NBA Power Rankings: Listing the 10-Best Defensive Teams
By John Kim
4. Miami Heat
Jun 9, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) blocks the shot of San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter (22) during the fourth quarter of game two of the 2013 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat had a defensive rating of 103.7 (9th) and held opponents to 95.0 points per game (5th). LeBron James collected another trophy by adding in an NBA All-Defensive Player award to his collection.
Miami coming off the heels of a repeat championship season will likely be fueled to win their third straight championship. The Heat were the only team in the NBA that had the ability to shut down opposing teams for quarters at a time on a consistent basis. Though I don’t condone “turning-it-on” during a game (as teams should not be sleep-walking through games) it’s really impressive to see the Heat go on 25-4 or 30-2 runs.
Led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the Heat will continue to dominate on the defensive end of the court.