Let’s be honest, again, just as it happened when the Big Three came together: anything else than the title will be considered as a failure for LeBron James and company.
There are big questions for Erik Spoelstra’s team, as they enter the 2013-2014 season. The first one is, of course, whether or not they will crack from the big competition in the East this season. The Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets are all teams that can seriously threaten the Heat in the 2013-2014 season.
Another big concern for Miami is what condition and what performance will the two out of the three members of the Big Three — Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade — be able to reach. After a 2012-2013 season when Wade faced injuries that caused him to struggle and after some periods of slump that Chris Bosh experienced, LeBron James emerged as the main leader of the team.
Will The King be able to fill in his two fellas if they are not able to play at the level they are expected to this season? If it wasn’t for LeBron’s heroics during the 2013 season and especially the playoffs, the second championship in a row could now be an unfulfilled dream for Miami.
The Heat will definitely need their leader to play big this season, if they want to stand good odds to win it all. And by big, I mean real big. LeBron will have to record yet another 27-point, 8-rebound season and also be as accurate as he was from the field as last season. The 56.5 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from three-point range he averaged last season were both career-highs.
His numbers were also impressive during the playoffs and also the fourth quarters, when it mattered the most. James used to struggle when the game was on the line and during the fourth quarters in his Cleveland days. He received tons of criticism about that back then.
Of course now, he has redeemed himself, but he can’t repose on that. With Wade at 31 years of age, there are no signs of him getting healthier and more energetic. Bosh’s performance, of course, still remains a mystery. He is a momentum player, who can sack 30 points one night and then go on single digits the next one.
What the Heat need most from LeBron is consistency, the same one they enjoyed last season. LeBron has shown that he needs help in order to be as efficient as he was last season. He needs a second or even third threat on the floor and a shooter waiting on the corner to kick the ball to when he drives the lanes.
As long as LeBron plays like he did last season (or even better — that's a scary thought), the Heat can be nothing else but optimistic about their course this season.
Certainly, the rest of the crew will have to provide solid assistance.
This post was written by Ron, who is the lead editor of fantasy basketball blog, Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues. For more NBA and basketball updates, follow @NBAFantasyInfo on Twitter.
