Four NBA championships for Miami Heat
A few years ago, in 2010, Chris Bosh and LeBron James joined the Miami Heat as they were free agents. Here they teamed up with Dwayne Wade and made the now very popular “Big Three” which promised a great performance for the Miami team. When James joined the Heat, he made a pretty big promise, stating that they will win four NBA championships. While this was quickly followed by mocking from some people, it didn’t take long for the trio to put the Heat on the path to an NBA championship.
During the first year, the Big Three managed to get the Miami Heat all the way to the 2011 Finals. However, they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder; something which only made them try harder in the next season.
One championship down and three to go
In 2012, Miami Heat won the NBA championship after dominating the Thunder and ending the series in just five games. James was named Finals MVP and had triple-double digits in Game 5.
This year, the regular season was all about the Miami Heat. The team looked unstoppable and made a 27 game winning streak before the Chicago Bulls stopped their run. However, with the second longest streak in NBA history and the title in their sights, the Heat continued to reign supreme in the Eastern Conference. They crushed the Milwaukee Bucks, got 4-1 against the Chicago Bulls and beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games to make it to the NBA finals.
Now, they will face their toughest opponent yet in an exciting series to determine the 2013 NBA Champions. A good NBA betting strategy can prove to be very useful here since both teams will give everything they have on the court.
While they are favorites to win, if the Miami Heat loses the series, a lot of questions will once again rise regarding Pat Riley’s decision to bring experienced players to the team that have a certain aging talent. On the other hand, a victory over the San Antonio Spurs will quickly fight off any concerns and will make the Heat one of the few teams to win consecutive NBA titles. The start of a league dynasty can come from this win and LeBron James will be leading the charge.
Some of the Heat players however might not be around for future championships. Ray Allen, Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier are past their prime as far as their basketball careers are concerned and the team might need some fresh talent if it wants to repeat its great performance in the years to come.
The pressure is on!
Nowadays, most people identify the Miami Heat with LeBron James, and for good reason too. He has won the Most Valuable Player title four times so far but the real core of the Heat team for the past decade has been made out of Wade and Haslem. They were both drafted by the Heat in the same year, although in different circumstances, and went on to win the first NBA title in franchise history just three years later.
At this point, the Miami Heat became one of the elite teams in the NBA but they soon found out that it was hard to stay at this level. While Wade showed a lot of talent, the team wasn’t able to make it past the playoffs in the next four years. This forced Riley to look for new players in free agency, where he found James and Bosh.
This move basically turned the Miami Heat into one of the best teams in NBA, and it almost happened overnight. It became the most important sports franchise in Florida; which placed a target on its back, with every other team wanting to beat it.
The “Beat the Heat” chants continued this season but their meaning has changed quite a bit. If it used to be directed at Riley’s ability to find talent in the free agency market, now it is more about the fact that in order to win a title, you must go through Miami and this is not a small task to accomplish.
It remains to be seen if LeBron James will get one stop closer to keeping his promise this year or if he will have to wait another season for another shot at the prestigious NBA title.
