Resounding Yes

        With two games remaining in the 2010/2011 reuglar season the New England Patriots have risen to more than expected. From my preseason forecast of 12-4, to the declaration of the Patriots as "Best in the NFL" (only to get blown out by Cleveland), and all the way to 12-2 atop the AFC. I saw the true balance that this team had early on and determined they would win by overwhelming you with team play and extreme versatiality.

The mastery  of coaching by Belichick, the surgical passing of Brady, and the return to a true team with young  players emerging on both sides of the ball, this team is Super Bowl bound. On offense: An already great Quarterback is closing in on his second League MVP award and has his team primed to capture the number on seed in the AFC. After trading Randy Moss and losing Kevin Faulk to injury for the year, Brady has been torching the NFL's best defenses. The weapons at his disposal are two rookie tight ends, two undrafted running backs, and a magically revitalized Deion Branch. Brady and the offense are so strong in the passing game, that it reminds you of the Patriot's aerial assault launched in 2007.

    
The way the Patriots have played this season reminds me of the 01', 03', and 04' Super Bowl Champion teams mostly because of their defense and running game. Bill Belichick's "bend don't break" style defense was as present during the dynasty years as it is now.  On Defense: The defense is so good at that, they have been creating turnovers in key situations and making the big stops at the end of games. This was signature of the older Belichick defenses and has been holding up well this season so far.   The balance on offense has proven too much for every good defense they've faced, and the clutch play of their defense has closed the door on every good offense. This team is a hybrid of the Super Bowl winning years and the high octane offensive team of 2007.

   Desspite the fact that this Patriots team is dominant in the passing game (like 07') and playing textbook "bend, but don't break" defense of the Dynasty years, the core reason for so much success this year is preparation. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the second winningest Quarterback and Head Coach combination of all time. With 108 wins, nine wins shy of setting the all time record, Belichick and Brady are clearly a masterful duo that continues to win with any talent and personnel around them. The answer to is this team the Best in the NFL, the answer is a resounding yes.

Sources:

http://www.espn.com/

http://www.weei.com/

Photos:

http://www.si.com/

Heat Have Wrong Big Three

In 2007 when the Boston Celtics assembled the new look Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen they knew it was the right mix. Each member of the trio has a specific skill set that complements the other and this is why it worked so well. Think of the Big Three as a land, air, and sea approach to assaulting other teams. Paul Pierce is the ground attack as he muscles his way into the paint drawing fouls, and slashing to the basket for easy scores. Ray Allen is the air attack spreading the floor with his three point barrages and excellent mid range shooting. Kevin Garnett is the sea with his all engulfing/anchoring presence on defense, swallowing up anything that comes near the basket. All that made (and makes) the Celtic Big Three balanced and great is the opposite of the South Beach Trio.

By far the biggest story of the NBA offseason was "The Decision" by LeBron James and the acquisitions made by the Miami Heat. In what seems as an attempt to recreate the magic of the 07' Celtics, the Heat put together a star studded trio of their own (hoping for the same championship results). Dwayne Wade has been joined by two time league MVP LeBron James, and five time All Star Chris Bosh. With the arrival of James and Bosh the Heat are unquestionably a better team than a year ago, but they are not a championship caliber team. 

The members of the Miami Big Three do not complement each other very well and they have no real interior defense to match up with the Lakers or the Celtics. LeBron and Dwayne are virtually the same player with their ability to put up huge numbers in points, rebounds, assists, steals and can occasionally block shots. A stronger case for their silimairties is the fact that they both need the ball  to control the game and be most effective. By having both of these players on your team you inherently make them less effective because of their identical styles on the court. LeBron is more physically imposing than Wade, but outside of that they are the same type of player.  

The Heat are an upper eschelon team in the Eastern Conference because of the sheer talent of James, Wade, and Bosh, along with the fact that these players are surrounded by good shooters. James Jones, Eddie House, and (when he returns) Mike Miller are all great three point shooters. LeBron and Wade are very similar players, but when you surround them with shooters to spread the floor they become more dangerous. When the defense is spread out to cover perimeter shooting there is more open room on the court for LBJ and D-Wade to drive to the basket. They are a dangerous team because they can win any one contest. They are able to do this based on the fact that James or Wade can take over a game on any given night.

While the Heat may be good enough to win any one game, they are not good enough to win a playoff series against the Celtics, Magic, Bulls, Mavericks, Spurs, or Lakers. They have no interior defense in and around the basket because they simply don't have the players to do so. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is somewhat of a presence inside at 7'3 260, but he only plays limited minutes at age 35 with twelve seasons under his belt. Bosh made it known that he does not want to guard the center position anymore, serving now only as a power forward. Bosh is an excellent offensive player, but on defense he doesn't bring the defensive intensity of a Kevin Garnett or even a Glen Davis. There are some other aged veterans on the team and an untested rookie in Dexter Pittman, but not much interior defense to speak of.

The Celtics and Lakers are brimming with depth and defensive talent at the power forward and center positions, allowing them to rebound and defend at a high level. Last year the Celtics simply didn't have the defensive presence and size (with Perkins out) to defeat the Lakers, as they were out rebounded down the stretch of Game 7. Boston spent the offseason retooling their front line by adding Shaquille and Jermaine O'neal. This was done in hopes to bolster their defense and give them the size they would need in a rematch with L.A. Miami on the other hand spent their offseason crunching salary numbers to find a way to amass three maximum contract players; in what is now the Heat's Big Three. Instead of building a well balanced team that can defend and rebound across the roster, they are stuck with a team of three All Stars, a few shooters, and a group of old big men.

As good as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade are at the end of the day they play Small Forward and Shooting guard. The same applies to the Boston Celtics of 2007 and today, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce could not win without Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett defending. The Heat are a top three or four team in the Eastern Conference, but should not be thought of as a viable contender for the NBA Title. The Bulls, Magic, and Celtics are all more well built for the postseason than the Heat. Miami would have to surpass at least one of these teams on their way to an Eastern Conference Title. Perhaps LeBron's first ring will be attained with the Heat, but they have the wrong Big Three and it won't be this season.

Sources Used:


www.espn.com
www.basketball-reference.com
www.si.com