When news broke that Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said the Miami Heat were "just another team" in the Pacers' way, whether he actually said the words or not became irrelevant when Heat star LeBron James fired back.
I don't understand what he's saying. But we're not just another team," a fired up James said. "That's not true. He said we're just another team in their way. We're a great team. If we're just another team, you really don't prepare for just another team. You have to prepare for us." LeBron isn't kidding; he is widely considered the best basketball player on the planet, and his team is the reigning NBA champions.
Unlike last season, when James had to prove he could come up big under the playoff glare, there is no such burden on him this time around. James turned in the finest season of his career in 2012-2013, and the effort earned him his fourth MVP trophy in five seasons. This postseason, James is shooting the best percentage of is playoff career (51 percent), taking the fewest shots (15.4) and averaging the his third-highest assists per game total (7.3).
James' unselfishness has allowed Miami to thrive despite No. 2 scoring option Dwyane Wade being hobbled by bone bruises, and his defense has sparked the Heat to an 8-1 record so far despite not even averaging 100 points a night.
Wade's output is the lowest of his playoff career; he is scoring 13 points per game, 11 points below his career average of 24.4 and 20 points less than his postseason-high average of 33 points per game during the 2009-2010 playoffs.
The Indiana Pacers may have the Eastern Conference's best defense, but that may not matter against the LeBron-led Heat, who don't rely on their offense. With an all-world scorer and defender, with elite teammates James may be right-this isn't just another team.
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