2003 Draft: the year Lbj, Bosh, Wade and C. Anthony surfaced into the NBA.

The biggest prize was, evidently, Lbj, “the chosen one”. After him, a trio of future franchise players. From this group one emerged as the first one to get the desired ring. D. Wade in 2006 – serving as the young weapon alongside an already aging yet still effective Shaquille O´Neal – carved his name at the biggest stage, only three years after his arrival to the League.

His performance in that exciting Finals is still remembered fondly by Heat fans. Wade, with his “flashy” antics, managed to turn a 0-2 series around finishing with the MVP trophy. Shaquille O´Neal, when asked about his qualities, already had predicted this kind of exceptional play:

“Most youngsters are like knuckleheads,” said O’Neal, who shot 3-for-14 from

the line. “He’s not one of them. . . . He has a lot of poise to be young,

and I’m very impressed.”

In the past, O’Neal played with three up-and-coming shooting guards, but

never before has Shaq taken one under his wing quite like Wade. Shaq

compared playing with a young Penny Hardaway in Orlando, a young Kobe Bryant

with the Lakers and now a young Wade with the Heat.

“The difference between those three is the Godfather trilogy,” O’Neal said

in classic Shaq-speak. “One is Fredo, who was never ready for me to hand it

over to him. One is Sonny, who will do whatever it takes to be the man, and

one is Michael, who if you watch the trilogy, the Godfather hands it over to

Michael. So I have no problem handing it over to Dwyane.”

Fast forward nine years and in 2015, after a period when he shared the spotlight with Bosh and his good friend Lbj, he now finds himself in the position to once more go for the Championship. As we enter the 2015-16 NBA season, one intriguing storyline revolves around the possibility of these two very talented players becoming separated by a funny numeric joke. 2016 could be the year when the student outshines the Master, when the Prince dethrones the King.

4-2 (possible D. Wade NBA Finals Record if he wins the upcoming season) is the opposite of the 2-4 NBA Finals record showing on Lebron James résumé. Could this be done? Is the Heat a potent force set to destroy Lbj & Co. ? The answer is a resounding yes. Miami has a better roster when compared to the Cavs from every conceivable point of view:

Star Power: Probably here is the only aspect where Cavs have the upper hand. Lbj/Love/Irving is a stronger combination than Wade/Bosh/Dragic.

Defense: Here the clear advantage goes to Miami. D.Wade, Deng, Bosh, Whiteside, Andersen and Haslem all provide strong individual and team defense efforts. Cleveland counts only with Lbj and Shumpert in this area. Advantage Miami.

Youth: Justise Winslow was seen as one of the great steals of this year´s draft for the Heat. Also, Ennis showed a lot of promise. On the other hand, Cavs don´t expect much from their rookies. Miami has the edge in this category.

Bench: one of the most important aspects in order to get a NBA title, often forgotten, is the strength of the bench. With Stoudemire, Beasley, Gerald Green, U. Haslem and T. Johnson, amongst others, Miami bench is vastly superior to the Cavs supporting cast. Again, Heat take this battle.

Coaching: Although D. Blatt has done a reasonable job with the assets available, he still showed some indecisions in critical moments (for instance, the almost doomed timeout against the Bulls in the playoffs). You can´t beat experience. And that´s something familiar to Erik Spoelstra, already with 4 NBA Finals under his belt and a myriad of countless Playoffs battles. Once again, Heat wins this battle.

All in all, Heat has a genuine chance to go to the NBA Finals this upcoming season. The Pacers were dismantled and won´t be a dominant team anymore. The Bulls showed some ineptitude when facing the biggest stage. It seems the “Mild, mild East” will be dominated by one of these two teams.

Can we see a 4-2 coronation for D. Wade this Summer, making his friend´s 2-4 NBA Finals Record look even more disappointing? Will we witness Wade overthrowing his buddy as the King of the 2003 Draft?