The Miami Heat won the past two NBA championships by embracing their greatest strength. They were fast, smart, intimidating and with LeBron James—the best player in the world—they had the privilege of playing basketball in a way other teams want to but can't.
James is the rarest bird. He guards five positions, (last seen wrestling DeAndre Jordan during Wednesday night's victory over the Clippers), and can score efficiently from just about anywhere on the court.
Miami was best plugging James at "power" forward and surrounding him with shooters and Dwyane Wade. Chris Bosh was the de facto center, stretching the floor on offense and providing more rim protection than he gets credit for. Both titles were won by the skin of their teeth.
This season the Indiana Pacers are Miami's largest threat. With Roy Hibbert, David West, Paul George and newly-signed Andrew Bynum, the Pacers are a small mountain. They pushed Miami to seven games in last year's Eastern Conference Finals; this year they're better and primed to have home-court advantage in the eventual postseason rematch.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Michael Pina
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