"Dear Chicago,

You won't recognize the Heat on Sunday from when you last cursed them. They have been stripped down, left naked, exposed to the elements and rubbed raw by the basketball fates.

As LeBron James tweeted just a few days ago, "Getting a massage on the back patio with the wind blowing off the ocean and the waves dancing together. Wow I'm really #blessed."

What, you expected some regular-season penance for their June stumble?

When I said you might not recognize the Heat, I meant they're your worst nightmare now. They're better. They're sounder. They're deeper with veteran Shane Battier, rookie Norris Cole, a healthy Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller and even a hope Eddy Curry could fill 15 minutes of the unforgiving night by May."