The Miami Heat's all-time starting five

The requirement for the greatest lineup in Miami Heat history is deploying a defensively ravenous rotation that would impress the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons and get out in transition twice as much as the Big-Three squad. It might surprise some because two/three of the options are not clear cut and it depends how one wants them to play — small and fast as coach Erik Spoelstra prefers or slower with a larger frontline as Pat Riley does.

As this scribe sees it, there is no better unit than 2019-20 Goran Dragić, 2008-09 Dwyane Wade, 2022-23 Jimmy Butler, 2012-13 LeBron James and 1998-99 Alonzo Mourning.

Let’s review how it would work and the bench.

Point guard

Dragić over Tim Hardaway wasn’t that hard of a call, even if the former wasn’t the best fit next to Wade. Yet, that was when Wade was past his prime and trying to hold on to a piece of himself that was no longer there. James’ playmaking plus Mourning’s screening would help Dragić thrive.

Consider how Hardaway, who was an excellent point guard and logged a 3.01 assist-to-turnover ratio in the playoffs with the Heat, never had a deep postseason like the 2020 bubble, in which Dragić went beast mode, scoring between 20 and 27 in points in the first six playoff games against Indiana and Milwaukee and had more significant moments.

Still, Hardaway would play behind him, finding key minutes. The chemistry with Mourning would make it easier for others to play off them, and he would run effective screen rolls with the reserve bigs.

Shooting guard

Wade in prime condition would work much more effectively next to Dragić and it would look differently because he had the first step to get open, taking extra pressure off his teammates. The elusiveness, as it did in the past, would make up for his poor 3-point shooting.

He worked seamlessly with the Big Three, knowing how to step back as an off-ball player and cut from the corners and slot whenever someone had forced a breakdown. The same principles apply in this rotation.

Ray Allen hit the biggest shot in NBA Finals history, and made 39.8 percent of his 3-point attempts in a Heat uniform. He would be a nightmare to contain for rivals if he was being fed out of the post, and frequently curling around stagger and down screens. There’s also the option of making him the screener for Wade, James or Butler, and that would create plenty of deep looks, too.

Jimmy Butler — USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Small forward

Butler, who is arguably a greater playoff riser than Big Game James Worthy, was a perfect fit next to Dragić in part because of their similar mentalities next to their complementing play styles. Don’t forget how an older Wade with Butler almost upset the 2016-17 Boston Celtics, until Rajon Rondo suffered injury, breaking his thumb.

Butler many times preferred to be a playmaker and using him in this rotation would let him do that without needing him to step on the gas as a scorer. Yet if he wanted to, he could be the primary option at moments. Keep in mind that his lowest scoring game through the first eight in the 2023 playoffs was 25 and his highest was 56.

It’s tough to find a better fit for the next man than Dan Majerle, who was a high-level glue player in Miami. Despite not being the scorer he was earlier in his career with the Phoenix Suns, he was willing to take big shots as a streaky 3-point shooter with lots of hustle to defend.

Power forward:

James’ versatility, having guard skills with a big man’s body, would let him hang against bigger players and be a huge threat guarding screen rolls. He was at his best in Miami, and he was a force when he went to the post in those years. He could get lots of usage taking the ball up court, taking 10 eyes off his teammates and rack up assists to cutters and shooters as well.

After him, Bam Adebayo is the choice to limit the drop off in explosiveness. On top of that, the current captain brings an edge with his perimeter defense, allowing the coach to experiment with different zones. Picture him in a simple one with Butler or Wade playing at the top of a 2-3 zone or being in front of one seen less often -- the 1-3-1.

Center

Mourning was a two-way weapon with a nice postgame and shot blocking. At his best, he was making 74.8 percent of his shot attempts at 0-3 feet between 1998 and 2000 in the playoffs. His interior defense would help establish the team’s transition attack.

The next controversial choice of this list is picking Chris Bosh over Shaquille O’Neal. Of course, Bosh was not the superior all-time player, but this group needs more outside shooting, plus he was a better pound-for-pound defender, too. Picture opposing all-time teams trying to inbound the ball against a massive lineup of him next to Mourning, James, Adebayo and Butler — it would be nightmarish to find a cutter to the perimeter due to the ball pressure and all of those lengthy limbs would ensure a lob attempt is nearly impossible.

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