Six Divisions in Six Weeks: Southeast

As seen at Pickinsplinters.com: http://www.pickinsplinters.com/2012/09/26/six-divisions-in-six-weeks-southeast-division/

By: Joe Manganiello

STAFF WRITER

1. Miami Heat (’11-’12 record: 46-20)

Best player:

LeBron James is the best player in the world. His performance on a national stage during the playoffs and on the international stage during the Olympics speak for themselves. As long as James is on the floor, the Heat have a player who controls every aspect of the game. It might not be possible to stop James from furthering his legacy in ’12-’13 if he continues on the tear he has been on over the last year.

Starting Lineup:

But of course, what separates Miami from just about every other team is their full starting lineup.  Combining James with Wade and Bosh has changed the league; seldom has a roster carried a trio with as much athleticism, length and determination. Honestly, mentioning Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers as members of the starting lineup is not important, because Miami’s 4-12 pieces are very much rotational and malleable. It is the constant presence of James, Wade and Bosh that set the Heat apart and make them the team to beat in the NBA.

Bench:

This is where team president Pat Riley really thrived last season, as he surrounded his star players with valuable bench pieces who were more than willing to do the team’s dirty work. Battier and Chalmers are perfect for the Heat, as they both can hit wide-open jump shots, play defense and get out of the way once it is time for James or Wade to take over.

Chalmers knows his job is to forfeit the floor general duties to James whenever the three-time MVP says so; instead of fighting that, Chalmers hands the ball over and gets ready to catch-and-shoot off the ball.

Battier was as essential to the NBA title as anybody on the Heat last season, considering that he was the most notable addition to last season’s team following the loss in the 2011 finals, and that Battier shot out of his mind in the 2012 finals. Not to mention that Battier’s defense and length really helps the Heat against bigger teams, as it frees up Bosh to take on easier assignments and save energy for offense.

The Heat added a future hall-of-famer to their bench for this season, one that has many Celtic’s fans (and players) livid. The effect of Ray Allen on the Heat is immeasurable, considering that it is a huge blow emotionally to the team’s biggest competition, and it gives a Miami team that hit 42 three-pointers in five NBA finals games the league’s greatest shooter. Anytime Allen/Wade/James are on the floor together, the defense will be asking themselves how they can possibly double team James, check Wade and cover Allen all at the same time.

The answer is that it probably cannot be done, which is scary to think about.

Humbly I admit, LeBron is the best basketball player in the world.

By: Joe Manganiello

STAFF WRITER

LeBron James’ ninth and most highly scrutinized season appeared to be ending early.

The Heat were behind two games to one against the Pacers entering Sunday, continuing to play without the third leg of their oft-talked about trio, Chris Bosh, who is out indefinitely. Without Bosh this series, the Heat’s supporting cast has struggled, failing to yield a scorer with more than five points in their game two loss, while Dwyane Wade scored just five points in their game three loss.

The Heat knew that Sunday was a must win to keep their championship hopes alive, yet found themselves down 9-0 in the first four minutes of game four. During that stretch, the Heat missed their first four shots from the field, getting blocked on three of the attempts, while James’ had already missed a pair of shots and thrown a ball out of bounds.

The Pacers lead could have been even larger. Hibbert was called for an offensive goaltending penalty that would have given the Pacers a 9-0 lead after two minutes of action. Additionally, Paul George and George Hill missed three consecutive wide open three-pointers that could have blown the game wide open and sent the Indiana fan base into a frenzy.

But just as quick as he rises up the all-time leader boards of seemingly every offensive record in NBA history, James changed the game, the series and the outlook of his career on Sunday. LeBron James became the best player in the world on a driving slam dunk over Danny Granger.