Despite pundits, Heat look scary

[ballin]

If you were to just listen to the talking heads, it would sound like Miami is off to a horrible start. Uh, hellooo? They're 5-3, which is not bad AT ALL for a team that's in its first season together and still trying to adjust to one another. Further, all of the losses have been by very fews points to VERY GOOD teams.

Once they get some cohesion and finally start rolling, it's going to get ugly. I definitely won't want to see them in the playoffs.

[JSD]

If you were to just listen to the talking heads, it would sound like Miami is off to a horrible start. Uh, hellooo? They're 5-3, which is not bad AT ALL for a team that's in its first season together and still trying to adjust to one another. Further, all of the losses have been by very fews points to VERY GOOD teams.

Once they get some cohesion and finally start rolling, it's going to get ugly. I definitely won't want to see them in the playoffs.

I believe our 2008 Celtics (there first year together) started off 25-5. This team has been gased up to be the "BIG 3 ON STERIODS", so the panic and swift change in thinking doesn't really surprise me. These are the same people that will predict a Heat title once they win 10 straight games, which the Heat will at some point this season.

[GreenEnvy]

If you were to just listen to the talking heads, it would sound like Miami is off to a horrible start. Uh, hellooo? They're 5-3, which is not bad AT ALL for a team that's in its first season together and still trying to adjust to one another. Further, all of the losses have been by very fews points to VERY GOOD teams.

Once they get some cohesion and finally start rolling, it's going to get ugly. I definitely won't want to see them in the playoffs.

5-3 is a good start for a normal team, but not a team that has a their own site on espn.com tracking their historic progress through the season.

While I do believe they will gel and get better (especially when Miller comes back), so will the scouting report on how to attack/defend them. It's quite obvious they are going to struggle against big teams. Can they beat any team on any given night? Without a doubt.

But if anyone thinks they can go through the Magic, Celtics, and Lakers in a row are dreaming.

They will rack up wins throughout this season, beating up on the bad and be decent vs. the good. But when the playoffs begin, more experienced teams and better coaching will prevail.

[Junkyard Dawg]

haven't seen them except for against the C's, all i can tell you is their bigs, other than bosh, are laughable.

[scaryjerry]

I look forward to playing them in the playoffs myself...whats the alternative?

I think the celtics look scary and will be scary good themselves

[Amonkey]

Considering that ESPN had a 'Road to 72 Wins' just for the Heat, 5-3 is pretty bad.  Just think about it, if Cleveland wins tonite, they'll have the same record as the Heat.  Anyway, I love how ESPN discreetly changed that 72 wins to include the Lakers since they are unbeaten, like any team that is unbeaten in this early season even belongs into the conversation of 72 wins.

[vinnie]

Lakerse right now are by far the scariest team in the NBA in my opinion. Undefeated and playing without their starting center.

[Fafnir]

Lakerse right now are by far the scariest team in the NBA in my opinion. Undefeated and playing without their starting center.

Eh, they're scary but I doubt their offense stays this good with Bynum.

Odom in particular will have his impact reduced greatly once Bynum returns.

[cman88]

If you were to just listen to the talking heads, it would sound like Miami is off to a horrible start. Uh, hellooo? They're 5-3, which is not bad AT ALL for a team that's in its first season together and still trying to adjust to one another. Further, all of the losses have been by very fews points to VERY GOOD teams.

Once they get some cohesion and finally start rolling, it's going to get ugly. I definitely won't want to see them in the playoffs.

eh, i think they brought the criticism upon themselves....the decision,ascending from stages with smoke, parading around like they won something....and here they are 5-3

theyll run over horrible teams, put up great numbers and make highlight reels...but these losses show that teams with elite point guards and back court depth whom play as a unit can beat them...they arent the "unstoppable force" that they were annointed to be...

[nba is the worst]

So far, they look poorly coached and without a plan to improve (their only young big isn't even on the active roster vs bottom-feeders like the Nets and Twolves, so how will he develop).

Then there's the Bosh problem - if they don't start using his skills more like how Toronto did (like starting Z, perhaps) he will continue to struggle.

BTW, the '07-'08 Celtics started 29-3 with an 8-0 start and two 9-game win streaks, including a 19-pt thrashing of the West finalist Lakers in LA.

5-3, when you consider their only quality win is hosting a (worse than last year) Magic team, is NOT scary.

[Jeff]

they are too good to fall apart completely and LeBron is too versatile to not make this work somehow

that said, I don't think they are unbeatable by any means and their flaws can and will be exploited in the playoffs in particular - the question is if their talent is enough to overcome the flaws

[Moranis]

You can't forget that Wade missed the entire pre-season due to injury.  So they didn't get a chance to learn how to play with each other over that month plus time.  This is their pre-season.  By January they will be firing on all cylinders.

[Witch-King]

Well, either way the Celtics have to feel that they are the scariest team right now because after all they are still leading the Eastern Conference in wins. I mean, that might seem less relevant because there are teams in the Western Conference that still haven't lost a game yet, however you can always just look at it this way:

Ray Allen is still way better at shooting than LeBron James.

...that's always something to keep in mind, regardless of whether or not we lose to the Heat tonight    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upjWBobZlns  

...let's just put it this way, if LeBron James scores six 3-pointers tonight against our defense (over his early-season average of 1 made 3-pointer per game, at %.329 pct), I might jump off of a bridge. If he scores 8 threes tonight, I will jump off of a bridge.  

[Drucci]

I don't see how they look scary. They've destroyed bad teams and lost against every good playoffs team they've met so far. Sure, the games have been close for the most part but still, so far we've seen that having two stars "and a half" (with Bosh being really soft) surrounded by average to one-trick players doesn't make you that good.

I expect them to improve during the course of the year but I definitely think they will have a harder time competing in the playoffs than during the season. When the games go back to defense and halfcourt offense, they will have more trouble scoring.

[KGs Knee]

Don't see how they can be considered "scary" good.  Beating bad teams by wide margins means little to me.

They are no doubt good, and will only get better as they learn their own weaknesses and strengths as a team.  That being said, I have yet to see anyone, including LeBron, show anything resembling that certain "it" quality other than Wade.  I realize "it" is a completely subjective intangible that can not easily be defined, but, as a ceratin Sumprem Court Justice once said when asked to define "distasteful nude photography"; "I know it when I see it".  This said "it " quality, is what seperates champions from 60 win 2nd round flame outs (cough...cough, LeBron I'm looking at you).