I started following the Miami Heat when Pat Riley moved from New York, suffering through the first Juwan Howard to Heat Salary Cap fiasco and enjoyed the Alonzo Mourning led Heat squad brawl with the New York Knicks.
I was also one of those guys, like Skip Bayless, who thought Dwayne Wade was better than LeBron James. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a Dwayne Wade fan despite his struggles this post season, but just as Wade admitted that the current Heat are Lebron's Team, so must we. And I have to admit my skepticism about combining the talents of LeBron James and Chris Bosh with Dwayne Wade was all for naught.
Not only are the Heat Lebron's team, it would seem the NBA is Lebron's League, it would seem like the NBA Championship and the MVP Award are for him to lose every year. So it was fitting that this image embodied the NBA Finals.
Dwayne Wade was quoted as saying "I've never been happier to see another man succeed in life." And I agree with the sentiment. Never has an Athlete been so polarizing as LeBron James. An athlete who has never committed any crime, has done everything by the book been so criticized. While I agree that James should have reconsidered The Decision, I was amazed by the backlash it received. I understand the people of Cleveland feeling betrayed, but the rest of the league?
It would seem that LeBron would no longer have to look longingly for the NBA Championship. He could now cradle the trophy in his arms and say that he is a champion. He has earned it. The guys just seems like he was genetically engineered to be the best basketball player in the world! Before these season and this finals, like so many genetically engineered characters in the movies, books and comic books all he needed was the Heart.
He tried filling his heart with hate in 2010-11 Season, he was not complete. Funny how he says now that it was his love for the game that made him stronger, much like how we imagine our lead actors and characters finally figure out how to beat the last enemy monster. This post is about admitting how wrong I was about LeBron and how happy I am for the Miami.
Mostly I am happy the Mike Miller, Shane Battier and Juwan Howard finally got their rings. As happy as I was that Dirk Nowitzki finally won his last season. The only bummer last season was that it was the expense of the Heat.
I'm also happy for Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra, despite all the criticisms and doubts that he could lead a team of superstars to an NBA Championship and despite all the hurdles of the King bump and the Wade altercation, Spoelstra has proven himself a capable coach. So after the Bump come the Hug right?
That is not to say that the rest of the heat are not worth mentioning, Udonis Haslem, Norris Cole, James Jones and Mario Chalmers contributed as expected and I am happy that they got their championships as well. But undeniably this the time for LeBron James.
Kevin Durant and the Thunder will have their time. But it may take them longer to get to it than we all think. Just as Hakeem Olajuwon waited for Michael Jordan's first Threepeat to make a run for the Larry O'brien Trophy, maybe other contenders for the championship will have to wait for LeBron James and Miami Heat's run to end to have a shot at being NBA Champions.
Of course Kevin Durant and the Thunder will be hungrier and more experienced next year. They will be better, and so will a lot of other teams. But guess what? So will the Heat.
The Big Three finally delivered on their promise of winning a championship, but will they be a dynasty? Dwayne Wade may have to miss the London Olympics to rehabilitate his knee. If everything goes right, the Miami Heat will be in the chase for their dynasty. If everything goes wrong, then Miami fans like me maybe in for another roller coaster season.
Lost in the euphoria of the championship were the subtle changes made by Erik Spoelstra in the game plan, the acceptance of Lebron that he is a big man who can play all positions, Chris Bosh accepting his role as the Heat's Center and Anchor on defense. But Mike Miller and James Jones may be retiring, and Chalmers is still inconsistent. But one thing is certain, the Miami Heat has grown as a Team and that should help them become better next season.
The rumors that Ray Allen and Steve Nash are considering joining the Heat seems promising, but will they really take pay cuts to join the championship core of Wade, Bosh and James? We will see soon enough. So I will leave you with this NBA Game 5 Micro Movie to ponder what the Heat could be when the next NBA Season opens!
For now, the Big Three are doing their rounds on the Television Circuit, next up? Oprah!
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