Top 10 Miami Heat games of Big 3 era (2010-2014): 2014

Tuesday, 26 August 2014

Wednesday, 30 July 2014

Epilogue

One year after that game 6 against San Antonio, and two championships after the first critics had called for the big 3 to be blown up, the big 3 would blow themselves up. Very few leave the stage too early. Perhaps they left at just the right time. My greatest fear for the Heat is not that they would dissolve. Or that they would fail to keep up their winning ways. It’s that in growing old together, they would replace the happy memories with sadder ones. With images of a team who just couldn’t defeat the undefeated force that calls itself father time. That our lasting image would be of that.

Not that another phase of the Miami heat wouldn’t have been a fascinating one. It would have. And it probably would have found a way to maintain success. But it could never have quite maintained what it once was. Even by the fourth year, the intrigue, as seen by the level of interest in the regular season, had started to die down. We had become accustomed to the extraordinary, and fading athleticism meant fast break dunks had been replaced with cunning layups. Selfish flashes of power replaced by exquisite team ball. It was an essential part of the team’s evolution, but it had started to feel less distinctly “Heatles”. Though it hurts, perhaps it’s best that the team ended when it did. Not on happy terms, but on terms of understanding. Of preservation of lifelong bonds. Leaving those 4 years as something pure. Something unquestionable from start to finish. A 4 year rollercoaster that never stopped until it decided it would, on its own terms. A ride we hope the players can get together and reminiscent about fondly. Of bonds forged in fire. Of a unique experience that only those few men can know. We hope they do as we know we will.

No ending is without sadness. It forces us to accept the reality that those moments we hoped we could live in forever have passed, been forged into memories. But it’s the reality of life, and it’s one to be faced regardless of how the inevitable end is reached. If THOSE memories are the parting gifts that we receive, then how grateful and privileged we must feel.

Teams dream of getting within sniffing distance of the NBA summit. The Heat lived there for four years, and dined.

#1 - 2013 NBA Finals Game 6 - San Antonio Spurs (H)

San Antonio Spurs 100, Miami Heat 103

A lot has been written about this game. It’s got the recognition it deserves. It was probably the best game of basketball many of us will ever see. For Heat fans, it definitely was. For a neutral, it was two teams playing basketball at the highest level, with a whole host of incredible events occurring. A team lost a championship after being 28 seconds and 99% odds away from winning it. Ray Allen hit the best shot of all time. About a million other ridiculous things happened before and after. For Heat fans, the nerves made a lot of it too hard to fully enjoy. I find my personal feelings and memories about the game more difficult to recall than game 6 in Boston. The game was so surreal it felt like a bit of a whirlwind. I remember feeling absolutely depressed when the Heats trailed and looked discombobulated in the 3^rd quarter. I remember not knowing quite what was happening when LeBron started leading them back, sans headband. I remember Ray Allen’s 3 being the most excited I’ve ever been watching sports. I remember Kawhi Leonard taking away all the euphoria in an instant in overtime, replacing it with intense dread. I remember not really knowing what to feel when it was all said and done. I was ecstatic, drained, shaken. All I had done was sit on a couch for a few hours.

I think the quality of the game can best be laid out by going through just how many crazy things actually happened in that game, many of which are forogtten. It might have been the best game of all time even without the Ray Allen shot.

For starters, the Heat were one game away from losing the finals. Despite being reigning champions, it felt like this game still meant everything for the legacy of the big 3 experiment.
The quality of the basketball, as always in this series, was incredible
The atmosphere in the building was weird. You could feel the nerves, the desperation for things to go well, the hesitation to cheer too much, too soon, the intense fear about the Spurs, the ever lingering possibility that you were watching your team lose the championship in front of you, on home court. They gave ever play this gripping intensity watching it. Every heat jumpshot feeling like it carried the weight of the world.
As the spurs looked like they were pulling away in the 3^rd, that feeling intensified. Then things started to get really weird.
Duncan somehow turned back the clock and went for 25 (TWENTY - FIVE!!) in the first half. This was meant to be the Tim Duncan game.
Leonard playing like a superstar well beyond his years
Wade and Leonard trading huge facial slams in the 1^st quarter.
Leonard’s jam on miller deserves its own, separate mention.
Leonard stealing the ball of james and getting the and one in the 3^rd, the edginess of the crowd seeping through the tv
Duncan getting an and one to push the lead to 13, and the Heat fans starting to lose hope, not for the first time in the game
LeBron starting to rally the heat in the 4^th, with a really weird, not quite in control game. The pressure of the occasion was clearly getting to him, but it was mixed in with his incredible talent and drive to win. He would drive by defenders with ferocious power, but then get to the rim with so much nervous energy he would almost bobble the simple layup. Still, for a period to start the 4^th he was huge.
Miller hitting a big big 3 … SANS SHOE (Just a lovely little detail to be forgotten that sums up how crazy this game was)
In the middle of LeBron’s run, he connected on a dunk and his headband was knocked off. It feels silly typing it, but the fact he elected to play on without it felt anything but insignificant. It was like the LeBron face in game 6 in Boston. It was the little token that signified what this game represented - LeBron not having the power to guarantee victory, but only to leave everything out there on the court. It looked like he would fail. And without his headband, the game felt extremely weird. It heightened everyone’s awareness to the fact that they were watching something different. Something you couldn’t turn your eyes away from for a second.
LeBron’s block on Duncan, then hitting a banker over him at the other end. The crowd breaking into seven nation army, wildly cheering on the headbandless LeBron. It looked like they would do it.
For LeBron’s late game heroics, will seemed to be the bigger factor than composure.
Surely the crowd would will them home? Allen hits a reverse layup. But the kid Leonard comes down the other end and continues to score and keep the spurs in it.
In the forgotten aspect of the game, the heat had the lead by 3 with only 1.30 to go. They had successfully wrestled back the ascendancy. It was the spurs who would have to come up with the plays to claim their victory before the Heat famously did. And it was Parker’s crushing 3 over the outstretched hands of LeBron which brough all of the Heat’s momentum crushing to a halt.
Seemingly stunned by the rapid change in the outlook of the game, LeBron staggered and hopped and threw up a hopeless pass that was stolen, and then a hapless shot next possession, as Parker spun his way into the lane and hit the jumper over Chalmers. Everything had fallen apart so suddenly for the Heat. LeBron had been made to look totally lost. LeBron’s heroics up to that point looked to be erased by the images of him hopeless failing to keep the Heat in it late.
The spurs led by 5 with 28 seconds to. Missed free throws from Leonard and Ginobili gave the Heat life.
Fittingly, given the wild swings and up and down nature of the game and the individual performances, LeBron would throw up an ugly brick off the backboard, only for it to be rescued by a Dwyane Wade tip to Mike Miller, who threw it back to LeBron. Perhaps aided by the hectic nature of the sequence and lack of time to think, LeBron connected on the most difficult to appreciate great play he would ever make. On the final Heat play of regulation, LeBron would again miss badly on a three, only for Bosh to grab the crucial rebound in a sea of traffic, unload it to a backtracking Ray Allen, and watch him rise, feet perfectly planted between the 3 point lines and the yellow rope which signified the Spurs incoming championship victory, and splash in the shot which would be replayed a million times. LeBron would defend Parker admirably on the final play, and ensure the game was going to OT.
Leonard would hit on two hooks and take the crowd from the most intense of ecstasies to the bitterest of despairs in an instant. Nobody quite remembers what happened in that Overtime for the Heat to win it, but I can tell you that apparently Bosh hit an and one, Allen connected on a layup and LeBron hit a fader in the lane off a Wade drive and dish to score the final points of the game with 1 minute and 44 seconds to go.
The heat would make a number of big defensive plays to seal it. A bosh block. A LeBron steal. And then another block by Bosh to seal it.
The finale to the game was a fitting reflection of the craziness of the whole affair. LeBron and Miller playing without headbands and shoes. LeBron connecting on huge, clutch shots, but then losing the ball out of bounds on fast break layups. It was never quite one team rising to the occasion, never quite one team choking from it. When Leonard missed that crucial free throw, he would come right out in overtime and grab his team the lead. Both of the Heat’s big three point shots would come off offensive rebounds made easier by how terrible the preceding shot had been. The final points would come with 1 minute and 44 to play, followed by possession after possession of both teams failing to get that crucial next bucket. That Bosh would throw himself into Green on the final play after all they had gone through to hold onto that slim lead, making contact with the ball and Green, banking on the fact the ref could never call it. He didn’t. And the ref called an end to something we didn’t quite know how to make sense of. We just knew we wanted to tell people about it.

In all the mess, one image stood clear. Ray Allen, the former Celtic, rising in front of a sea of waving white towels. A flick of the wrist to decide the legacy for his adopted Miami Heatles, with the eyes of the world fixed on him, mouths agape, without time to formulate a thought. The image to capture the four year’s wouldn’t even feature the big 3, because … why not. Nothing about the run was ever conventional, straight forward or predictable. It was gloriously not so. A zig for every zag. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley, Tim Duncan, Greg Popovich, the many celebrities positioned courtside behind Ray, LeBron’s mum herself, all turned to helpless spectators, for a moment. It was as it had always been for the Heat: something to watch, captivated, fully immersed, unable to train your gaze away from. Just like in that moment, they captured the world’s interest. Not always support, not always detest, but never neither. For a moment. For a game. And for four years. And in both cases, it would be unforgettable.

#2 - 2012 Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 - Boston Celtics (A)

Miami Heat 98, Boston Celtics 79

The game when everything changed. In my opinion, the best game LeBron ever played. You can show me the highlights of his game against Detroit, it doesn’t matter. Nothing can match the weight that was on LeBron’s shoulders going into this one. He stood to lose everything. And not only that, he was likely to lose everything. It seemed like everything they had worked for was destined to end, ignominiously.

Before the game, LeBron vowed, without even the hint of a smile, to do just one thing. To not have any regrets about the way he played when it was all said and done. And so LeBron came out, looking like he had never really looked before. He had a look on his face that said he was bracing for a storm, but wasn’t going to let anything in. He had blunted himself emotionally, not prepared to wince, and not prepared to celebrate, either. After watching his teammates try unsuccessfully to get off to a hot start, he decided early on to get down to business on his own. His first jump shot was good. It felt like that was important. He would keep connecting with the jump shot. After every make, which seemed to come from more and more difficult shots, he would run back to his defensive position with the same nonchalant look on his face.

At one point he danced down the court, spun quickly at the top of the key and rose in motion to get away a shot with barely a few seconds of the shot clocked elapsed. Swish. Then he streamed through the lane, timed his jump perfectly, and slammed home a putback jam. He had everyone’s attention. Still the same look. LeBron fans had never seen him like this before. But they had never really seen him in this situation before. In a way, they had, but not they had seem him get to the point where simply refused to take it anymore.

As he kept hitting jumpers, some of them ridiculous tough, over multiple defenders and falling away, the Boston crowd's fervour had started to be replaced by a silent fear. LeBron had shut them up. They were ready to sing again as soon as Boston connected on multiple baskets in a row, but LeBron kept quietening them.

And he signaled as much.

You were surprised when he missed his tough fallaway at the half time buzzer. He had 30 and the Heat had the lead. He had played the perfect half.

In the second, the Celtics started to mount a comeback. LeBron missed a couple, and just when it looked like he might have cooled off, he hit a couple more tough ones. It had passed the point of a ridiculous performance a while ago. LeBron’s nonchalant look had started to fade, replaced by one of intensity and passion, the one that had been hiding beneath the whole time. After the Celtics had finally gotten the home crowd into a frenzy with a run late in the 3^rd, LeBron silenced them again with a huge 3. This time he would hide it no longer. He looked at the bench and pointed, slapping his chest defiantly as he gnarled at those who stood opposing him. He had done his job. He had given all he had. The heat had a sizable cushion, and he asked his teammates to help him bring them home.

And it was Wade he stepped up to the task. It was he who owned the 4^th quarter.

LeBron’s 45 and 15 is rightly recognised as one of his best games. It wasn’t really a game for particular highlights (apart from the putback slam, a nice signature play for the performance). It was more the feel of the whole game, and the command of the performance from LeBron when watched in full.

I still remember in detail everything about where I was and how I felt when I first watched this game. I was on the road, having to watch games on delay on my laptop. The previous defeat had been devastating. I remember giving up all hope. Not because I didn’t think the team could bounce back. They would prove they could time and time again. But because the odds were stacked against them, they were one loss from elimination, on the road, and I cared so much about the team I couldn’t face the prospect of watching a losing game after going into it full of hope. So I prepared myself for a loss. For it all to end. I settled down to watch the game, full of more nerves than I had ever felt before while watching a sports game, and unknowingly donning the same face LeBron would. I was trying to blunt myself too. I’ll never forget the unique feeling of watching that game. Seeing LeBron responding to the pressure emotionally in the same way that I was. Trying to blunt it. With every huge LeBron play, I tried not to get too excited either. Not get ahead of myself, even as he built the lead. At points I couldn’t help myself from cheering, such was the performance. But only as Wade was putting on the finishing touches in the 4^th could I finally let go. Unclench my stomach. You knew you had been watching a game for the ages as it happened. When it had finished, it felt like something seismic had just happened. Like the NBA would never quite be the same again. It would take the best game of all time to knock this one from the top spot.

I’ll never forget that look.

#3 - 2012 Eastern Conference Semi Finals Game 4 - Indiana Pacers (A)

Miami Heat 101, Indiana Pacers 93

Most of the games in the top 5 make it because of the importance of the game, whether it be title saving or winning (G6 and 7 against the Spurs), or legacy changing (G6 against Boston). This one makes it on the quality of the game alone. Not that the stakes weren’t high, too. The Heat had fallen into a 2-1 hole against the always tough Pacers, facing another game on the road. This is back when the Pacers looked like legitimate contenders with the Heat, and posed a seemingly un-defendable inside threat to the Heat, especially with the crowd behind them. Bosh was injured, Wade had looked out of sorts, and it looked like everything might fall apart for the Big 3 experiment before it had really began. Game 6 against Boston that year was the more well recognized season saving road victory, but this wasn’t far behind. And for appreciators of Wade and James’ game, this one can’t be beaten. Wade had been woeful in the previous game (the worst shooting game of his playoff career at that point; 2/13), and even seemed to have a spat with his coach, Erik Spoelstra. In the first half, he also struggled, and it wasn’t until he connected on a 3 late in the first half with George in his face that he came to life. LeBron found him cutting to the basket for an easy dunk to end the half. And from that point on Wade would destroy the pacers. His strong second half saw him finish with 30 points, and he would be unstoppable in scoring 41 in a close game 6 on the road to complete the series win.

But it was his combination with James in the 2^nd half of game 4 which was most breathtaking. LeBron had 45 and 15 against Boston, but he had a similarly HUGE 40 and 18 here. With 9 assists for good measure. His rebounds were almost as impressive as his buckets. It was a truly unbelievable performance, one for the ages. With Bosh absent, the big 2 combined for all but 2 points in a phenomenal 25-5 run to chase down the Pacers lead in the 3^rd. They would score 38 straight points for the team, and with the help from crucial Haslem jumpers in the 4^th, who was playing with a gash to his right eye, would go on to win one of the most important games they had played together. At the end of the game, LeBron embraced Wade in a hug, looked up at the scoreboard and smiled as they walked off to the booing of the crowd in their black cape uniforms, and all who had watched it knew they had witnessed one of the more remarkable games they would ever see.

The highlights:

LeBron’s and Wade’s individual highlight packages are worth watching in completion on their own. But I’ll go through some of my personal favourites for you

Haslem’s put back dunk, followed by a Wade steal and behind the back dish for a LeBron james layup
Every lebron rebound
Wade’s 3 over George in the 1st half to break the seal
Wade with two gorgeous crossovers to get to the rim to take the Heat to 57
Then following that up with a drive and kick for a LeBron slam after cutting along the baseline
Wade falling down, getting back up and hitting the corner 3 off balance to continue the ridiculous run
And then a breathtaking no look pass from LeBron to an uncovered wade near the rim for the slam
And those last 5 plays all happened one after the other …
LeBron’s strong and 1 layup to finish the 3^rd quarter run
LeBron’s putback dunk in the 4^th
And then block on the next play
Haslem, playing with tape over his busted eye, stepping up to close the game with 3 huge clutch jumpers

If game 6 was the peak of James’ monster 2012 playoff run, which culminated in his finals dominance, then this game was the beginning. I’m not sure this game has quite the firepower to overtake either of the top 2 games for best Heat game, but it might be the most fun to rewatch.

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

#4 - 2013 NBA Finals Game 7 - San Antonio Spurs (H)

#4. 2013 NBA Finals - Game 7 - San Antonio Spurs (H)

San Antonio Spurs 88, Miami Heat 95

A game 7 in the NBA finals has to make the list, right? Unfortunately for this game, it came right after game 6, which many labelled as one of the best games of all time. But this game had enough in its own rights, whether they will be remembered or not. Firstly, every game between these two teams in 2013 was incredible. The quality of basketball from both teams at the height of competition was being marvelled at by all neutrals watching on. Even though the Spurs had thrown away a championship that seemed like theirs in Game 6, they still were just one win away from making that an interesting asterisk in a championship winning season. And even in this one, the Spurs were incredibly close. They may have been two Tim Duncan bunnies away from winning it. But instead, it was LeBron who hit the iconic jumper, to win his, and this incarnation of the Miami Heat’s, 2^nd and final NBA Championship.

As a fan of this team and LeBron, the first win in 2012 meant a lot, but it didn’t mean quite everything. It partly erased the pain of the 2011 defeat, but it didn’t completely erase it. As I was watching it, I needlessly asked of the universe that they let this team win two. One would be enough for most teams, but it didn't feel like enough for this one. Not with all the hype that had gone in. Not after all they had said. Not after all the things they had been through. Not after they had let a 2-1 lead slip away in 2011. One was the minimum, three would be gravy, but two was enough. I found myself thinking that I would take a guaranteed win in this series, even if it meant they would never win again, rather than take the allure of a potential win in 2013 and 14 and beyond with the risk of only succeeding once. I needed two, and I felt like this team, and these players, needed two. And after they won it, I promised myself I would never hold any grudges about what this team did or did not accomplish in the future or in the past. For me, they had done enough.

So when 2014 came along, and the Spurs started brushing aside the Heat, I hoped that it wouldn’t hurt as much. But it did, it hurt a lot. I hadn’t forgotten the promise I had made to myself, it just wasn’t so easy to keep it. Time is cruel like that. But after the series was over, the pain went away a lot quicker. And after the big 3 broke up, it provided a chance to reflect on what was accomplished over the past 4 years. 2 wins and 4 finals appearances. There was a nice and somewhat fitting symmetry to it all. If they had won everything it wouldn’t have been an appropriate reflection of the difficulty of the journey. It was that difficulty that made those two wins special. And even if they had won 3, until they stopped playing together, nothing would have truly softened the blow of seeing them lose in the moment, whenever they eventually did, as all must inevitably do. The happy feelings of 2013 have been replaced, in 2014, by the unhappy feelings of the present. And so, as we all must do, Heat fans must turn to memory.

The 2013 celebrations had a different feeling to 2012. The mood had shifted from a exuberant relief to a highly satisfied swag. These were the glory years for the heat. Where they got to live life as the champions.

The reasons:

LeBron - 37 points. One of the best game 7 ppg’s ever, Led by good 3 point shooting in this one. Not only that, but the team looked to him for points in the 4^th quarter and he rose to the occasion and hit some big jumpers. Including …

LeBron’s game winning shot. Not enough gets made of it.

LeBron’s steal to wrap it up

Duncan slapping the floor after missing those shots

The celebrations

Wade hitting tough jumper after jumper

Battier’s hot shooting from 3

Back and forth basketball action of the highest quality with everything on the line. On offense and defense.

Strange fact: Bosh had 0 points in this game. Only 4 players got on the scoresheet for the heat.

The final, tense, wild minutes of the 4^th quarter

#5 - 2010 Regular Season October 26 - Boston Celtics (A)

Miami Heat 80, Boston Celtics 86

This is the only loss to make the list. Many Heat losses were great games. For the neutral, they were probably the best of all. It’s a key part of what made the Heat such an exciting team, and what made the victories more sweet. Notable losses that come to mind include the streak-ender in Chicago, game 2 of the NBA Finals in 2011 against the Mavericks, and game 1 of the 2014 finals against the spurs. But none of them are particularly fond memories for Heat fans.

If Heat fans were to willingly revisit any loss, it might be this one. And, ridiculous as it seem, this one was potentially the biggest game of them all. The hype surrounding the Heat in the offseason leading up to opening day was unprecedented. And the criticism intense. People didn’t know what to expect. Many thought they would destroy the league. Many wished they wouldn’t. None more so than the Celtics, who had formed their own big 3 a few seasons earlier. So it was the perfect environment to unveil this Heat team to the world.

And the world got what they wanted. The heat looked like a bunch of stars thrown together for the first time. Their game was plagued by turnovers and disorganisation, while the Celtics looked like a well-oiled machine. Boston jumped out to an commanding lead early, but the Heat would storm back, triggered by a change to a LeBron driven/Cavaliers-like system.

Opening night, as it often would be, was about LeBron more than anybody else. In more ways than one. He was the one who switched teams. He was the one who had always drawn the eyes of nba journalists and fans. He was the one who would draw the most boos. He would lead Miami from the start, but not always in the first season. He would be the unquestioned king by the time he left.

Even at this early stage, there were a few flashes of the brilliance that was to come. The Heat never went down without a fight, even though they faced more battles than any other over the four years. Every road arena would feel like a playoff game in that first year. Everyone banded together, demanding that they be crushed under the collective weight of all who opposed what they stood for. But they would not. Even in defeat, like in Boston on opening day, they would rise again. The start for the big 3 was tumultuous: the first season, the first few games (9-8 start), and in the first game itself. But it was essential in building the character of the champion that would emerge.

The reasons:

Hype + Intrigue + the Unknown. Not much tops this game on those three categories.
Wade hit a 3 at the end and LeBron followed it up with a drive and layup to cut the lead to 3. the potential of this side when all three were clicking was in full display. But Ray hit a 3 for the Celtics to kill the game. The Heat would make sure that wouldn’t continue to haunt them into the future.
Every play was scrutinised by the people watching at home. LeBron’s first field goal. LeBron’s first dunk on the break. LeBron’s 3^rd quarter. The furious comeback and Wade turning up in the 4^th. Wade had hardly played in the pre season, so this was the first time we were seeing how this experiment would work.
There would be a few specific hints of things to come. The heat’s slow starts and offensive troubles, particularly in that first season. Wade’s potential to misfire. LeBron being the batman. The Heat’s ability to go on runs, turn on the switch. The fast break potential of the Heat. And the vicious throw downs. Also, the LeBron booing, the hostile environment, and the realisation that this wouldn’t be so easy.
The nostalgic value of seeing where all of this started, armed with the knowledge of what was to come

Monday, 28 July 2014

#6 - 2012 NBA Finals Game 2 - Oklahoma City Thunder (A)

Miami Heat 100, Oklahoma City Thunder 96

The Thunder were many experts’ favourites in 2012. The Thunder seemed the more complete team. This was back when they still had James Harden, of course. It was also back when this Heat group had not yet won anything, LeBron had not yet performed in the finals, and the only thing they had demonstrated was that they could collapse on the biggest stage. The thunder had home court advantage, but the Heat got off to a hot start in game 1. The thunder would claw back strongly, however, and win game 1 without too much stress. In game 2, the Heat again rushed off to the quick start, and this time they were able to keep the surging Thunder at bay. This was a team performance, but they were led by LeBron, who seemed determine to quieten all his critics and erase the haunting memories of 2011. He attacked the rim, crashed the boards, and defended all 5 positions all series. When LeBron rose over Kevin Durant to hit a jumper to ice the game, he effectively ended the series. The Heat would “close the doors” to the arena and not let the Thunder return, winning all 3 home games to win the NBA championship. They would reveal that they carried this motif after the series was completed, but from the fist bumps, handshakes and head nods after they had done the job in game 2, you could tell in retrospect that even at the time they knew the significance of what they had accomplished.

There were many times that could be identified as turning points when considered the direction the Big 3 legacy took. Game 6 in Boston, the previous series, sticks out as a personal turning point for LeBron. But this game may have been the bigger turning point for the team. They were 2-5 in finals games before it, and with it would go on to be 8-3 over the next two years.

The reasons:

The highlights:

LeBron’s all around game
Seeing two MVPs and all time greats, LeBron + Durant, go head to head
Wade turned in two solid performances on the road after struggling in the previous series, chipping in with timely steals and buckets.

Shane battier hitting 3’s in both road games to help get the Heat off to hot starts, not something the team was known for. Battier hit big shot after big shot in this one. He was the Heat’s key role player throughout, until Mike Miller stole the show in game 5. Battier would get his moment in the game 7 closer in 2013.
LeBron’s clutch banker with 1.30 to go, and Bosh’s dunk off a Wade drive and dish with under a minute to go.

The infamous LeBron defense of Durant’s final shot. Some labelled it genius, correctly straddling the fine line between legal and illegal contact, doing just enough to ensure the miss while not drawing the call. Underrated in the play, LeBron’s rebound was crucial.

#7 - 2010 Regular Season December 2nd - Cleveland Cavaliers (A)

Miami Heat 118, Cleveland Cavaliers 90

The Return. One of the more famous regular season NBA games of all time. And one of the most unique. It’ll be interesting to see how Miami fans react on Christmas day when LeBron’s cavs come in to town, but it will be nothing compared to what happened on December 2, 2010. The video footage speaks for itself. The hype was unreal. People genuinely were frightened by what might happen. They didn’t know what might happen. Thankfully, nothing truly ugly did, but the fans let themselves be heard with one of the loudest, most hostile arenas ever seen. And LeBron shone through it. LeBron had 38, and seemed perfect in his 3^rd quarter eruption for 24. So dominant he was, it felt like he had 50 in 3 quarters.

The reasons:

The pre game reception and boos every time he touched the ball

Lebron throwing the chalk in the air in front of his own fans, embracing the moment
That first quarter reverse layup
LeBron’s hot shooting streak in the 3^rd, culminating in the deep fade away 2 in front of the cavs bench. Beginning here (4:53) and ending with this (7:43)

The post game interview. The heat struggled early on in 2010. It was after this game that the team felt bonded, and the road to team triumph against adversity began.

#8 - 2013 NBA Finals Game 4 - San Antonio Spurs (A)

#8 - 2013 Finals Game 4 - San Antonio Spurs (A)

Miami Heat 109, San Antonio Spurs 93

Before the 2013 finals was won, it was very nearly lost … but not just in the way everyone remembers. The Heat had to win a game in San Antonio down 2-1 first, to even get to that memorable game 6. And what a performance it took to win it. LeBron nearly always turned up in playoff games *not including the 2011 finals), but by 2013 Heat fans began to appreciate the nights when Wade would turn up as well. He battled injury in the 2013 playoffs, and had considered dropping himself from the team ahead of the game 7 against Indiana. The doubts about Dwyane Wade were a daily concern for Heat fans, but it made it all the more sweet when Wade and LeBron could combine to force a win, especially when the stakes were at their highest, on the road. As usual, in a game in which Wade’s performance was the focal point, LeBron still outscored him. But Wade had 32, and Bosh contributed with 20, with the big 3 combining for 85 of the team’s total points. These were the nights the fans of the big 3 treasured, and the nights which had become harder and harder to come by. But they provided it when it mattered. This was a tougher win. But a great performance. A game that had you fist pumping every minute. Every game of the spurs-heat 2013 finals were of incredibly high quality. But this one was a special night for Heat fans. A black cape game, in enemy territory, adding to the big 3’s legacy of rebounding after a loss.

The reasons:

Speaking of first pumping, none more so than this Wade dunk. And it was nice to see LeBron reacting the same way that we all did at home. This youtube clip doesn’t have the ability to capture what the play meant at the time, in the midst of a finals battle where every layup was a struggle. And Wade breakaways had become excuses to flail out your arms and cry foul as you threw the ball against the backboard. This throwdown in traffic had the weight of the best Vince Carter windmill.

A few glorious wade layups at the rim.

A vintage big 3 performance. A vintage road playoff win. And a seemingly non stop barrage of big plays when it mattered.

Wednesday, 23 July 2014

#9 - 2012 NBA Finals - Game 4 - Oklahoma City Thunder (H)

Oklahoma City Thunder 98, Miami Heat 104

The original cramp game. LeBron was UNBELIEVABLE in this series. We will probably look back on it as the height of his basketball powers. They won in game 5, but he got his defining moment in this one, by hitting a clutch 3 after being carried off with cramps. He matched Westbrook’s 43 with a near triple double in this one. Paritcularly, it was his finishing at the rim and rebounding which were outstanding, and reflected the effort and drive he was bringing in his leadership role as the team chased their first ring. It’s difficult to describe the fear that ran through Miami when LeBron cramped up. It seemed to fulfil the anti-lebron legacies, just as it looked like he would finally reach the top of the mountain. When he was out, Wade and Chalmers made huge plays to keep the heat ahead. And when LeBron came back in to hit that 3, it gave the team and the home crowd the momentum shot it needed to grind it out. This was by far Chalmer’s best game in a heat uniform, scoring 25 and having two crucial buckets in the final minutes.

The reasons:

The 3. (And the micro movie version for you)

Some vintage LeBron moves that we never really saw again were on full display this series. The quick release jumper from the triple threat position. And the short lived variant where he would hold the ball above his head and launch straight into a jump shot. Plus the focus on crashing the offesnive boards and going straight up for tough follow up layups in traffic. And an impossible ability to finish after contact at the rim, again and again. LeBron had access to all the cheat codes in this series.

Wade's clutch layup

Chalmer's clutch layup

MARIO * CHALMERS

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#10 - 2011 Conference Semi Finals - Game 5 - Boston Celtics (H)

10. 2011 Conference Semi Finals - Game 5: Boston Celtics (H)

Boston Celtics 87, Miami Heat 97

Scenes from a finals victory, surely? No, that’s how big every series win felt for the Heat in 2011, and how much it meant to overcome the Celtics.

It’s hard to fully appreciate now, but this win meant EVERYTHING at the time to Miami. They had been unable to beat the Celtics in the regular season, and came into this series with a lot of doubts. A 2^nd round exit for the Heat seems unfathomable now, but it was absolutely on the cards at the time. To remind yourself of how much it meant, you only need to look at the celebrations after the heat emerged victorious. They’re not the celebrations of a team that has just made it to the Easter Conference finals. They’re the celebrations of a team that had played a season in a swirl of doubt, criticism and hated. LeBron’s final 10 points were MAMMOTH. The heat had to come back to win this one, and what a comeback it was. This series was hard fought, and it was fun. Even though the heat had a 3-1 lead at home going into this one (and it took an OT victory on the road in game 4 to get it), the doubt was still paramount. It took the heat actually winning for the fans to finally accept this team could conquer those Celtics. This was the first time LeBron had gotten past the Celtics, and didn’t he know it.

Remember those days of being terrified of Ray Allen jumpers?

The reasons:

Those two LeBron 3’s to kill off the celtics were probably his biggest plays of his career at the time.
The celebrations.

That 2011 season was ultimately crushing for Miami fans. But if they had gone on to win, it would easily have been the most fun season of all 4.

Tuesday, 22 July 2014

5 Honourable Mentions - #5

11. 2012/13 Regular Season Game - 18th March 2013 - Boston Celtics (A)

Miami Heat 105, Boston Celtics 103

Win 23 of the Miami Heat’s 27 game win streak. By this stage the streak was dominating national headlines, and the Boston Celtics represented one of the biggest challenges to the streak. Many have looked back on Miami’s streak as one of the greatest achievements of their run, perhaps representing the pinnacle of their power, and maybe the last consistent appearance of vintage Wade. The Celtics and the Boston Garden provided the perfect environment for the streak to be truly tested, and the intensity in the arena exceeded regular playoff levels. The game in which the Heat would lose their streak at Chicago was equally intense, and NBA columnist Bill Simmons would call it the best regular season game ever. The intensity regular season games for the Heat had was the reason this team was so memorable - they rarely lacked interesting. For Heat fans, this is the streak game that sticks in the memory banks, and it wasn’t just the amazing team performance on the night. It also featured perhaps the best play of the four years...

The reasons:

A 17 point comeback for the heat with the streak on the line
An incredible lebron performance: 37 + 12 to combat Jeff Green’s 43
This clutch jumper from james:. The origin of his trademark celebration

The streak would bring a whole host of great Miami moments. In the very next game the heat would make a 27 point comeback in Cleveland to keep it alive.

Oh yeah, and this

I consider this the best play of the 4 years. It came in an incredibly tense game, with the heat trailing, against one of the players despised most by heat fans. Great commentary, great bench reaction. And it was one of the most vicious posterisations of all time. So nasty was the dunk, Terry was texted a picture of himself in a coffin by his daughters after the game

It was also the first win by Miami in Boston since Allen had joined from the celtics

5 Honourable Mentions - #4

12. 2011 Eastern Conference Finals - Game 5 - Chicago Bulls (A)

Miami Heat 83, Chicago Bulls 80

The achievements of the first season incarnation of the Miami Heat sometimes get swept away by the ultimate knowledge that they came up short in the finals. But it must be remembered that they achieved favourite status in the finals only because of the way they succeeded in beating two heavyweight eastern conference teams on their way there. And in both series, they were considered underdogs by some experts. Both the Celtics and Bulls series ended in 5, but were both incredibly toughly fought and much closer than that number suggests. And they meant everything to Miami at the time. Their comeback to close out the series in Chicago was unbelievable, and probably one of the more underrated playoff road wins, given that it was never really celebrated because of the immediate shift of focus on the finals and then onto what went wrong after they were defeated. But it was a special moment in time. It looked like the beginning of a long playoff rivalry between the two teams, but Rose’s injury would derail that.

The reasons:

Basically the whole comeback run. Wade's 4 point play, LeBron's 3's. LeBron's dagger jumpers from the top of the key.

It's easy to forget how important this win felt at the time, but you can see it here.

Miami had yet to establish themselves as champions. It seemed very possible it could have been the Bull’s league at this stage.

- Lebron had yet to really establish himself as a clutch closer either, and those 2 jumpers to seal the game were huge. The 2011 finals would go on to showcase the best of Wade (and it did, see game 3+4: , ) and the worst of LeBron, but in this series it was LeBron who showed the first signs of assuming the batman role, as Wade struggled.

This whole series was incredible fun, and featured a number of amazing plays. Taj Gibson had a ridiculous putback, and posterised Wade, while Rose and LeBron had a couple of huge dunks, and Haslem had these two in a comeback game from injury.
LeBron’s block of rose to close it out.