NBA Playoffs 2012: The Unreal Reality of Facing the Miami Heat

The Heat enter tonight’s game having won their first two playoff games of the year by a combined 43 points, seemingly portraying a formidable opponent like the New York Knicks, as a mere stepping stone to a championship. They look absolutely unstoppable, excelling in every facet of the game.

But this is nothing new, it’s been that way since the Big Three formed in South Beach. And yet, at the same time, there’s something much different about this season. This isn’t the same team that fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the finals last year. Their more confident, better equipped—as if that was possible—and simply appear more dangerous.

But why? What makes playing the Heat such a mind-boggling experience?

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are two of the best in the game at what they do, and even Chris Bosh is a superstar in his own right, yet that’s not solely what separates them from the rest.

Miami lost 20 games during the regular season, showing signs of weakness and deficiency on multiple occasions. However, all the Heat’s wounds, those losses that still stand out, were self-inflicted, and that’s what other teams must fear most.

There are plenty of minds that steadfastly believe the Heat are going to traipse their way to a title this year, hypothesis’ that are hard to argue. Sure, there’s the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference to consider, but Miami, on its best day, has already made quick work of each this season.

There’s a reality surrounding the NBA and the Heat that some have yet to acknowledge. Should another team be crowned champion, the headlines are not going to read “Team X Takes Home NBA Title,” at least not for long. There will be more of a focus on the Heat having lost, because, if we’re all completely honest, the Larry O’Brien Trophy is the Heat’s to lose.

I’m not guaranteeing a Miami championship, nor am I condoning what South Beach has effectively become, but I am acknowledging the Heat have become an almost unreal team to play.

LeBron James choking jokes aside, the Heat excel in the spotlight. The regular season has become a near formality for them and though the Chicago Bulls edged them out in the standings, their clearly the more talented team. And this is not to belittle what the Bulls have accomplished, but the Heat are simply uninterested during the regular season, unless of course, the game in question actually has long term implications.

Is it right? Is it wrong? It’s essentially neither. In all actuality, the aforementioned may hold true to a number of other teams, at least at some point in time. However, no other team, not the Thunder, not the Lakers not the Bulls, can win the way the Heat did during the regular season—in cruise control.

How can we be sure they were in cruise control? Again, simply take a gander at their series against the Knicks. New York, contrary to an alarmingly popular belief, are a sound team. They have their issues, but which team doesn’t? Even the Heat do.

But the more you watch, the more you realize that teams like the Knicks bring out the best in the Heat. There’s some extra pep in James’ jump step, extra flair in Wade’s fade-aways whenever Miami takes center stage.

It’s simply unreal.

No, the Heat are not an impenetrable force, they can be beaten.

But only by themselves.