Heat power forward Chris Bosh thinks they can, too, calling the Lakers the "best team in the league on paper." Although the Heat look like the favorites to win, the Lakers' recent additions of guys like Dwight Howard and Steve Nash does bring up the phrase of "championship-contender."
“The Lakers, I think, right now, I mean on paper, they probably have the best team in the West and probably the league right now,” Bosh told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “On paper. I’m saying on paper. But it’s a lot, a lot, it’s a long season. And the best team always isn’t the one who starts out the season as the best team.
“We know we’re the champs, but we have to start off from scratch. We have a lot of chemistry building to do. And we have to come out there and we have to start over. We know favorites and all that stuff really doesn’t matter.”
The Heat were able to beat the Thunder in five games. Stopping the Lakers can be tough, especially with a point guard like Nash running the offense.
“It’s very intriguing, especially not only with Dwight but with Steve, them signing Steve and everything, so it’ll be interesting just to see what type of offense they run, what their philosophy is going to be. But we have our own things we have to get better at, and we just have to concentrate on ourselves. But we will be watching them, that’s for sure.”
Related: Lakers Coach Mike Brown Says PG Steve Nash Will Be Calling the Plays For the Offense
However, stopping the Lakers frontcourt of Pau Gasol and Howard will be extremely tough, considering that size isn't the best thing the Heat have on their squad.
“We’re one of the most versatile teams in the NBA. So, I mean, we can play small, but as long as we win that rebounding battle, that’s all that’s important. With that said, they’re a very big team, but we’re very fast, so something’s got to give.”
I think the Lakers have a solid chance of beating Miami, especially looking at them when you put the two teams together head-to-head on paper. However, the big reason will be LeBron James. If he's there and he continues to play like he has been, I don't think Los Angeles can honestly stand a chance.
Chemistry also plays a big key. We'll see how these two teams fare out once the season begins in two months.
Photo Credit: Jeff Roberson/AP
Josh Dhani is the founder of FootBasket. You can read more about him at his website. Follow him on Twitter @joshdhani.
