The Miami Heat held practice at the American Airlines Arena in Miami on Monday (October 28) ahead of Tuesday's much anticipated season opening game against the Chicago Bulls.

The Miami Heat enter the 2013-14 NBA season as favorites to win a third consecutive title but with several teams sporting beefed up rosters the reigning champions face their biggest challenge to their crown yet.

"We're not as good as we want to be. There's obvious reasons, it's game one tomorrow. We're gong to get better each and every month. And hopefully guys continue to stay healthy including myself and if we practice our habits and we go and play Miami Heat basketball, we will get better every month. That's all we can ask for," said LeBron James.

"It's the same motivation. We are a team that is built to win a championship and that should be enough motivation," James added after being asked if his team is more or less motivated than last year.

The Bulls, who are undefeated in the preseason, will be looking for a strong start and have decided that they will skip the ring ceremony that will

take place before tomorrow's opening night game.

"When the game comes, it's game time and when that ball tips up, you have to go out there and you have to try to do what you've been working all preseason for and just go out there and work your game," said Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade.

The Bulls and other teams will be eager to dethrone the Heat, but knocking a team led by All-Stars LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh off its perch will be no easy feat given their desire to become the first NBA franchise to win three consecutive titles since the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002.

"We're not players that relax. So we're excited for the chance to come out here and do something special again, but the undertone of everything is get back to work, get back to business. We're playing a very good team tomorrow, a team that we're going to have to see later on and you know, we have a special little thing with those guys [REFERRING TO RIVALRY BETWEEN TEAMS] so the fans want to see it, we want to play them and they want us too so it will be good," said Chris Bosch.

Whoever wins Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls are expected to be one of the strong contenders in the East as Derrick Rose, the NBA's 2011 most valuable player, returns after sitting out all of last season while rehabilitating an ACL that was torn in the previous season.