People didn't want to give the Miami Heat the credit they earned coming into the season because they were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the previous playoffs. Despite being swept by that Bucks squad, the Heat had a fantastic summer and were able to enhance their roster in a variety of ways.

It's difficult to argue that anyone in the Eastern Conference is better than the Heat right now. There's a strong case to be made that the Bucks will give them a difficult series, and there's even a chance that the Bucks will win the series easily, as we saw a year ago. On the other hand, as we witnessed two seasons ago, the Miami Heat may be able to easily defeat the Bucks in a series.

With the way Miami is playing right now, there's no disputing that this team has a strong chance of winning an NBA championship.

Let's look at three reasons why the Miami Heat have a good chance of winning an NBA title.

Winning an NBA title is never easy. As we have seen with the past 20 champions, every team is going to need something significant to go their way. Whether that is an unfortunate injury to someone, or having guys on the roster step up more than they ever have. There is a reason why winning a championship is so hard, and a reason why we have seen crazy upsets in the past. If a team is going to win a title, they're going to need everyone on their roster to be playing the best basketball they possibly can, and even sometimes that isn't enough to get the job done.

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Heat Eastern Conference

3. The NBA's best defense

There's no disputing that if the Miami Heat are healthy, they'll have one of the most frightening defenses in recent memory. When you have a squad that includes Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, and PJ Tucker, opponents will never want to play against you.

Some teams like to make fun of the Heat because they were successful in the bubble a few seasons ago, but the fact is that no team in the Eastern Conference wants to play this squad in the playoffs. Everyone will be wishing that teams like the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks be eliminated by other teams, since they will not want to play the two best teams in the conference.

With how brilliantly the Miami Heat defend, it's difficult to argue that they shouldn't be considered one of the favorites to win the NBA championship. They'll have a lot of success in the playoffs if their defense can keep playing at a high level when everyone is healthy, and if their offense can simply do the bare minimum. This is a team that is constructed for the playoffs, and as everyone knows, Erik Spoelstra will have his players prepared and defending at a high level.

2. Despite not being healthy, they are still the Eastern Conference's top seed

This season, the Miami Heat have had many players out for substantial time due to injuries. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have both missed several games for the Heat this season, and while it isn't what they had hoped for, it may be beneficial in the long run for the playoffs.

The Miami Heat would not have recognized how good some of their role players are if none of those guys had been hurt. Yes, coach Spoelstra does an excellent job of including other players, but the fact is that none of the guys who have really stepped up for them this season would have received those types of minutes if neither of them had been hurt. This is really a positive thing for the Miami Heat since it means they now have many players on their roster who can step in and finish the job if someone gets hurt during the playoffs.

1. Multiple players with the ability to score 

There may be one concern about this Miami Heat team, mainly that they lack that one great player who can truly take over a game. Jimmy Butler is clearly capable of playing at a high level and taking over a game at any time. But, unlike Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid, there are doubts about his ability to take over a game. We've certainly seen him do it before, but he isn't necessarily that guy, although he doesn't have to be.

The Miami Heat will have a lot of success since they have several players on their roster who can score the ball.  There is a question about whether they have one player who can take over a game, but there is no doubt that this team can have numerous players score 20 or more points every night.