The Miami Heat’s NBA Championship: More Than the Work of the Big Three
In game five of the NBA Finals, LeBron James led his Miami Heat to his first and the franchise’s second NBA championship. After breaking Cleveland’s heart, hosting The Decision, forming the Big Three, and failing in the 2011 NBA Finals, King James has finally lived up to his name. Although it was James who led his team to victory, the Heat had much more support, and it was more than just the Big Three this time.
Ever since the Big Three joined forces, the Heat have received much criticism. Some criticism was directed towards Miami’s lack of a bench and that the only talent they had composed of James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The 2012 NBA Finals proved that wrong. As much work the Big Three had done to win the championship, Miami’s success could not have occurred without the help of the rest of the Heat.
Game five alone showed just how much the entire Heat team could do. The Big Three combined for 70 points in the championship-clinching game, but three other members scored in double figures: Shane Battier (11 points), Mario Chalmers (10 points), and Mike Miller (23 points). Battier also had 17 points in both games one and two. Chalmers scored 25 points in game four to help the Heat go up in the series 3-1. Miller’s 23-point performance was his most notable game in possibly the entire season. He has been struggling with back problems and has constantly been fighting through them to play. What is even more unbelievable is the fact that Miller’s 23 points came in 23 minutes of play by shooting 7-22 from the field. All seven made field goals were three-pointer field goals while the extra two points were a result of free throws.
Those performances were of much help to the Big Three, but the Big Three’s work must be acknowledged as well.
In the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat seemed to struggle when Chris Bosh was out. Having him for the Finals was a big plus. Bosh averaged 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds. His consistent rebounding was ver helpful for Miami as they outrebounded the Oklahoma City Thunder in every game won.
Dwyane Wade accepted a secondary role on the team, and his willingness to allow James to become the team’s leader helped the team flourish. He acted as a consistent scorer averaging 22.6 points. Wade’s presence was not only felt through scoring. He also averaged 6.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
LeBron James had the biggest impact of all. After failing to lead the Heat to victory in 2011, he learned from his mistakes and experiences he went through. He showed up in the Finals and came ready to play, including the fourth quarter. Even after suffering from cramps during game four, James played with the pain scoring a clutch three before heading to the bench for good. Overall, he averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists for the Finals. The performances James had gives showed his will to win, and he finally did.
The Big Three were brought together to win championships, but as it turns out, three talented superstars would not be enough. Fortunately, they had a supporting cast to assist them win a championship. The job the Heat had done during the series truly shows why they deserved to win. They played a good game, fought hard, and never gave up.