the best centers in the league. His numbers since he joined Miami have been slipping, and one of the keys to the Heats’ success may be how productive Shaq can be. After playing just 59 games and averaging a career-low 20 points per game, O’Neal has a lot of work to do to prove critics wrong about his apparent decline as an elite player.
The other superstar the Heat boasts about is Dwayne Wade. Unlike his big counterpart, Wade is one of the youngest superstars in the league and will look to continue to improve him steadily during his first three years in the league. As long as he can stay healthy and put up his usual 25-30 points per game and 6-7 assists per game, there’s no question the Heat can win the Southeast division for the third year in a row.
Of course, no team can win games with only two players. Therefore, the Heat will look to key contributions from forward Udonis Haslem and role players Jason Williams, Antoine Walker and James Posey. Haslem is a great young man who complements Shaquille very well on the defensive end of the floor and brings toughness to the team. The other three players, all acquired in the summer of 2005, are veterans who can score points and shoot long balls. Another bench player who could have a significant impact is Alonzo Mourning, who replaced O’Neal very well last season. It’s important that these five players continue to perform like they did last season.
On the sidelines for the Heat is NBA legend Pat Riley for the second straight season. Riley is a top coach who will be hoping for nothing less than a second championship and trying to keep his team focused on his new goal.
The Miami Heat have championship rings and all their key players and coaches for the 2006/07 season. But they’ll also have a bull’s-eye on their back all season long and will really have to play their best basketball to return to the Finals for the second straight season.
