The Miami Heat Off to Inauspicious Start in the LeBron Era

(Oct. 26) -- Forget about winning 72 or more regular-season games. Not going to happen.

The Miami Heat are already 0-1, falling Tuesday night to the Boston Celtics. The Heat, featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, are supposed to have a high-octane offense, yet the team managed only nine points in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Boston ran set plays to perfection and appeared to have improved from last year with the pickups of the two O'Neals (Shaquille and Jermaine). Miami couldn't so much as muster a simple pick-and-roll.

Still, playing as poorly as they did, the Heat lost by only eight points, 88-80. And it's early, and the Heat will surely improve. But here's what we learned from Tuesday night's game:

1. The Heat are even more vulnerable in the middle than most people thought.
Of the New Big Three, Bosh was especially disappointing. He scored just eight points to go along with eight rebounds. Meanwhile, the Celtics' undersized, earth-bound backup Glen Davis scored at will against Miami's undersized front line. This means the Heat could struggle against teams like the Celtics, the Orlando Magic and the L.A. Lakers, which each feature imposing front lines.

2. The Heat need to establish a pecking order.
The Heat were unselfish to a fault, passing and passing and amassing 17 turnovers in the process. Only when James began looking to score -- he finished with 31 points -- did the Heat look like a formidable team. With Boston, by contrast, everyone knows their roles. Rajon Rondo doesn't jack up threes; he runs the offense and finished the game with 17 assists. Ray Allen doesn't try to take anyone off the dribble; he shoots. No one seems to know his role on the Heat, however. It's only the first game, and they'll have 81 left before the playoffs to figure it out. But talent alone is not going to bring the Heat a championship.

3. The Heat could still be very, very good.
They played a stinker and lost by only eight to a team that should have won the NBA championship last year. Plus, Wade had a miserable shooting night. Even without a post presence, the Heat should be able to dominate the regular season. They'll get a ton of easy baskets off turnovers from teams less disciplined than the Celtics. In that sense, tonight's game against the sure-to-be-woeful Philadelphia 76ers should be more instructive than the Heat's season debut. That said, they still shouldn't be the favorites to win the championship this year. Both the Celtics and defending champions the Lakers have a better chance.

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