Miami fulfills the promise
Finally. LeBron James and the Miami Heat have won an NBA championship. The last couple of years have been very challenging for James since he left the Cleveland Cavaliers under intense media scrutiny. More hype followed “The Decision” and the new “Big Three” with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Each misstep was squarely placed on James’s shoulders, and every time the Heat came up short, blame was placed squarely on James until it became an easy, bad habit to do so.
Recommitment of King James and D-Wade. When the series started, both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had separate and joint moments of recommitment to head coach Erik Spoelstra and the team. In essence, they were saying, “Whatever it takes.” Earlier in the playoffs, Wade yelled at his coach in the midst of a bad game. Wade has since followed the plan and played his role. Meanwhile, James has also been doing a lot of the dirty work, whether it be bringing up the ball or playing power forward and cleaning up the boards. And his assists numbers blew up. On top of that, he guarded Kevin Durant at the end of the game. Now he has redeemed himself and the Heat.
Bosh is back. It seems that throughout the NBA Finals, just when we were ready to forget Chris Bosh, he would announce his presence. Whether it was nifty medium-range jumpers, to scoring on put- backs and setting picks, Bosh backed up James and Wade. Shaking off the effects of the abdominal strain suffered a couple of weeks before, Bosh came up big when needed. In big games you always need that third force on your squad. It was a relief for the Heat, to say the least.
Outside shooting. Even if Oklahoma City was a great jump shooting team, it was the three-point shooting of Miami that kept them at bay. The most obvious accomplishment was Mike Miller’s hitting four in a row in Game 5. Prior to that, Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier also made a difference. Overall, the Heat just bombarded the Thunder from long range. This complicated matters defensively for OKC. The culmination was 14 of 26 made threes in Game 5. The Thunder could not match or stop that.
Rise of the rest. Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Mike Miller, James Jones. Erik Spoelstra trusted his bench, and they delivered at different times. In the Conference Finals, we saw glimpses of Mike Miller. In Game 1 of the Finals, Miami used a short rotation and paid for it. Then they added more players to the mix. Then the Heat started using newcomer Cole, who not only lengthened their rotation and gave Chalmers and Wade important minutes of rest, but he wasn’t just taking up space on the floor. He was also contributing outside shooting, important errorfree passing and confidence. The rest of the team didn’t have to worry about the subs. They were doing their share.
Battier the workhorse. After years of frustration in Houston in the shadows of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, Shane Battier now has a championship ring. Battier’s value to Miami is unquestionable. He frequently stepped into the paint to take a charge, stepped out to hit a big three-point shot, and would guard anybody. He never complained, never questioned, and was great for team chemistry. He used his size, his athletic ability and more than anything, his court smarts to help Miami win. Every team should have a Shane Battier.
Spoelstra’s flexibility. From trusting his bench players to making changes on the fly, Erik Spoelstra kept Oklahoma guessing what the next adjustment would be. Early in Game 4, James was at the elbow trying to find an open shooter and it wasn’t working, later, he moved to the low post, drew double-teams and kicked out for open three-pointers. That made all the difference. On top of that, he showed different looks on offense and defense, totally confusing Scott Brooks. He spotlighted the four or five plays that would make the difference in each game. His boss Pat Riley gave him all the trust and leeway he needed to take the team where it needed to go. Even the US media were nearly unanimous in saying Spoelstra had more tricks up his sleeves in the championship.
The Finals experience.
Last season, Miami went through what OKC is going through now. They looked good early, then faltered. But what great teams do is use that as fuel, as motivation for the next season. They drink it all in, not to feel sorry for themselves, but to see what they did wrong, build on their mistakes, and find renewed strength. Mission accomplished.
Looking ahead, the Heat will have a short celebration. James and Wade, the key members of the team, will be playing in the Olympics in London next month. After that, they will only have a short break before training camp begins. They know they will probaly see the Thunder in future Finals. But for now, Wade can enjoy his first title since teaming up with Shaquille O’Neal in 2006, and James has the monkey off his back.