Miami’s Missing Ingredient is…?

Not only did the Miami Heat lose to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night, but it’ how they lost that’s most disconcerting (if you’re a Heat fan that is).

As both, the Pacers and Spurs showed in last season’s playoffs, the way to beat Miami is by attacking the major weakness – their glaring lack of competent big men. The closest thing Miami has to a talented big man is Chris Andersen and he’s more of a defender and rebounder. The Heat don’t have players tall enough to contend with teams that are huge across the front line  and they can’t score from the low post, unless it’s LeBron James or D-Wade backing their respective defender down.

Miami may have escaped two playoff series a year ago, but their lack of a solid front court is going to cost them this season – unless you believe oft-injured center Greg Oden is going to come from out of nowhere to miraculously cure all of Miami’s interior problems.