Battle for the East: Celtics:Heat

When I started this venture almost a year ago I made the decision not to make this solely about me and my favorite team the Miami Heat, and I wanted to be completely fair and honest on all my post.  Looking back I can say I've accomplished that mission but the journey continues.  Today the Miami Heat will play the Boston Celtics and it will be the most important game of the season for the Heat.  With the start of the playoffs one week away the Heat will need to conquer the Celtics in a manner that will silence all of the doubters who've waited for this team to fail.  Victories against the Celtics has been a unfamiliar feeling for the Heat this season losing all three meetings thus far.  Today will be dooms day for one of the franchises.

The big question is:  What do the Miami Heat need to accomplish in order to defeat the Celtics?  The answer is simple, Chris Bosh needs to have the type of game that he had Friday night against the Bobcats and yes I know it's the Bobcats but aggression creates results and Bosh was aggressive.  He finished the game with 27 points, 13 in quarter 4 and he pulled down 10 rebounds.  It's the type of performance that the Heat need from Bosh going forward to make the dreams of winning a second title a reality for the organization.  Thus far in his career whether it be with Toronto or Miami, Chris Bosh has defeated the Celtics only once in thirteen tries; today needs to be his moment, his rebirth against the Celtics.  Dwyane Wade and Lebron James both have had wonderful seasons and they have quieted the naysayers who thought the two couldn't exist together.  The two have combined to almost hit their career averages and are 2 and 3 in the league in the scoring race which is impressive considering their playing styles and being used to always having the ball in their hands.  At the beginning of the season they just stood and watched each other dominate the ball but now there's movement without the ball, cutting/slashing to the rim and they're actually setting screens for one another; simple, yes but very effective.

As of late the Celtics haven't played their best ball and questions of their age and the loss of Kendrick Perkins via trade has risen, but remember last season the Celtics did the same thing.  They played .500 ball the second half of the season and once the playoffs began, the switched was turned on and they made it all the way to the NBA finals.  Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.  I'm not buying into the Celtics struggles but I do know that they feel as if they can beat the Heat any time they want...The Power of Belief.  The power of belief is real in sports and it works both ways; better records, home court/field doesn't mean anything...those who believe and perform based on that belief will win and that's what makes today's match up so important.  The Heat must believe that they can beat the Celtics because if both teams survive the  first round of the playoffs, then a second round match up between the two titans will be inevitable.  If the Celtics were the blue print, the prototype for this new version of the Miami Heat, then this current Heat team must be the final product, absent of any flaws and ready to take their rightful place as the kings, champions of the Eastern Conference and contrary to popular belief the Eastern Conference Champions will not be the team who finishes the season with the best record in the East "Chicago", for it's the team who will represent the East in the NBA Finals.

Being a great team like the Celtics is a blessing, overstating your greatness can be your downfall.  The biggest untruth of this basketball season is that the Miami Heat proclaimed themselves champions and had a championship celebration before the season even started.  The truth which is a foreign language to some, is that the Miami Heat held a celebration to welcome Lebron James and Chris Bosh to town just as it did five years earlier to welcome the arrival of Shaquille O'Neal.  The organization never proclaimed themselves as champions, I mean honestly, who does that?  The media created a lie, created a spectacle that wasn't necessary.  The Miami Heat organization did not overstate its greatness, the media did for ratings.  Perhaps the Celtics overstated their greatness by trading away Perkins.  I truly believe had Perkins not gotten hurt in Game 6 of last season's NBA Finals, the Celtics would have won the series in Game 7, that said I know the Celtics feel the same way.  Is it possible that they traded away the most important piece to their championship team because they didn't fear Miami?  Seeing Rajon Rondo disrespect the Heat's huddle was the biggest sign of arrogance that I've seen from any NBA player in a very long time, was he not displaying his hubris, where was the media outcry then?  The Celtics could fall because of the same thing that allowed them to play so well...overconfidence.

The players of the Heat must harness and control the power of belief, rip it from the hands of the Celtics in order to succeed and yes it's that serious because without it the Heat don't stand a chance.  This team can't win playoff series with no championships, this team has to win a championship or it will become one of the biggest failures in the history of the NBA.  That's why today's game is so important, for the players, the organization,and most importantly the fans.  We the fans believe, now it's up to the players to believe, to seize the moment away from the Celtics, when the Celtics push, the Heat needs to respond with disgust and push back. The Heat are the NBA's glamour team drawing as much hate as support, the Celtics are a team of grizzled veterans that plays tough defense, willing to grind out tough ugly wins much similar to Heat teams of the past.  Today's game could very well signal the coming of the Apocalypse for this season's Miami Heat, the day that dreams of millions come crashing down.  If the Heat fall to the Celtics again today I will shake my head and give my own team the dreaded, feared, and warranted statement that I've given many teams and players this season, if the Heat lose today they will receive....The Look!

If there's any questions or comments feel free to email me at nbaballanation@gmail.com, all emails will be responded to.  You can also follow me on twitter @ballanation2010.