For Miami Heat, only playoff wins matter

The Heat’s season opener against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night will be followed by seven months of preamble.

Coach Erik Spoelstra has issued a gag order on any talk of REPEAT, and Heat players will become as adept at swatting away questions regarding a possible REPEAT as they are at rejecting weak shots.

But, let’s face it, the third season of the Big 3 is all about whether the group can win No. 2.

The 2012 championship banner will be hailed with a celebration inside AmericanAirlines Arena, then attention will immediately turn to the pesky Celtics, who have upgraded their roster in anticipation of meeting the Heat again in the playoffs.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh agree that their alliance wasn’t formed to raise just one banner.

James has shed one burden — can he win a championship? — only to shoulder another — can he win multiple championships, as he predicted? Can he narrow the gap between himself and Michael Jordan? The preoccupation with James hasn’t ended, but at least the theme has changed.

It’s a long, long way to June. Littered among games against the Celtics, Bulls, Knicks, Lakers and Thunder, expect a lot of routine games against bad teams. Such is the NBA these days. That’s why playoff time is called the Second Season and why the first 82 games should be called Warmup Season.

But interspersed with the constant speculation about the Heat’s chance of a REPEAT, and whether it will come versus Kobe Bryant and the Lakers or Kevin Durant and the Thunder, there are ways to keep the regular season interesting:

Ray Allen’s adjustment from star starter to sub could be a fascinating psychological study, starting Tuesday when he plays against his former teammates, wearing the uniform of Boston’s recent nemesis. Allen accepted less money to leave Boston, where he felt he was taken for granted, and move to Miami, where he will come off the bench. If his ankle holds up and he blends with Wade on the floor, he will be a key ingredient to a title run.

The Heat is not a team of spring chickens. Allen, 37, had offseason ankle surgery. Haslem is 32, Battier, 34. Wade, soon to be 31, had summer knee surgery. Mike Miller, 32, hobbling for two years, has a bad back. Bosh, approaching 29, missed a chunk of the playoffs with an abdominal strain. James, who had little rest time because of the Olympics, turns 28 on Dec. 30. An arduous journey requires an excellent map and strong legs.

This story was originally published October 30, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "For Miami Heat, only playoff wins matter."