Chances are, if you haven't locked down tickets to Heat games by now, you're probably going to be on the
outside looking in.
The demand is that great. The expectations are even greater. And one thing that Dwyane Wade said a month ago, sitting at that press conference alongside new teammates Chris Bosh and LeBron James, resonates as sharply now as it did when he uttered the words on July 9.
"So thank us now," Wade said in a shout-out to the Heat's upcoming opponents this season. "Because every place is going to sell out when we come to town."
For those detractors out there, hate on the Heat all you want. But you still want to hear every word that comes out of these guys' mouths.
Rail on their egos and confidence. But your rear end will most likely be planted in a seat in front of the TV set when Miami's three dozen national TV games are broadcast. In a lot of ways, this Miami Heat team has become one of the most polarizing elements in sports and is nestled right in there with the Dallas Cowboys, Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, Mike Tyson and Brett Favre.
You either love to root against them. Or you live to root for them.
But you can't - or won't - stop watching.
That's one reason why almost every story in every NBA city across the nation written about the schedule's release yesterday was led by the date that particular team gets to either host or face the Miami Heat.
"So thank us now," reminds Wade.
I've already circled five games before the turn of the calendar year that are either "Must See" if you can get there, or "Can't Miss" if you have to settle for a seat in front of the tube. They are ranked only by when they appear on the schedule.
No. 1 - Oct. 26 at Boston: Why? Because it's the season opener alone makes this a magical event for the start of the Wade, Bosh and James administration. But add in multiple other subplots, and this becomes arguably the second-most hyped season opener in franchise history. The only other opener that's in this discussion for the Heat was its first-ever game played at the start of its 1988 season. Now, there's the battle of the Big 3s, the O'Neals' factor (Shaq and Jermaine) and the fact that Miami gets a chance to face the team that dumped Dwyane Wade out of the playoffs in the first round last season.
No. 2 - Oct. 29 vs Orlando: Anytime you get players from one team bickering publicly with the
coach and general manager of another team - and those teams happen to be in the same state - you know there's a little something extra here. If the Heat-Magic matchup wasn't truly a rivalry before (Orlando has won 14 of the last 17), clearly it is now. No doubt about it. Otis Smith and Stan Van Gundy sort of called out LeBron for his decision to bolt Cleveland. LeBron and Wade let it be known that they couldn't wait to get back on the court to provide an answer. Toss in Dwight Howard's stated refusal to answer questions about the Heat, J.J. Redick's side comments last month and Jeff Van Gundy's set-them-up-to-fail praise last week, and you know there will be a winner-take-all feel to every game they play.
No. 3. - Dec. 2 at Cleveland: LeBron has tried to go the extra mile - literally, with that Akron charity Bike-a-thon event last week - to make amends with northeast Ohio for his decision to leave the Cavaliers hanging high and dry. But no amount of goodwill can erase the fact that much of the state remains scorned behind his move to Miami. Count on extra security being on hand at this one. Count on an entire arena letting loose all of the venom it can muster to voice displeasure for James. And you can also probably count on the Heat going out there and handing the inferior Cavs a 20-point beating - on the second night of a back-to-back set, no less.
No. 4 - Dec. 17 at New York: After essentially tanking two seasons and tearing their roster to shreds just for the chance to land LeBron, the Knicks welcome the player they so desperately coveted and face the team that drove a dagger into their free agency plans. Pat Riley gets the last laugh after all against the Knicks, right? It will be a media zoo when this game takes place. James and Wade have had some of their better games against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Expect an Ali-Frazier type atmosphere at the Garden, although this basketball battle will hardly live up to that epic prize fight from the early 1970s. This could turn out to be one of the highest-scoring games of the 2010-11 season.
No. 5 - Dec. 25 at Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe. LeBron. Dwyane. The three best players in the game.
Enough said. Although Boston and Orlando would argue otherwise, this could very well be a preview of the 2011 NBA Finals. This is the matchup the world wants to see. The NBA truly delivers a gift on Christmas with this game. How badly did the league want to feature this game on this date? It's the second game of a two-game trip for the Heat, which plays at Phoenix two days earlier. Miami is never sent that far to play fewer than four or five games. Can Miami's star power match L.A.'s championship experience and swagger? Can the Heat's dynamic wings offset the Lakers' massive size up front?
So much intrigue. So many questions. We'll learn a lot about this team over the first two full months of the season.
Buckle up. It's going to be a crazy ride.
(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/WallaceNBAHeat. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)
Comments