The Miami Heat are the NBA’s most prominent franchise, two-time defending champions, and with one of the most complete line ups in the league, they are also the odds-on favorite to win the championship. But the question remains: will they repeat? With a month to go in the season, we kick off a weekly series where we review the storylines and odds that impact LeBron and Co’s chances of winning it all in 2014.
With back-to-back wins against the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively, the defending champions Miami Heat appear to have awoken from a deep slumber that saw them lose five times in six games. Do these wins point to a path towards the franchise’s fourth NBA title?
[sc:MarchMadness ]A Three-peat For The Miami Heat?
Last Sunday, the Heat returned to their fine form by beating a legitimate contender, the Houston Rockets, 113-104. LeBron James tallied 24 points in that game, the most he’s put up since his 61-point outburst against the Charlotte Bobcats on March 3. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh chipped in 24 and 18 points, but it was Ray Allen who starred against the Rockets, going off with 25 points on 7-11 shooting, including 4-6 from beyond the arc off the bench.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Following the win over Houston, the Heat secured another win, this time against Cleveland on the road, 100-96. If James’ 24-point output against the Rockets wasn’t enough to convince people that the reigning MVP is still a contender for the trophy this year, then his 43-point explosion against his former team was. James had 24 in the first quarter alone, and simply did not let the Cavaliers come out on top.
Perhaps James was forced into a position to be more aggressive on offense against the Cavs as Wade sat out this game to rest his ailing knee. Wade’s health has been one of the top concerns for the Heat along with the team’s lack of post presence.
With the Indiana Pacers boasting a stacked frontline composed of David West and Roy Hibbert – a tremendous headache for Miami in last season’s eastern conference finals – plus new acquisition Andrew Bynum, the Heat’s mediocre combo of Greg Oden and Chris Andersen seems particularly suspect. If they meet in the postseason again, Miami will be in even tougher than they were last year.
Despite the concerns, the Heat remain as the favorite to bag the Larry O’Brien trophy in June. Miami is priced +225 to win it all and is the overall favorite to win the eastern conference title with odds of -125.
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