This article originally appeared on January 9, 2009

The Miami Heat are 18-16 on the season, three wins improved from last season?s 15-67 abomination. Superstar shooting guard Dwyane Wade has regained the form that made him 2006 Finals MVP. Wade is averaging a league-leading 28.7 points per game on 47.9% shooting. With Wade scoring from all angles, the Heat rank 20th in points scored per 100 possessions.

Offensively, Miami runs a lot of high screen-and-rolls designed to free Wade on the perimeter. Seventy-one percent of Miami?s shot attempts occur outside the paint. Only the Mavericks, Hawks, Spurs (surprisingly), and Raptors shoot more from mid-range and beyond.

Despite being severely undersized with 6-9 center Joel Anthony at center and 6-8 Udonis Haslem at power forward, Miami ranks 12th in points allowed per 100 possessions (105.7) and 5th in defensive field goal percentage.

Miami?s defensive efficiency is a testament to first-year Head Coach Erik Spoelstra. Spoelstra has implemented an aggressive ball-hawking scheme that takes advantage of Miami?s speed and length in the backcourt.

Wade is averaging 2.24 steals per game. Rookie point guard Mario Chalmers averages 1.91 thefts per contest. Wade, Chalmers and small forward Shawn Marion are excellent at playing the passing lanes and recovering for one another.

If the season ended today, Miami would capture the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, but there is a sense that the best is yet to come. Rookie Michael Beasley has been up-and-down as the number two pick continues to struggle defensively.

I had a chance to chat with the Palm Beach Post?s Chris Perkins before Miami?s game versus Denver Wednesday night and Perkins confirmed that Beasley has had a hard time adapting defensively. It didn?t take long for Perkins? words to ring true as Beasley scored 10 first quarter points, but picked up 3 quick fouls in the first half.

After connecting on his first four shots, Beasley missed a left-handed layup in traffic that was blocked by Chris Anderson with 6:25 remaining in the second quarter. As Beasley jogged down to the other end, he was met by Wade at half-court. What was said was unclear, but Beasley hung his head after their talk and proceeded to commit his third foul of the half on the next possession. Beasley scored 2 points the rest of the way as he failed to regain his first quarter rhythm.

Beasley?s defensive stance is more of a slump. His feet aren?t far enough apart, his knees don?t bend and his arms remain at his sides. Perkins indicated that Beasley simply hadn?t been taught how to play defense in high school and college. His high school and college coaches were content as long as he scored 30 every night. That mindset won?t fly with the Spoelstra coached and Pat Riley managed Miami Heat.

After the game, I asked Wade how the undersized Heat have managed to become a good defensive team this season.

?I think communication is the key,? Wade said. ?Everyone has been on the same page and everyone has been able to hear each other?s voice on the court.?

?We know our coverages. We?re a pretty good defensive team. It?s just about communicating and knowing we have to communicate in order to win.?

The Heat will go as far as Wade takes them, but it was clear after listening to Spoelstra and Wade?s postgame comments that this is a team that hangs its hat on its team defense. While the Heat offense has a long way to go to catch up with its defense, Miami is clearly a team on the rise.

Brandon Hoffman is a contributing writer for RealGM. Check out Brandon?s NBA blog at BallerBlogger.com.