Do Not Sleep on the Miami Heat...

The Miami Heat are the sleepers of the East. Everyone is always talking about the Nets, 76ers, Bucks, and Bulls but forget one of the stingiest defenses in the NBA.

The Heat have the 7th best defense in the NBA and that is with several of their key pieces being out throughout the year. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Markieff Morris have all missed key time.

When all of these players are healthy along with P.J. Tucker, the defense has the ability to be one of the best in the history of the franchise. They can switch 1-5 with tough minded players that won’t give an inch.

We cannot forget about Kyle Lowry who leads the league with 21 drawn charges this year. He makes it difficult for opposing point guards to get any penetration into the paint.

The defense is elite, but the offense cannot be forgotten. Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Bam Adebayo lead the offense for the starters. The Heat are dominant in the paint, which allows them to kick the ball out to elite three point shooter Duncan Robinson.

The spark of the entire offense comes of the bench, and that is Tyler Herro. He is the front-runner for sixth man of the year averaging 20 points per game. This scoring off the bench is key for a deep playoff run where the starters cannot be generating all of the production.

The ability to switch and toughness makes the Heat defense formidable, but the offense is not too far behind. This Miami team has all of the pieces to win the championship whether you want to believe it or not.

Watch out, the Heat is on!