Can the Heat be beat?

Published 8:30 am Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The NBA playoffs are underway and it looks like it’s the Heat’s year to win it.

LeBron James just had one of the best seasons in history, Dwayne Wade is finally looking healthy and Shane Battier has given Miami the combination of perimeter defense and outside shooting that it missed at times last season.

The Heat also caught a couple of breaks when Derrick Rose went down for the playoffs with an ACL tear and Amare Stoudemire broke his hand punching glass after game two.

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Right now, the biggest threat to the Heat in the East is Boston, but I really don’t expect those old guys to keep up with Miami in a seven game series.

So, is this Miami’s title to win?

I think the Heat will cruise to the finals, but once they get there, it’ll depend on the matchup.

If they play the Spurs or the Lakers, they could be in for a world of hurt. Both teams have a physical inside presence and that is something that the Heat lack.

Andrew Bynum may be the best center in the league right now and Pau Gasol isn’t too shabby either. Throw in Kobe Bryant and I see the Lakers creating a lot of matchup issues. If Metta World Peace is back and in the right mind, he can slow down LeBron’s offense a little.

As for the Spurs, Tim Duncan may be getting older but his skill set hasn’t depleted one bit. He brings just enough inside scoring to set up a very dangerous outside shooting attack as the Spurs are loaded with players who can knock down the open shot.

So to answer the question about Miami winning it – I guess we’ll find out when they get to the finals and see who they’re playing.