The wait is finally over!

The Washington Wizards will begin the season on the road tonight against the Miami HEAT. Tip-off is at 7:30pm EST from the American Airlines Arena.

Key Match Up:

In case you haven’t heard, LeBron James is no longer a member of the Miami HEAT. After a miserable performance in the NBA Finals last year, Dwyane Wade will be forced to play a much bigger role for his team than he did as a member of the ‘Big-3’. At 32-years old and four straight finals appearances, Wade has accumulated a lot of mileage over the past few years and I’m not sure how much he has left in the tank. If the HEAT want to have a successful season in an improved Southeast Division, Wade has to find a way to stay healthy and play at an All-Star level.

Bradley Beal will miss about a month of action following wrist surgery, and Garrett Temple is expected to start at shooting guard for the Washington Wizards. Glen Rice Jr. is also expected to return tonight after spraining his ankle during preseason. With that said, they’ll have a tough task in defending Wade. Even though he’s not the same player he once was, Wade is still very capable of dominating games. The HEAT don’t have much depth on their roster, and if Wade is neutralized by Temple and Rice, Miami will have a slim chance to win the game. Temple and Rice will also have to step up offensively with Beal out.

Prediction:

Nene and DeJuan Blair are both suspended tonight after their involvement in the altercation with the Chicago Bulls in preseason, and I’d expect Randy Wittman to play some small-ball lineups. Paul Pierce practiced playing at the power forward spot, and although Kris Humphries will likely play tonight, it wouldn’t surprise me if Wittman plays a lineup featuring John Wall, Temple, Otto Porter, Pierce, and Marcin Gortat.

The HEAT still don’t have much front court depth and Washington should be able to have the advantage on the boards, despite missing Nene and Blair. Gortat, Humphries, Kevin Seraphin, and Drew Gooden will be matched up against Chris Bosh, which could cause a problem for the Washington Wizards.

It will take the Miami HEAT some time to incorporate their new pieces in Erik Spoelstra’s system, and I think the Washington Wizards will get the win tonight. They showed some improvement offensively against the New York Knicks in the preseason finale, and that should carry over tonight. Wall will have a significant advantage over Mario Chalmers, and the HEAT won’t be as good in the open court without LeBron. Pierce has played will against the HEAT in the past, and that should also help the Washington Wizards start the season with a ‘W’.