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Bringing the Heat
Tonight, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics tip-off the 2010-2011 NBA season in Boston.
For those of you who may have been living in a cave, the Miami Heat are boasting a much improved line-up, with the additions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh in the off-season. Ever since LeBron's much debated and self-serving "The Decision" special on ESPN, the sports world has been waiting to see the newest NBA power trio on the court.
Now, I for one think the media hype around LeBron and his new teammates is just SLIGHTLY overblown. I mean, these guys haven't won a single game yet, and only Dwayne Wade has a championship ring. Perhaps it is fitting that they open the season in Boston, where the Celtics are the defending Conference champions, and have added a big name free agent of their own in Shaquille O'Neal.
But the Heat's biggest opponent may be the expectations that have been set for them. Anything short of a title will be a disappointment, and every team is going to bring their A-game each night to test this team to the limit. There's no doubt this team will be among the league's best, but every loss is going to be dissected over and over, and the media will follow this team like no NBA team before them.
In the end, the NBA will be the one who wins. The Heat will bring more journalists to games, sell more tickets, and increase the popularity of the sport worldwide. The Heat will cash in, but so will the other teams who will sell out games as fans try to catch a glimpse of the new super-team. Maybe the Heat will win it all. Maybe they struggle to make the playoffs. Either way, they've done their job for the league. They got me to write about them, and you to read about them.