[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Blackspider

Heat look like the same frontrunning team as last year. I have no idea why so many out there are drooling over them when they did this same stuff last season and even in the playoffs. When teams make stupid turnovers and they get to run and dunk and they are playing with big leads, they look like world beaters. Put them in tough situations where teams play smart and can hit the glass and make them work for points, they become very average like we saw in the Finals and many games last season.

I'll disagree here. I think the Heat look noticeably better. LeBron and Wade haven't shot a single three yet. At last year's rate, they'd have shot 18 by now. They're being more aggressive. LeBron is also showing an improved post up game, which is reportedly worked on all summer. Cole and Battier are upgrades over their counterparts from last year (though Battier hasnt shown much yet). James Jones is finding his spots more comfortably and letting it fly with confidence. A fully healthy Haslem is an upgrade too.

Now, they're not unbeatable or anything, but the threads are there for them to be even stronger than they were last playoffs.