In 2011, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks piped LeBron James and the Heat superteam to the title in one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history. As painful as the loss and the mockery that followed was, it fueled the forward to up his game. He came into the 2011-12 season gunning for revenge and, according to teammate Dwyane Wade, turned into the scariest version of himself.
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During an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast in 2023, former Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert discussed James’ career with the crew and claimed that the four-time MVP was at the peak of his powers and borderline unstoppable in the 2011-12 season. He recalled how the forward and Wade refused to settle for low-percentage jumpers and instead looked to attack the rim on every possession.
Shumpert claimed defenses were overwhelmed as the duo was not only physically gifted but also stellar finishers. He explained,
“I think the best version of Bron was you remember the year when Dirk won? That next year, they came back, when him and D Wade vowed to not settle for jumpers and they played that whole first season and they wouldn’t shoot no threes. They was just attacking. It was vicious. I was like, ‘Bro, what the fu** are we supposed to do with that?’”
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An Instagram page called Inspired by Hoops posted Shumpert’s take on their profile and Wade shared it on his stories, suggesting he agreed with it.
Dwyane Wade also thinks LeBron was the scariest in his second season for Miami pic.twitter.com/u8JVYHZYFe
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) October 6, 2024
The forward’s dominance was aided by Wade’s selflessness. He cut down on playing iso-ball and focused on feeding his superstar teammate, which helped them both wreak havoc and lead the Heat to the championship.
A deep dive into LeBron James’ paint production during the 2012 playoffs
James was already exceptional in the paint in his first year with the Heat. However, he took things to another level during the 2011-12 season, especially in the playoffs.
In the 2011 postseason, James banked four of his 5.9 shot attempts on average from five feet or fewer. While these numbers are terrific, they seem underwhelming compared to his production in the 2012 playoffs.
During that run, the forward attempted 8.4 field goals from five feet or fewer on average and converted 6.1. He was the top scorer in the paint in those playoffs, ahead of players like Blake Griffin and Andrew Bynum, who operated exclusively under the rim.
As a result, his scoring average jumped from 23.7 points per game in the 2011 playoffs to 30.3 in 2012. He also battled hard for boards. His offensive rebounds average jumped from 1.6 to 2.3.
James has always been exceptional when attacking the rim or playing with his back to the basket. However, his heroics in the 2012 playoffs not only helped him win his first NBA title but also struck fear in the hearts of his opponents.
