I don't claim to be the driver behind this write up, but after talking with one of my guys this morning (Thanks Senior Pullen) I felt like I needed to expound on our conversation. First let me take a step back, I have been on the Heat bandwagon since early this season with the way this team and in particular LBJ has played. I have gotten a little worried during some of these lulls that the Heat have had this year, but I'm still riding with them.
With that said, the Heat are losing the thing that made them scary to me. They are losing their aura and they have proven to me that they are really the reincarnate of Mike Tyson as a basketball team. In other words, the Heat go for the knockout early in the game and expect to coast the rest of the time. If you're able to not succumb to their initial onslaught (i.e. Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, etc.) then you can grind on the Heat and win late.
Flash back to 1985 when a young 'Iron' Mike Tyson was introduced to the boxing world. He was the baddest dude on two feet. He wore blank trunks to go along with his black boots and he was never in the mood to converse with his foes. Tyson was not only beating people, he was knocking people TFO (we not trying to curse here, but you know what I'm talking about). Tyson's victories helped create the aura of Mike Tyson. Tyson was known for his quick knockouts to the point that some people were just hoping that they could get him to go past 6 or 7 rounds to see what kind of fighter he was. All of this grew and grew until a fateful night in February of 1990 when James 'Buster' Douglas put a permanent chink in the aura (armor if you must) of Tyson.
We digress back to the purpose of this posting. The Heat started this season with arguably one of the best defenses, outside of those MJ led Bulls teams or Bad Boys Pistons teams, in the history of the NBA. They had a way of playing teams and putting up big quarters to impose their will on their foes. They came out with these (sorry) ugly all black alternate unis and there was talk that they would only lose single digit games in this shortened NBA season. LBJ was the MVP by a landslide and all was good. As this season has progressed there have been teams that have put chinks in the aura/armor that is the Heat (Orlando, Milwaukee, LA (Clips and Lakers), Celtics and Bulls).
Most notably last night's Bulls game in Chicago. The Heat seemed to have everything going their way. They were up at the half by 5 points, Derrick Rose was having a horriawful night and all of this was without much help for LBJ. Then IT happened. The Bulls, instead of caving to the pressure or the attempted knock out blows, just kept coming back. Rose continued his terrible play, but the coach put in C.J. Watson and he played well. The Bulls bench, led by Watson, Korver, and Gibson, were the difference between a 'W' and a Heat win based purely off of talent.
As you watch the Heat for the rest of the season, look at them with Mike Tyson goggles on and see if what I'm saying is true. Tyson did win several championships (something this Heat unit hasn't) and continued being viable for years to come, but it seemed to go downhill fast for him and maybe just maybe, the Heat are heading in that downhill direction. Winning it all is the cure for all of this talk, but even I am a little more concerned about the ability of the Heat to do just that after last night's debacle.
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