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Not one, Not two, Not three. Everybody by now has heard the famous rant by LeBron James. Well he has one and he has two, but will he get three? The Miami Heat should go into the 2013-2014 season as the favorite to not only win the East, but to three-peat as NBA Champions. Them being favorites to win has nothing to do with having the best roster or even the best team; it has more to do with the fact that they have the best player in the world suiting up for them. There is no longer a discussion or debate on which player rules the NBA; that torch has been passed and slammed through the basket like in NBA Jam. The question still remains do the Miami Heat have the best team in the NBA? Are they even the best team in the Eastern Conference?
Every offseason since the Big 3 has gotten together, Pat Riley has found a way to make the necessary moves to complement his trio of All-Stars. He has been able to add Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and Chris Andersen for a bargain rate. This year his only addition is Greg Oden, who is more likely to play the Eddy Curry role than the Birdman role. Is keeping your championship roster intact (minus Mike Miller) enough to keep you on top for a third straight year? It worked for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls as well as Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Imagine if the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks worked out a deal and Reggie Miller ended up with the Knicks. What if the Sacramento Kings were able to trade for Tim Duncan to play with Chris Webber and Mike Bibby? Would those teams have been able to three-peat if the rest of the league decided they had had enough of them winning? That is essentially what has happened this offseason. The Brooklyn Nets were able to land three championship players and rivals of the Heat to their already talented roster, and all they gave up were expiring contracts and draft picks. The Pacers added a lot of bench depth in Luis Scola and C.J. Watson, not to mention getting back an All-Star in Danny Granger. Even the cash strapped Knicks were able to acquire a skilled big man in Andrea Bargnani and one of the top perimeter defenders in Metta World Peace.
Some may call it confidence and some may call it arrogance, but you get the feeling the Miami Heat aren’t worried with the acquisitions other teams are making. If the Heat can win a title this year by only adding Greg Oden after going to deciding Game 7′s in back to back rounds, then fans can all celebrate their confidence. If they end up losing then they will have to endure an offseason of ridicule for taking the rest of the league lightly.
