As playoffs give Heat new life, it's title or bust for Big 3

MIAMI — What an extraordinary prologue the Miami Heat have gone through to reach the NBA playoffs.

•Consider the Heat's disappointing 9-8 start. The LeBron James-coach Erik Spoelstra shoulder bump. The emotional initial victory before an intensely hostile crowd in James' return to Cleveland after a bitter split from the Cavaliers.

•Twenty-one wins in 22 games. Injuries to Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. A player supposedly crying, the coach said, in the locker room after a loss to the Chicago Bulls. The indignity of losing to the then-NBA-worst Cavs on March 29. Finally beating the rival Boston Celtics on Sunday.

•The struggle to blend All-Stars Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and James with an imperfect supporting cast. The joy, the tumult, the 58 wins and 24 losses, all in the daily national spotlight.

Now, the really important games begin, starting with Saturday's first-round series opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.

• EASTERN CONFERENCE: First-round capsules

• SCHEDULE: First-round matchups

• GALLERY: The Heat's 2010-11 season in pictures

For a team that had a championship-like celebration in July after the stunning free gent coup — when James and Bosh joined Wade, who won a title with Miami in 2006 — it's championship or disappointment.

"Listen, there's no reason they can't win it this year. … They have the strongest core base of players certainly in the East," said ABC/ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy, who famously had predicted they would win 70 games.

What once looked impossible, then possible, then unlikely, now seems plausible. The Heat are playing championship-caliber basketball.

"The regular season is about building a team, getting guys on the same page, building a philosophy and getting better," Spoelstra said. "Ideally, you're getting better each month to the point where everybody feels comfortable and confident once the playoffs start. We feel we're there.

"But until we prove it on the court, the rest of it is just talk."

• LOPRESTI: Playoffs a marathon worth watching

• LAKERS: Disarray could be contributing to poor play

• WESTERN CONFERENCE: First-round capsules

The Heat got a break by avoiding the New York Knicks in a first-round series that would have attracted Eastern Conference finals-type attention. If Miami eliminates Philadelphia, it faces a second-round matchup against the Knicks or Celtics; Boston was 3-1 against Miami this season. If the Heat reach the Eastern Conference finals, their opponent could be the top-seeded Bulls, who beat the Heat all three times this season by a total of eight points. All offer media-rich markets and increased attention.

Sixers coach Doug Collins, who has seen championship teams up close as a player, coach and TV analyst, understands what his young club is up against.

"They have a great chance, if they beat us, to get out of the East," Collins said.

The Heat knew the gargantuan expectations they created. But it was a challenge, not an insurmountable barrier.

Wade said no team has been expected to win like Miami and no team has faced the pressure Miami faced — not even the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Analysts dissected the Heat with chain saw and scalpel.

"We went through times where it didn't bother us, and we went through times where we wanted to win so bad and we wanted to shut everybody up so bad, we were stressing too much," Wade said. "You can't perform at your best when you're stressing that much."

Coach's philosophy reflected

Publicly, Spoelstra has talked in aphorisms, from the mundane to the inspirational. "Greatness is consistency" is one of his go-to lines. "Band of brothers" is another favorite. He gave players the DVD box set of the mini-series Band of Brothers and the book written by Stephen Ambrose.

Spoelstra drilled the Heat to play his way, concentrating on defense first.

"The first three months of the season, we spent such an inordinate time on defense that our offense was significantly behind," he said. "It's tougher to build championship defensive habits, and you have to do it right out of the gate."

The Heat are sixth in points allowed a game (94.6) and tied for second in field goal percentage allowed (43.4%).

Developing the offense was a two-part process: first, teaching James, Wade and Bosh to play together, without dominating the ball, and then, helping them learn to involve the complementary parts to make the offense more diverse.

That wasn't always easy. James and Wade were used to controlling the offense, and Bosh was the main option with the Toronto Raptors last season.

"We struggled early offensively, and that's where you have to have trust in the plan," Spoelstra said.

Spoelstra asked James to play every offensive position except center, set more screens and be a decoy — not all that familiar to the two-time MVP.

"I just want to win," James said. "If it has to be me out there playing (power forward) or (either guard spot) … I'm all for it."

As for Spoelstra's other offensive requests, "It was stuff I didn't expect, but stuff I'm embracing," James said.

At times, Wade has sacrificed offense for defense, and Bosh often held the offense together when it sputtered. "He probably adjusted the quickest early on in November and December and became a very integral part of what we were trying to do," Spoelstra said.

Bosh, as is often his style, has an esoteric answer for his transformation from big-time star in Toronto to a lesser but still vital role in Miami.

"I can't explain it. I wish I could," he said. "It's different … and I still don't know what it is because I haven't gotten there yet. I'm still learning every day. … I just have to make sure I stay attentive and grasp everything that I need to."

The end result: James averaged 26.7 points (No. 2 in the NBA), 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists; Wade 25.5 points (No. 4) 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists; Bosh 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds.

The Heat are No. 8 in the league in scoring (102.1 points a game), No. 2 in shooting percentage (48.1%).

Little room for error

With James and Wade on the fast break, Miami is one of the most dynamic teams in the league.

"If they get out dunking and running, it's going to be a highlight show, and (James) and Wade will lead the parade if we allow them to do that," Collins said. "You have to value the ball. A live-ball turnover against them is two points."

Conversely, when the Big 3 aren't dominating, the other players did not always make up the difference.

The Heat's Big 3 account for 65.6% of the points, and no champion in at least the past 11 years has had a trio account for that many. Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice accounted for 61.7% of the Lakers' points on the 1999-2000 title team.

"When one of those times when the No. 2 and (4) scorers aren't having one of those No. 2 and (4) scoring nights, it can be a curse," James said. "We try to do what's best for the team, if that's us attacking and putting points on the board or getting guys open looks. … I don't think it's pressure."

Mostly, it's not. But patchwork best describes the remaining parts. "They have not developed their supporting cast the way I would have liked," NBA TV analyst Greg Anthony said.

Miami has a center by committee, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Joel Anthony and Erick Dampier, and divided point guard responsibilities between Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers. Three-point shooting from James Jones and Miller has been inconsistent.

"It took maturity on everybody's part to understand we are a more dangerous team when everybody is active and engaged in the offense," Spoelstra said.

Spoelstra said coaching X's and O's was the easy part. The hard part, he said, was dealing with distractions.

"This year has been a big growth process for us," Wade said. "We've seen it all. We've heard everything. … The regular season prepared us for everything we're going to see when we get into hostile environments, teams getting up to play us. … This is going to make us stronger."

The Heat get a moment to exhale. It won't last long. Too much is expected.