Party in the City Where the Heat is On

Thursday night was the first glimpse that I got of LeBron James and the Miami Heat this season.  A few things caught my attention during their match-up against the Nuggets.  The first was the fact that Reggie Miller is the most awful commentator I’ve ever had to listen to in my entire life, but I’ve already known that for quite a few years.  More importantly though, I saw the way that LeBron is continuing on with the same level of play that he was at last year.

What amazed me so much about this last game was the way that LBJ looked like he wasn’t even trying that hard.  He was pretty laid back offensively, yet he was still in complete control of his teammates the whole time.  I would compare it to the play of Chauncey Billups during his time with Detroit.  He can see the floor clearly and knows how to work the offense to bring the most out of each player.  The difference with LeBron is that he has phenomenal athleticism, which allows him to drive to the hoop for an uncontainable score or hit a jumper off the dribble.  In all honesty, there’s not one area of his game that needs any improvement.

Supporting LeBron and the rest of the Big 3 this year, we have what is arguably the best group of 3-pointers this league has ever seen.  Ray Allen is the best long-range shooter ever and Shane Battier knows how to get open at his hot spot in the corner.  On top of those two, the team also has long-gunners Rashard Lewis, Mike Miller, Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers.  This team becomes even better 3-point shooters with LeBron running the court.  He alone collapses opposing defenses enough to leave his teammates unguarded at the perimeter.  With Wade and Bosh around as well, the team puts on a clinic from deep.

Another player on the Heat that I enjoy watching is Udonis Haslem.  Sure he’s not the best player out there, but Haslem knows what his role is on the court and he plays it well.  Personally, I find him to be one of the most solid big men in the NBA among those coming off the bench.  He’s also the only tough down low player that the Heat have.  Bosh likes to play the midrange game more, and the team’s centers are an absolute joke.  In fact, out of Joel Anthony, Dexter Pittman and Josh Harrelson, not one of them has ever scored 20 points in a game.  Harrelson and Pittman are still young, but Anthony is in his sixth year now and has yet to top 13 points in a game.  I really don’t see him as being talented enough to play on an NBA team.  The team could really benefit from having a good shot-blocker in the frontcourt.

Among other role players on the team, Battier does more than just make 3-pointers.  Though he's not quite the defender he used to be, the former Blue Devil still plays some of the best on-ball defense in the league against players of many positions.  Aside from that, he stands alongside Nick Collison as one of the top charge-takers in the league.  Little actions like that can really force the extra possessions that help the star players to take control in key moments.

Getting back to LeBron though, you can really start to see a ripple effect from him reaching out to other players in the league.  Michael Jordan was followed by many players who came into the league acting as his clones.  Kobe, Grant Hill, Vince Carter and Jerry Stackhouse all began their careers in the mid to late ‘90s.  Each of them tried to mimic MJ’s intensity, but none of them could quite pull it off the same way.  Now we’re seeing characteristics of King James in players like Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan.  Of course, these players aren’t bad athletes; I just think it’s obvious that LeBron is already having an influence on his competition less than a decade after he was drafted.

Of course, LeBron still has a long way to go if he wants to surpass Jordan and reach his goal of becoming the greatest of all time.  At only 27 years old, he may have more than another decade to do so.  Assuming he doesn’t follow Jordan’s path into early retirement, he just might be able to truly earn the "King," title that he's been claiming for years.

P.S. - I'm now on Twitter, follow me @TheLakerHater1.