I like the MJ/Pip to Wade/Bron comparisons, but I think Wade/Bosh has way more actual talent. Jordan and LeBron are basically a wash in ability with Jordan having the edge in hyper-competitiveness and advanced skills development. Wade though is significantly more productive than Pippen has ever been. Even at this absolute best when he was in prime carrying Chicago w/out MJ he maxed out in PER at 23 and his highest WS was 13 (with MJ). Wade has had 4 seasons with PER over 27 (he even broke 30 once which I think only Jordan and TMac had previously done as guards), and he's got a couple of 14+ WS seasons as well. Ideally I think they want to emulate that Pippen / Jordan synergy and dial it back some, but in terms of overall ability, they seem to be starting from a higher point on the imaginary curve.

both teams had 3 big stiffs clogging the middle at center (none of whom were super stars)

Bulls had Kerr or Paxton on the perimeter shooting wide open 3's when Pippin and MJ were double teamed .... and Heat will have Miller (J.Jones or E.House)

Of course, the Bulls had Phil Jackson .... and Heat have Spoelstra. However, Heat has Riley in reserve, in case Spo doesnt do the job ....

The Bulls had another advantage ..... no great opponents (Lakers and Pistons were past their prime) ..... Heat has to get past Boston, Orlando, and Lakers (all 3 of those teams are loaded)

If they can work out who the QB will be: lebron is a better playmaker, & Wad3 is a better finisher... Then they will dominate faster. The HEAT will change the game!

Now we get to watch it come together, because for certain they will eclipse 72 wins next year when they will have the money to acquire solid 5 & 1s..... This regular season its dedicated solely to finding cohesion, a rotation, & bench.

T hen they can hit the ground running for the 2nd season.
After KG won the ring in 2008, he said; "anything is possible" & "What you gonna say now?"

Let's go Heat!

In B-ball, you have just five players on the court, playing both D and offense. A single superstar like Lebron or Wade has a huge impact. Also, the nature of the sport, especially due to the shot-clock, makes it impossible to shut a team out. Between that and best of 7 playoff series, the best team wins much more often in basketball. I see no need for MIA to "pace" themselves; dominant regular season teams typically win it all in the NBA. Of the 15 teams that have won at least 65 games in the reg season, 12 won it all.

I've made a similar point before, largely that you can run out 2 of each at a team, lower each players' MPG, and likely still have a better 5 on the team than your opponent. The notion that the big 3 will play together for 45 minutes a game is just foolish. None of the three ever had a teammate as good as one of the other. Suddenly they have two. And their supporting cast is better than was initially predicted. Leaving all the Vitriol aside, if we objectively looked at just TWO of these guys on the same team with the rest of the supporting cast in place, we'd still likely pick them to win at least the East, if not the finals. Throw in the third and it just puts them over the top. LeBron took sub-par teammates to the 60-win seasons and 2nd and 3rd round playoff series... why would he do worse with Bosh and Wade? Wade dragged a crappy team to the playoffs... he's going to do less with more? Bosh... well, Bosh's team sucked lately, but he had some successful seasons in Toronto and is only being asked to be third banana.

This team will be dominant without stressing any player out. They may not be 72-win dominant with this approach, but they'll still be the best team in the league and, as far as I see, have virtually no ceiling, especially if they go into a one-season 'eff-you' mode.

In the NBA, we just don't see that level of game planning and strategy, because the game is so different. Teams have 7 years of film on Bosh, Wade, and LeBron, and have only become so effective at slowing any of the three guys down. Whatever game plan the Heat approach the season with, I doubt teams will reach a point where they are effectively able to slow it or stop it. I'm sure they'll all get a bit better once they actually see how the Heat play (as opposed to the conjecture we are left with now), but I doubt we'll see the major difference we saw with the Patriots.

There are obviously other reasons to think the Heat won't achieve a historic season, but I don't know that that element is one. Fatigue, interest, health, and cohesion are all reasons that they might not reach 72 or 75 or 82. I don't think that game plan and in-season adjustments are reasons like they were for the Patriots.