At times last season, the Miami Heat lost themselves. But really could you blame them?
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh had each gotten used to hearing cheers when they made a highlight play; at home and on the road.
But once they decided to team up and chase the championship, that all changed.
The fans still came out in record numbers to see them, but they were there to jeer, not cheer. I was excited to watch each regular season game because it had a playoff atmosphere to it. The media scrutiny was intense. Every loss was followed with stories of a possible coaching change and player regretting playing together. It was like a circus coming to town.
Fans were relentless in their hatred for the team because they felt James was taking the easy way out by leaving his home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and taking his talents to South Beach.
If I was in James' shoes I would have left the Cavs, too. After winning back-to-back MVP awards and taking the franchise to the NBA Finals two times, the only thing he has left to accomplish in his career is winning a title.
Do you honestly believe he would have accomplished that in Cleveland with many Eastern Conference teams getting stronger? I didn't think you did.
For James, it's no longer about money. He has enough to buy the homes, cars, and diamonds. Money can't buy the ring that he's after.
Still, others didn't agree with his decision to leave. That was clear by the insult-filled open letter that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert released shortly after the decision was made. Gilbert was clearly lashing out out of anger because he just lost arguably the best player in the league and the man that brought media and money to Cleveland.
But Gilbert's letter probably read like a love letter compared to the treatment the Heat received on road trips. Opposing fans and players took so many shots at the team that the Heat decided to embrace the bad guy role they were given and to run with it.
I, for one, enjoyed the way the Heat engulfed teams on the defensive end before racing up the court for high-flying dunks.
Throughout the year, I watched closely as they went through struggles early before regaining their footing and going on multiple win streaks. I took notice of how James and Wade struggled late in games deciding who would take the last shot and how they would attack it. But when the playoffs started, I felt like they had more than enough talent to win it all.
The Heat scorched through the first two rounds and finished off the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in an electrifying comeback to reach the finals.
After that series, you couldn't have told me the Dallas Mavericks would be able to beat the Miami Heat. After watching the debates and seeing the "experts" picking the Heat, too, I almost felt like it was over before the series began.
Yet the Mavericks ended up winning the Finals and celebrating on Miami's home court, leaving the Miami group of superstars left wondering what happened.
"We wanted to win to spite people. I believe that's the reason we didn't win a championship," Wade said.
I don't know if that's the reason, but I do know that Heat are more hungry now than ever and once the NBA lockout ends, they will be back ready to take another run at the title. This time for the right reasons.
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