The Best is Yet to Come

Photo Credit: thehoorse24 on Flickr.

As the time dwindled away in game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals, I was surprised at how calm I was. I remember back during the Boston and Chicago series how upset I would have been if we lost. Maybe I wasn't upset because the team tore my heart out in game five when a huge rally from the Heat to take the lead in the 4th was matched and conquered by a better Dallas “team.” Then I finally realized I wasn't that upset because this Heat team that came two wins away from an NBA title, will be the worst Heat team we will see for a while.

The team that started off 9-8 and then went on to win 21 of their next 22 games en route to a 58-24 season, good for the 2nd best record in the conference and 3rd best in the NBA. You have to understand that the Heat struggled mightily “gelling” as a team from the get-go. As evident by the infamous welcome party, the Big 3 thought the season was going to be much easier. LeBron James' quote about “not one, not two, not three...” championships was a clear indication of that. Forced to look back on the season after the Finals, the Big 3 admitted they thought the season would be easier.

Injuries to both Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller early in the season definitely didn't help matters. Miller never played up to form when he got back in the rotation, in fact he accumulated more injuries. Haslem came back in the playoffs after missing 55 games. Both of these guys would have contributed a great deal to the Heat throughout the season. Mike Miller was supposed to be the guy to knock down the three with ease and handle the ball as well. Instead he was very inconsistent and the injuries soon become mental, as he lost confidence in his three. Haslem would have contributed much needed toughness inside. These injuries leave Heat fans wondering what could have been. A full season with Haslem and Miller is what Heat fans have to look forward to next season and that alone can lead to better results.

With this loss in the Finals, there is a silver lining to be found. The band-wagoners whom I despised throughout the season will finally be gone and the Heat (especially LeBron) will have a new focus on the season. The Heat thought it was all going to be easy when they started last season, when they start next season they will be more focused than ever looking to silence their critics. Not to mention, their competition in the east at the current moment is just the Bulls. Barring any crazy free agency signings or trades, the Heat will dominate the East for many years. The Celtics are too old as evident by last years' playoffs, the Magic are one Stan Van Gundy panic attack away from Dwight Howard leaving, and the Hawks can't get over the hump. That leaves the Bulls as the only real competition for the Heat and even with that, all teams have to do is shut down Derrick Rose because there is no other real threat offensively. If the Bulls bring in another good scorer in the back court for Rose, than that is a different story.

All in all, next season the Heat won't have to go through the growing pains that they had to this past season and hopefully won't sustain the crucial injuries they had too. From this point on, the Heat will be a much better team than they were in 2010-2011.