So tonight was the big debut of Lebron James and Chris Bosh in Miami. Those two join Dwyane Wade to make a team that a lot of fans thought would break the season wins record. Well guess what? In order to do that, you'd have to go through the original big three of this century. And it's no longer the big three. It is at least the big four with Rajon Rondo at point guard. Add in Shaquille O'Neal and you've got a big 5 in Boston. So much hype was given to the Heat this offseason. But through it all, I kept asking one question. Where's the backup? And I'm still asking that now. You have 3 guys, 2 of whom are superb in their craft and the third who's above average (Bosh, if you really had to ask). But who's around them? They have virtually no one else. Even the late addition of Big Z doesn't make this a great team. Basketball is a team sport. It will never be about one man. Even Kobe Bryant couldn't win in LA after Shaq left before Pau Gasol showed up. If you don't have a cohesive unit on the court, you cannot expect to win.
The Heat showed everyone tonight that they are not a team. Lebron and Wade were clearly not on the same page. How many times did one of them throw the ball to the other and it resulted in a turnover? They weren't together. Not the way that Rondo is with the whole Boston lineup. I mean, come on! Seventeen assists! That's insane. In a game when the team only scored 88 points, Rondo had that many assists. That's a team that is in sync. Am I saying the Heat will be like this all season? No! Let me get the out right now. Down the line, this team is going to be good. This team will make the playoffs. However, I don't think they will have the success that a lot of people had thought, and hoped, they would have. For now, though, the Boston Celtics have proven to me that they are the team to beat in the Eastern conference. Don't agree? Who do you think is the favorites?
