The summer Olympics may be an early Christmas present for Heat fans. Drafting Michael Beasley was nice, but seeing Wade attacking the net like old, almost brings a tear to your eye doesn’t it? Is it enough to let us dream of a return to the playoffs? I think so. It doesn’t put the Heat at the favorites to win it all, but the competitiveness is back.

If Beasley comes as advertised, and Wade is back to this form and can give the Heat 75 games this year, then dare to dream heat fans. The supporting cast is solid, lead by Haslem and dare I say Marion. Depth at the forward position, Mario Chambliss at guard, we all know he doesn’t sweat the late shot. This is a young, talented team without Wade. But it’s not a playoff team. It’s a team that will win 35 games, show flashes but lack that one thing that can get us over the hump. Thankfully we already have that one thing. The team is built, the talent is here, the old, slow, injury prone, expensive baggage is gone, its time for Wades team. Maybe this will be a dream team for Miami fans.

Team USA really made a statement with their 92-69 win over Greece this morning. Facing the team that beat them 4 years ago in Athens, they responded brilliantly. They drove to the hoop, played stellar D, and passed the ball effectively. This win has really proved to me that the red white and blue are the team to beat. Right now, its their gold medal to lose, and with play like that, I don’t think they will.

Dwayne Wade once again made his presence felt by scoring 17 points ( Kobe and Chris Bosh both had 18 to lead Team USA) over 20 minutes on the floor. He also had 5 helpers and really locked down on defense, grabbing 6 steals. (You know somewhere Erik Spoelstra is counting his lucky stars that Dwayne Wade looks like he’s in championship MVP form once again.)  

The big story of this game is Chris Bosh, who went 7-8 from the field, had 5 boards and 2 blocks to compliment his 18 points over his 21 minutes spent on the court. Although team USA dominated the scoreboard, the 3 point shooting was yet again very shaky, the team going 7-20 overall.

Team USA will now face Spain, the most talented opponent USA will have to face in these Olympics. They shut down Germany 72-59, holding Dirk to only 11 points. Pau Gasol had 13. Although Spain is amidst controversy during these olympics, it looks like they have used it to fuel their hunger for gold, and it also looks like it will be time for redemption for the redeem team.

Next Game : USA vs. Spain    10:15 am ET        8/16/08
Quote: “We played like we wanted to win. We played together,” U.S. guard Dwyane Wade said. “We were very aware of their offensive sets, we were very aware of their personnel and we played like that. So we were kind of a step in front of what they wanted to do because we kind of knew everything already.”            – ESPN

So far so good.

The US National Basketball team, which experienced so many problems 4 years ago in Athens, have blown by the first two teams on their schedule.

The good news? They’re 2-0, and look to have a good handle on the pace of the game. They’ve also been playing suffocating defense, something they didn’t do in Athens when they won bronze.

Bad News? They haven’t even scratched the surface of the talented teams in the Olympics. Greece, who shocked the world by defeating the US in the semi-finals 4 years ago, is next up for the Americans. Followed by the Pau Gasol lead Spanish team, who are defending champions.

As long as the US keeps on getting stellar performances from their bench players, they should be fine. Wade made us proud once again by notching 19 points for the second straight game, and once again leading the team in points, despite playing just 16 minutes. I can’t help it but to imagine this “re-born” D-Wade lobbing alley-oops to Shawn Marion, and receiving passes from Michael Beasley to hit a fade away three. So far he has been the MVP for the Americans, and if he can come back to South beach with gold around his neck, We can only hope that it will rejuvenate the Heat locker room, and that we can all rebound from a season that….well, a season that we’d all like to forget.

Next Game : USA vs. Greece  8 a.m.     8/14/08

As a billion people watched on TV, Team USA, under the watchful eyes of Coach K, stormed to a 101-70 victory over the hosting country of China. Chris Bosh rebounded very strongly, Kobe put on a show with some flashy dunks, but more importantly, Dwayne Wade was the driving force for the team, with a team high 19 points off of the bench.

Heat fans can’t help but be happy that Wade has gotten off on the right foot, especially following his knee injury last season. Tayshaun Prince has been quoted as saying that Wade is playing his best basketball since the NBA Championship, and with his new found partners in Shawn Marion, and rookie phenom Michael Beasley, I can only hope that D maintains this level of play through camp, and onto the beginning of the NBA season.

Next Game: USA vs. Angola      8 am     8/12/08