From the widespread criticism of ‘The Decision’ to the iconic quote proclaiming that he would win “not 5, not 6, not 7” championships with the Heat, LeBron James’ first season in Miami was marked by otherworldly expectation.
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James joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami made the Heat immediate title contenders, a status LeBron’s Cavaliers had never experienced. Ultimately, that pressure led to a historic crumble in the 2011 NBA Finals.
“I played like s**t… I told myself the way I played, unacceptable,” Bron later remarked about his 18-7-7 averages. He described it as the lowest point of his career, but as it often does, that rock bottom quickly became a springboard to greatness.
Udonis Haslem recently recalled how James took the loss to the Dallas Mavericks personally. “I gotta give it to Bron, man. The best player in the world went in the lab that summer,” UD said on Zach Randolph and Tony Allen’s podcast, ‘Out The Mud’.
“Worked on his post-game, got in the lab with Hakeem Olajuwon. When you think he couldn’t add nothing else, the motherf**ker added turnaround jumpers and all kind of s**t like that. So, when the best player in the world continues to find ways to get better and raise the bar, we ain’t got no choice.”
It’s rare for the best player on a team to also be the hardest working. But James came into the 2012 season with a heavy chip on his shoulder. The then-two-time MVP had something to prove, and his desire to improve spread like wildfire in the Heat locker room.
“Practice started at 10… And he got there at 7:45 after doing a 45-minute bike ride. He pull up in that motherf**ker, by 8 he’s getting his shots up. By 9, he’s lifting his weights. By 9:45, he’s on the table getting taped. He done went through a whole 3 hours before practice had even started,” Haslem recalled.
Haslem claimed James “set the tone” for the rest of the team by holding himself accountable. And it worked, as he played some of the most dominant basketball the world will ever see the following year.
He had career-high efficiencies from the field, the charity stripe, and the three-point line on his way to MVP #3 and championship #1.
The King dominated in such an unquestionable manner that even Dirk Nowitzki counted himself lucky to face him when he did.
During his appearance on Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s podcast, the 14-time All-Star admitted, “We got a little lucky, you know? We saw them in year one where they had just gotten together and I think they were not quite sure yet… We caught them on the early side before they really figured it all out.”
There’s certainly truth to Nowitzki’s point. After James solidified himself as the clear number one option in Miami, the only real opponent that they faced was injuries.
Though he couldn’t lead his team to the promised 7+ championships, LeBron James’ Heat remains one of five teams in NBA history to record 4 consecutive berths in the NBA Finals.
