Smooth Intro

If you have not been able to watch a game at AA Arena this season, watch the new Miami Heat Players Intro video here. As always, I think the Heat have one of the most creative and fun videos of the NBA and I'm sure the players had a lot of fun making it. Enjoy!

Shaqwho?

Let me start this by saying that I still love Shaquille O'Neal and he will forever be one of my favorite players. I've been a big fan since he came into the NBA, celebrated our first Miami Heat Championship thanks to his leadership, and I do believe his presence helped Dwyane Wade become the leader he is today. 

Now, there are things about his behavior that I don't like. No need to become rivals with everyone who used to be your brother before. That is a sign of weakness and insecurity. He did it with Kobe and in less obvious way with Dwyane. And for what? He has nothing to prove. 

The sad part is that he Shaq factor seems to now be a liability instead of an asset. It's still very early in the season and he can still prove me and everyone else wrong, but Shaq did not have the positive impact the Cavaliers were expecting. In fact, it seems very similar to what happened in Phoenix last season. 

Shaq forces teams to change their style. Regardless of who else is on the team, and how involved he will be in both defense and offense, his presence on the floor makes team formations and strategy different. Pat Riley was able to build a team around him, and add Dwyane Wade to the mix. That is what made the team successful and win the Champsionship. Both Phoenix and Cleveland already had a team, and a style, and bringing Shaq into the mix somehow distorts that harmony. 

Cleveland knew they needed help, and so did Phoenix at the time. They fell short of winning the title after having impressive regular seasons. They needed a leader with a few rings on his fingers to help them make that last jump. Did it work for Phoenix? No. Will it work for Cleveland? I doubt it. 

The evidence is there early on. Cleveland had a disappointing start compared to last year. Phoenix had an amazing start compared to last year. Neither one had significant off-season moves other than acquiring and getting rid of Shaq. He is the factor that is making a difference for both teams, and if the trend continues then Shaq could probably be on his last season in the league. 

Why would he stay? If I'm not mistaken he will still have a year left on his current contract, but next season is all about LeBron. What happens if Shaq's on-the-court relationship with LeBron ends the same way as it did with Bryant, Wade and Nash? It will be a tough decision for him. And in the best case scenario, if he wins it all with Cleveland, that should also be a good reason to retire with all the glory. 

I have to say that retiring with glory is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Shaq. His ego is as big as his body. Switching teams every year looking for more rings is not going to make his legacy more significant, but it will make us remember him in a not so positive note. At least I still look at him as one of my favorite players of all time, and a guy who has a great personality and that everyone accepts and loves as he is because of that. It would be great to keep that feeling towards him forever. 

Remember Us?

It's nice to be the surprise of the season. Even if it means that nobody believed in our team before, we are slowly making everyone believe. Even Heat fans. We are psyched!

The Heat won their fifth game, tying a franchise-record 5-1 start. That was not it. They won against the last of the unbeaten teams in the league, the Denver Nuggets (the Boston Celtics also lost tonight). And if that was not enough, we didn't need 40+ points from Dwyane Wade to win. In fact, he was not even a factor in the game until things were pretty much decided. 

Dwyane Wade scored 22 points, but had only 9 until almost mid-way through the third quarter. But that didn't matter because the Heat had a lead of almost 30 points. They played excellent defense against one of the best offensive teams in the league, and even though Carmelo Anthony finished with 30, most of the other players struggled. 

I can't believe the feeling Coach Spo is experiencing right now. He always believed in this team and worked hard during the off-season to get better as a coach and as a team, and so far he is proving it. It's very early in the season and we started off with a favorable schedule, but beating good teams is never easy and hopefully this will push the Heat to get better and better as the season goes on. 

Win 10,000

Another game, another win. Very impressive start for the Miami Heat, reaching a 3-0 start for only the third time in franchise history. The third win came against the Chicago Bulls, who once again left with a feeling of frustration after a close game that ended in disappointment for them. 

Dwyane Wade had 25 points for the Heat, but most importantly became the first Heat player to reach 10,000 career points. Yes, 10k and he is just warming up.  Udonis Haslem had another impressive performance off the bench coming up with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Beasley also had 10 points and 11 rebounds, Carlos Arroyo had 12 and Mario Chalmers 11. 

The wildcard? That would be QRich, Quentin Richardson himself, who had a quiet night but hit two key 3-pointers late in the game. So once again it was a collective effort for Miami, who didn't need to rely on Dwyane Wade's miracles because everyone else contributed to the win.

Up next, Phoenix visits the Heat house on Tuesday. The Suns are also undefeated, but play Minnesota tonight at home. This will be the first game between the Heat and Suns since both Shaq and Marion left the teams after the blockbuster trade of 2008. 

So for us Heat fans, the best possible start. Let's keep getting better and winning games. Go Heat!

Great Start

Sorry for the lack of blogging, but I promise more articles will come now that the season has started.

AND WHAT A START!

Miami has won it's first two games of the season. This has not happened since 2004-2005 when Shaq came over and Dwyane Wade became Dwyane Wade. Not to get overly excited, but sure it's better to start like this than losing. If that was not enough reason to be happy, the Heat have won the first of 14 games at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indiana. Want more? This was Dwyane Wade's first win at Conseco Fieldhouse. All good news. 

Tomorrow against Chicago I expect an amazing game. Remember last season? Something along those lines I hope. And I hope we also win. 3-0 would be cool. And the best part is that now we all see that success is possible with the team we have. We need to stay focus and healthy. Not easy, but possible. 

The season has started on with some surprises and some even matches. Cleveland started 0-2, but quickly won 2 in a row. No doubt that they will get a lot better during the season in route to the Playoffs. Orlando is solid and Boston has been impressive, although people still doubt if they can all stay healthy. The Lakers lost in the opening week. Fun fact? There is only 7 unbeaten teams in the first week. One of those is the Miami Heat, and three of those are in our Southeast Division. Wow. 

Let's keep the energy up and keep on rolling. I'm happy and impressed with Jermaine O'Neal, Michael Beasley, and the rest of the team. Dwyane Wade can only keep getting better, so let's do this. Go Heat!