In a first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs in which the underdogs caused major troubles to the most teams which entered the series as the favorites, there is one team that managed to keep its composure and achieve a sweep. Out of the eight pairs which entered the first round of the postseason only the Miami Heat managed to retain their home court advantage and close out the series after just four games.
Some of you might say that the Charlotte Bobcats were not a quality opponent. After all, they finished at the seventh spot in the weak Eastern Conference and they did show some signs of struggle against the defending champs. However, if it wasn’t for the Heat’s quality as a team and its ability to play with consistency throughout the entire series, the Heat could have faced trouble, much like all the other favorites in this first round of the 2014 playoffs did.
So what can we really say about LeBron James and Co. Are they really on track to three-peat? Do they have what it takes to even make it to the NBA Finals for their fourth time in a row?
About two months ago, we could say that the Heat didn’t look that much dangerous. Miami just couldn’t reach the Indiana Pacers at the top of the Eastern Conference, some members of the team were struck by age and health issues and in short words, the Heat were one of the favorites for the title but not the strongest one. So has anything changed since then?
Yes it has.
What the Heat did in this first round of the playoffs was exactly what they had to do. They swept a series against a team they were much better of, something that their biggest rivals, the Indiana Pacers but also other teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs failed to do. Given that we have now seen some of the favorites struggling to roll past their first round matchups, the Heat don’t need much more than to stick to their habits in order to win their third championship in a row.
Up to now, Erik Spoelstra’s team hasn’t been that much surging. On the contrary, even during the regular season it failed to show that power and that force, on both ends of the floor, which made them almost unbeatable last season. What the Heat did, however, was get results. Miami did its job and it did it in a cool and relaxed manner.
Unlike the first seasons since the formation of the Big Three, the Heat didn’t put pressure on themselves. Instead, they focused on one thing only, delivering during the postseason. From as it now seems, the Heat are the strongest favorite for the title and yes of course they are en route to the three-peat. In fact, we can fairly say that it will be a huge surprise to see King James’s company to miss the NBA Finals this year.
Thank you for reading. Ron Leyba is the lead editor of Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues, and a LastWordOnSports NBA Analyst. For more of his articles, follow his updates at Google+ or follow him on Twitter – @ronniedare. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
