Jun 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) holds up the Larry O

I’ll start only with…it was 3 series and 23 blogs ago, the Miami HEAT put forth an effort.  An effort divine in intention and execution.  To bring home to the GREAT city of Miami an NBA Championship…

That’s all I got for dramatic lead-ins; the results can speak for themselves no less than THE SAME DAY they took the title in 2006.  Fitting. Dramatic. Finally.  FINAL-LY!!!!  Mission Accomplished by the Miami HEAT.

The HEAT ripped the Thunder 121-106 in front of an electrified Miami home crowd.  As Pat Riley said from his post-game interview in front of  20,000 live in the AAA:  ”With your permission, can we start this party?”

Keys to the Game:

1.  LeBron James:  What a difference a year makes.  Last year, it was hesitation by James that rendered the criticism that trailed through an off season and an elongated lockout.  Something from the first game of the season he never let go of, using every measurable nerve of pain to propel he and this team over the top in magnificent fashion.  How ironic, the man that averaged 19 points in Finals appearances before this series, would average 28 points against the biggest imaginable threat the HEAT could face.  And how fitting, to end the game with a triple-double and the MVP Trophy-26 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists.  How amazing, with so much damage HEAT #6 delivered at every turn during the NBA postseason, he was allowed to just be LeBron James and focus on playing the complete scoring/passing/rebounding game his numbers reflected in game 5 and allow the rest of his family to pick up the rest.

2.  Mike Miller:  Under any other circumstances he’s number one on this writeup-what he did was absolutely staggering.  7-8 from Downtown Biscayne and 23 points (you read it right-23 points) on the night, his execution, effort, hustle in a final game rivals the performance of Kirk Gibson in the ’88 World Series for a wounded but-never-broken hero.  Body hurting, but not his heart, not ever his soul-he has given his livelihood for this team in every shape and form.  Words can’t describe witnessing his contribution to a 25 point lead the HEAT would maintain up and down through the 4th quarter.  He will go down as an NBA Legend tonight, in perhaps his final NBA appearance.

Jun 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; TMiami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers (15), LeBron James (6), Dwyane Wade (3), and Mike Miller (13) celebrate after winning the NBA championship in game five of the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. The Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

3.  The Miami HEAT:  The collective squad did the impossible tonight under unimaginable pressure at home, up 3-1 to convert it for a win.  6 players for the HEAT in double digits to the tune of James, Wade, Battier, Bosh, Miller, Chalmers to deliver a true, flying death-machine performance and get the Championship they all have been so desperately seeking.  Scoring didn’t do it alone-the defense shut down the Thunder to 42% shooting, allowed only Durant/Westbrook/Harden to get double digits and give zero lanes to pass, drive or shoot all night.  The lack of answers for a HEAT team remained in their on-the-brink game 5, it was exponentiated tonight by perhaps the greatest team effort in NBA Finals history.

4.  3rd Quarter:  The 3rd quarter gets a special mention- the HEAT posted a picture-perfect 36 point onslaught from every angle; 3-point land, on the drive and on pull-up jumpers that will be a highlight reel on it’s own for years to come.  They hit the Thunder with so much so quickly from the 4 minute mark til-close, it was surprising that Head Coach Scott Brooks didn’t have their cut-man throw a towel at a passing ref to stop the contest all together.  The definition of HEAT basketball in it’s most perfect form delivered the knockout blow, extending an already impressive lead to disaster in almost no elapsed time.  Phenomenal, fitting and righteous play by the HEAT.

Jun 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Mike Miller (13) shoots a three point shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter of game five in the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

For the Thunder-there will be anguish.  Closing coverage showed an emotional Kevin Durant hugging his family in the halls entering the visitor’s locker room.  While emotion was expected…there will be no Thunder player collapsing against a wall like Chris Bosh last year.  There will be no OKC All-Star going into seclusion for two weeks refusing to shave, shutting themselves away from the outside world due to the devastation of this loss.  The pain from the series hurts, but from game one forward it was clear who wanted it more.  The Thunder have a lot to be proud of as a young team that will only get better with continued hard work and should return to the final dance next year.  There is a confidence that should come from that, there were two teams that entered the ring 5 times and the other guys- the hungrier, more mature and ultimately more driven team pulled out four of the wins to clinch the result.

Mission Accomplished for the Miami HEAT in a playoff run and Finals delivery that will not be forgotten.  Emotions can’t describe it for those that have lived and died by this team’s results and headlines for the past two years. While it was the players fighting the battle, it has always been the fans who stood firmly behind them and believed in the players, management and the experiment that so many believed as a failure.  Everyone was self- invested in this team and project, down to the the fans who traded the emails and analysis over countless company man-hours, sharing jokes, “rants,” stats, words of encouragement and above all things-hope when things were low.   What I’ve witnessed that is most special by this team, is that this whole thing was put together with their interests in mind.  The fans.  The city of Miami.  Where does that ever happen without  another agenda?  Which makes this trophy,  title and forthcoming celebrations all the more meaningful as it’s everyone’s to share.

For the fans and the readers some parting words:  One down, 6 to go.  Weather the storm and stay the course- It’s going to be a grind, so live in the moment;  4 Spoelstra-isms, one for each Finals win all-together for your reading enjoyment (or laughter).   The moment is overwhelming now, it is great to finally enjoy it, live it, breathe it, and savor it.  Miami won’t let this feeling go for a good, long while.

Jun 19, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) and small forward LeBron James (6) and power forward Chris Bosh (1) celebrate during the fourth quarter in game four in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Arena. Miami won 104-98. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Wednesday April 4th was one of the biggest days of the Miami HEAT’s 2012 regular season. On this day, the HEAT would rematch an Oklahoma City Thunder team that decimated them only a week earlier, providing all a sneak-peak to what the NBA Finals could look like and even hint toward the end-result.
Across town, however there was another big event happening in Miami: Opening Day at the Marlins new baseball stadium. Decisions, decisions. What to watch? Preview of the NBA Finals, or the first home game in a stadium that was forever in the making? Some even joked that the HEAT’s show may even draw from Marlins’attendance, folks who just wanted to watch the first pitch and say they were present, then travel a few streets down and arrive late with the rest of the HEAT fans in the 2nd quarter.
So is life in Miami, always options and critical decisions for entertainment.  Before the first pitch, the Marlins announced the appearance of former Heavyweight Champ, Social Activist, Humanitarian and Greatest-Ever Muhammad Ali. I watched the game not from Marlins’ seats but in front of my HD Flat screen, and admired the now weathered and aging, but ever awe-inspiring Ali take the cart from the outfield to infield, to the chants of “ALI! ALI! ALI” from the sold-out crowd. He was a staple in Miami, trained regularly at the legendary 5th street gym and fought here against Sonny Liston where he would win the Heavyweight Title. 

April 4, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria (right) and Muhammad Ali (left) is seen on a golf cart before the start of opening day between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins at Marlins Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Some quick history, Cassius Clay would change his name to Muhammad Ali after the Liston fight as a public acknowledgement of his Muslim faith, under great controversy by a socially and racially segregated America. During his career, he was an open-acknowledger of his Muslim beliefs, supporter of the Nation of Islam movement, and close-friend to civil-rights leader Malcolm X.  At 22 years of age, he was the youngest Heavyweight Champ to win against a former, and began his legacy on the bad-side of America’s racially-charged criticism and angst.  He was polarizing for a sport that was quickly becoming more accepted despite racial lines, and lived his life front-center, always vocal and outspoken about his beliefs and the damning of his opponents inside and outside the ring.  His political views were controversial; he accepted a jail sentence that would be later overturned for refusing entry into the military draft.  Ali, in every shape and form, was his own man of principal and the opinion of him was love or hate.  Despite all of this, his legacy from boxing and beyond would change the sports world forever as we know it, but more importantly influence the views, the minds, and the perception of a generation during some of its’ darkest hours. 

Ironic and spectacular in the same breath, that man in the cart, hardened by age and experience almost 50 years ago was hated by most in this country just by representing progress.  Decades later he’s cheered and revered by fans of all ages and walks of life, compelled today to chant his name. What a symbol of the universal impact of sports, on how time can erase the hate and smooth popular opinion to a more logical conclusion of understanding and acceptance.

 It was a note that I wrote myself that day that brought me to these thoughts.  Before the first pitch and much-before the tipoff against OKC I wrote only one word down on a notepad to make me remember this moment.  That note said only “Progress.” I found that note today and went back to the thoughts I had, thinking over almost two years of angst for a group of players that have been the most polarizing sports figure(s) of MY generation.  Treading very lightly with disclaimer, LeBron’s decision is nowhere in the same ballpark as Ali’s and understandably so.  The times that Ali defined were astoundingly different in America, and his struggles were unmatched, but by doing so opened up the doors for athletes to be what they are today. 

But how they are linked; how many times in sports do we see the true significance of life perpetuated by athletes during their time of relevance.  Ali was the greatest athlete of his time (perhaps ALL time) not just because of who he knocked out, but the PROGRESS he represented.  Progress of a society, a people, a nation, a concept that we all would later believe and aspire to.  The HEAT relative to their times offer a similar proposition, one of progress for professional sports.  For the past two years, some critics of their professional growth and decision-making called their actions “collusion.” The center of their debate was predicated on the Freudian logic of  “you can’t do that just because.”  They were viewed as selfish and disloyal.  Not deserving of a title or much less a televised “Decision.” 

Jun 19, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh (left) and point guard Mario Chalmers (center) and shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) celebrate during the fourth quarter in game four in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Arena. Miami won 104-98. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Now, by winning the 2012 NBA Championship, this team is able to write their own chapter in the ever-evolving annuls of sports history by simply showing that the formula works.  By winning, their story will demonstrate the progress of individuals sacrificing star-status and money to work together and win a championship.  By winning and winning only, they show their progress as winners.  Because in sports, the only story of progress we tend to remember is the one written by the champion.  

 As the season dwindles to a close, it is becoming more and more apparent the game changer of this generation is before us today.  It is the Miami HEAT, and with a trophy they become the most significant sports team I have ever witnessed first hand.  I can only imagine what their impact will be 50 years from now.