There is no doubt that the great strength of the Heat is that they have two superstar players. Shaquille O'Neal has long been one of the best centers in the league. His numbers since joining Miami have been dwindling, and one of the keys to the Heats success may be how productive Shaq can be. After only playing 59 games and averaging 20 points per game, his lowest mark of his long career, O'Neal has a lot of work to do to prove critics wrong about his apparent decline as an elite player.
The other superstar the Heat boasts is Dwayne Wade. Unlike his big counterpart, Wade is one of the youngest superstars in the league and will look to continue his consistent improvement over his first three years in the league. As long as he is able to stay healthy and can pour in his usual 25-30 points per game and 6-7 assists per game, there is no doubt that the Heat can win the Southeast division for the third straight year.
Of course, no team can win games with only two players. The Heat will therefore look for key contributions from forward Udonis Haslem and role players Jason Williams, Antoine Walker and James Posey. Haslem is a young big man who compliments Shaquille nicely on the defensive end of the floor and brings toughness to the squad. The other three players, all acquired in the 2005 summer, are aging veterans who can score points and shoot the long ball. Another bench player who could have a sizable impact is Alonzo Mourning, who substituted nicely for O'Neal last season. It is important that all five of these players continue to perform as they did last season.
On the sidelines for the Heat is NBA legend Pat Riley for the second straight season. Riley is a top-calibar coach who will expect nothing less than a second championship and will aim to keep his team focused on their new goal.
The Miami Heat have championship rings and all of their key players and coaches back for the 2006/07 season. But they will also have a bull's-eye on their backs for the entire season and they will really have to play their best basketball to return to the Finals for the second straight season.
