The Rise of the Miami Heat

You can mark Sunday's game against the Spurs as the official day that the Heat came out this season as a championship contender. The words have been buzzing around this team from the second they acquired Shaquille O'Neal in that summer trade. But the phrase was usually followed with a question mark. Now, you can replace that with a period and soon, possibly, an exclamation mark.

Sure, the Heat defeated the Spurs in a tight game on a nationally televised stage - a game in which neither team built up a lead of more than 6 points. A game that had the hype of being a potential preview of the Finals. A game being watched by an incognito Alonzo Mourning, donning a blue bandana and sunglasses - looking more like a Hell's Angel than a possible champion enforcer for the Heat.

But amidst all the surroundings and various story lines in this 96-92 win, it was the Heat's defense that was showcased. They held the Spurs to 39% shooting - while the Heat themselves shot 56% from the field. This going up against a team in the Spurs that has the #2 defense in the NBA in terms of field goal percentage allowed (.421).

The Heat's defense was also very effective, despite the numbers, on the Spurs backcourt duo of Parker and Ginobili. Parker scored 15 first half points but score 0 in the 4th quarter. Manu had to hit some circus shots just to keep his team in it, but that is not a sign of deficiency for the Heat's defense.

The Spurs, also noted for being a deep team, watched the Heat's bench outproduce their own. The Heat's bench outscored the Spurs 16-10 and had arguably more productive games across the rest of the board, notably with a rebounding advantage of 11-6 from the Heat reserves.

Popovich pulled out all the stops - going small with a lineup of guards and Horry. But Stan Van Gundy countered and the Heat weathered the storm. Seeing as the Heat won this game but lost the first meeting without Wade, the Heat look pretty good against the Spurs - noted as the favorites in the West.

So, are the Heat finally considered contenders? "No, not yet," Shaquille O'Neal said. Although cautious, even Stan Van Gundy has to feel good, "That's the best I've felt about our team in a long, long time. Not just to get a win against a great team, but the way we got it. It was a very hard-fought game."

The Heat has risen to the task. Only time will tell how far they will go.