Miami Heat:
Shaq-Wade better than Shaq-Kobe? We’ll find out

The Miami Heat have been one of the more successful expansion teams in recent memory. Since jumping into the NBA in 1988 as an expansion team the Heat have accumulated a record of 601-679 and have made it into the postseason 9 times. The team made it into the postseason just after the fourth season of existence. That year they were led by guys like Glen Rice, Steve Smith and Rony Seikaly. They made it into the playoffs but lost in the first round to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 3-0. The team would go on to the postseason eight other times between ’88 and 2004. The greatest season in franchise history came in 1997 when the team finished with a 61-21 record which earned them the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round the Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, and Jamal Mashburn led and Pat Riley coached team walked all over the Orlando Magic in the first two games of the series. The series went back to Orlando and the Magic beat them in two straight games to force a decisive fifth game. In the fifth game Mourning and Hardaway took over and dismissed the Magic 91-83. In the second round of the playoffs they matched up with their hated rival the New York Knicks. Every single game between the two teams was like a heavyweight boxing match. At first each team was ok but as the night went on they wanted to see blood from the other guy. Officials always had their work cut out for them when these to bitter rivals met up, even more so in the playoffs. The Heat lost three of the first four games and seemed to be primed to lose the series. The Heat then turned it around and won the final three games of the series and moved on to the Eastern Conference Finals. The team eventually fell to the Bulls, who went on to win their second of three straight championships, 4-1.

Last season didn’t look all that great when, four days before the season started, head coach Pat Riley relinquished the head coaching job and let Stan Van Gundy take over for him while he just concentrated on being the President of Basketball Operations. With Van Gundy at the helm the team started off with a whimper. They didn’t have a true point guard and their rookie draft pick Dwayne Wade was hurt off and on for most of the first half of the season. When he got back he brought some offense to a very good defensive team and they started their march to a 42-40 record and the fourth seed in the East. In the first round of the playoffs the Heat matched up with Milwaukee and won each of their four home games and the series 4-3. In the second round against the Pacers it was more of the same, the team couldn’t win on the road. They lost the first two in Indiana but won the next two in Miami. They then lost the next two straight games, including the series clincher in Miami, and lost the series 4-2.

In the off-season the Miami Heat pulled off the mother of all trades when they brought Shaquille O’Neal to South Beach. The team gave Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and Caron Butler to get the Diesel into a Heat Jersey. The team got off pretty easy considering that they acquired the most dominant player in the NBA and still kept the best player on their team Dwyane Wade. The team then started working on bringing in talent that would help emphasize the talents of Wade and O’Neal. They brought in Keyon Dooling, Michael Doleac, Damon Jones and Wesley Person. The most important of those acquisitions is the sharpshooter Person. Person can spread the floor out for the dynamic duo of Shaq and Wade which will give them a number of easy baskets.
In the draft the Heat picked up a couple of players that will be able to help them down the line but more than likely won’t contribute much this year. With their first rouind pick the Heat grabbed South Kent Prep small forward Dorell Wright. Wright is the third straight athlete that the heat have taken, (Butler and Wade came first) but he doesn’t have the same refinement of the college game that Butler and Wade both had and he will have to develop on the bench in the NBA.

The Heat starting five will look completely different due to the Shaq trade. Starting at the point guard will be Wade, at shooting guard will be Eddie Jones, at small forward will be Wesley Person, at power forward will be Malik Allen, and at center will be the Big Aristotle Shaquille O’Neal.

The Heat did lose their depth since they did a three for one deal with the Lakers. Backing up Wade will be Damon Jones who has a good jump shot and will provide the Heat with quality minutes. Behind Jones and Person will be the rookie Dorell Wright and Rasual Butler. Backing up the big men will be Udonis Haslem and Michael Doleac.

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