The Miami Heat Big 3: Championship or Bust

To say that I am a sports fan is a understatement. I consider myself, not only a fan but a student of the game, especially when it comes to basketball. As a teenager and young adult, I actually used to carry a basketball in my car just in case there was a pick up game. Yes, seriously, who wouldn't want to play with their own ball? If you don't know why, then you probably never played the game. People are always asking me who is your favorite player or team? Honestly, I am not a fan of individual players or teams so who I cheer for has a tendency to change year over year based on multiple factors. The first factor is teamwork. How well does the team work together? Does the star player(s) consider themselves a part of the team? Who is the real team leader? The second factor is leadership. We all know that attitude is a reflection of leadership, right? In a team environment that is extremely important. Does the team respect the coach's leadership? My last factor is commitment. Is the organization (owner and GM) committed to winning?

Seeing Magic and Bird battle it out in the 1980s, as well as Jordan against the entire Detroit Piston team in the 1990s, I know that to win a championship in the NBA, a team needs at minimum 3 strong players. The Miami Heat organization showed the rest of the NBA and most importantly their fans they were committed to winning, when they made one of the biggest moves in sports history last year. By adding LeBron James and Chris Bosh to the same roster with Dwyane Wade they were able to get my attention for the first time in that franchises history. Yes, I know I am not the only one. As previously stated, I look for the team dynamic. When I watch the Heat play, it is truely a team effort, a well oiled machine so to speak. If you are a fan of the game, then you cannot dispute that. These guys like each other. They get along well with each other and that is something that any team on a championship run needs in order to sustain the hard climb to the top.

This year I am cheering for the Heat! My mind was made up early in the 2010-2011 season when the team was there for LeBron, as he went back to Cleveland for the first time. That game showed me the character and heart of that team. If the Heat wins the championship, they should thank Cleveland for treating LeBron the way they did after he signed with Miami. The series of incidents that followed him leaving for Miami brought that team closer together. The only way this team will not win the championship is if they lose focus. If the Heat fall short this year, it will not be because they were not the most talented team on the floor, but merely because they were outplayed. When a championship is on the line, you have to throw out all the numbers and stats because you cannot measure heart!