Dominance.

It's a word that isn't lightly thrown around in sports these days, as it implies the sheer ability of a player or a person to impose their will on the game, on an opponent, sometimes on the overall direction of a championship series.

And yet, there are few better words that can describe the Miami Heat's season leading up to Thursday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs--a match-up, and series, that will likely see the Heat capture their second straight NBA title and third franchise championship in seven years.

The Heat, sporting a 66-16 regular season record, came into the playoffs rolling after amassing a historic 27-game winning streak in the regular season, during which they beat some of the NBA's best. During the regular season, their offense, chalk full of athleticism, teamwork and explosiveness, ranked tops in the NBA in offensive efficiency (110.3). They made a habit of beating their opponents by a 9.6 point differential, second-highest in the NBA. The highest? Ironically, the Spurs, who beat their opponents by a margin of 10.1 points.

And speaking of dominating, there is the matter of Miami's Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

James had yet another phenomenal All-Star season in 2012-13 as he netted his second consecutive league MVP award. In the playoffs, he has been indispensable after leading the Heat with 26.2 points, 6.4 assists and 8.0 rebounds. James pretty much did it all for the Heat as they cruised through the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, fought through a physical and intense five-game semifinal with the Chicago Bulls and were taken to the limit by the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals series.

The downside has been James' two star teammates, Wade and Bosh. Wade began showing wear-and-tear during the playoffs, particularly against Indiana, where his sore knee limited him to only 15.0 points in the last five games. He was particularly looking off during Games 5 and 6, when he shot a combined 10-for-27, scoring only 10 points in each game. However, Wade turned it up when it counted the most on Monday in Game 7, when he scored 21 points to help Miami sink the Pacers, 99-76. As he has demonstrated again, Wade, a 2006 NBA Finals MVP, has a tendency to come through in big game situations and should be ready to go for the Heat.

Bosh, however, has been struggling throughout the playoffs. His last five games saw Bosh, who started in the All-Star Game at center in February, languish with 8.6 points. His troubles were only compounded further when he suffered an ankle injury in Game 4 that has bothered him since. Through 16 playoff games, Bosh has seen his points drop off from his regular season total of 16.6 to only 12.4 points for the postseason. Yet, Bosh has been known to come through at key times, as well, and is too talented to be fully counted out.

In addition to having the Big Three, the Heat have a big edge with the home court advantage in the series. In the regular season, Miami was all but unbeatable at the American Airlines Arena with a 37-4 record. This postseason has been no different, the Heat having posted a 7-2 record, including two series-clinching wins against Chicago and Indiana.

Another thing that they have in their favor is defense. While the Heat can turn it up on offense, they are particularly deadly on the other side of the ball. They force turnovers, and make teams pay for them. And they've become very good over the last three years in playing lockdown defense, with James, an All-NBA First Team defensive player, leading the way. In addition, the Heat have a plethora of three-point shooters at their disposal, including Ray Allen--one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history--Mike Miller, Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers that can help them compete with the Spurs.

The Spurs' trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have all been there before, having won three titles as a group in 2003, 2005 and 2007, but Wade, Bosh and James have similar playoff experience, having been tested through a tough 2011 NBA Finals loss and a 2012 title win, highlighted by two tough Eastern Conference Finals wins against the Celtics last year and the Pacers this month. They are younger and are in their prime as they are looking to establish the foundation of a dynasty, while the Spurs are older and may not have the physical tools necessary to compete with the Heat and James, who is likely looking to return the favor for the Spurs sweeping his former Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in the 2007 NBA Finals. And Wade and Bosh are considerable upgrades from James' 2007 Cleveland team of Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgaukas, Sasha Pavlovic and Daniel Gibson.

The bottom line: the Spurs have experience and an unselfish, brilliantly-designed offense. But the Heat have LeBron James, who has Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. In their prime. And with a stronger, faster offense. It's hard not to like Miami's odds. Heat in six.