Rise From 3-1: The Miami Heat and The Dark Knight
By JCook
They say history is made to be broken.
They say nothing is impossible.
They say heroes are those that, when all seems lost and doom seems inevitable, rise up and save the day.
Tonight, that history is a 3-1 deficit. Something that no team has ever rallied from in NBA Finals history.
And tonight, those heroes are the Big 3.
And tonight, that unstoppable force awaits in San Antonio in the form of a beautifully crafted version of Spurs basketball.
In times of stress or uncertainty I, like LeBron did after Game 1, turn to the cinematic world.
Though I prefer to turn my attention towards good films, rather than that of Maleficent.
Last night I took refuge in one of my favorite films, The Dark Knight Rises, the last of the Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.
Maybe it’s the relentless onslaught from the Spurs these last two games messing with my head, but I couldn’t help drawing similarities between that movie and the situation the Heat find themselves in right now.
May 8, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (left) talks with center Chris Bosh (center) and guard Dwyane Wade (right) during the second half in game two of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Arena. Miami won 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY SportsThe Big 3 take the form of Batman. LeBron expresses the physical aggression and effort needed to pursue victory. Wade still has fight in him, but could really use the medical gadget Bruce Wayne had to stabilize his knee. Bosh has the heart and spirit needed to save Gotham, and will do everything he can to keep the dream of success alive.
On the other end of the spectrum is Bane: an unstoppable force that seems full of brute force and perfection, trying to recover from earlier defeat. Last year, Miami defeated the “League of Shadows” in a thrilling 7 game series, but this year Bane…I mean the Spurs, are here to extract revenge and take the championship they had at their finger tips last year.
They believe they have broken the Big 3 (Batman) and are here to be the NBA’s(Gotham’s) reckoning. A 3-1 series lead (the bomb) ready to detonate tonight and give the Spurs their 5th championship.
That bomb will either explode tonight or the next five days.
…or the Big 3 (Batman) will rise from the prison (3-1 series lead) and save the day.
This is where the Heat’s journey begins tonight.
An impossible climb ahead of them, and an opportunity to rise from the fire to achieve history.
It will take arguably the best basketball we’ve seen from Miami in the Big 3 era.
That means:
Limiting turnovers, playing the near perfect defense we’ve witnessed from them as recently as the Eastern Conference Finals (though that feels like ages ago now), and each player giving everything they have to the cause.
And it has to happen for 3 straight games.
Yes it may seem impossible, and tonight could very well be a funeral rather than a rally, but LeBron gave the Heat nation one phrase on Friday, that I’m holding onto with the hope of history being broken:
“Why not us?”
Jun 20, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (left), LeBron James (center) and Chris Bosh (right) celebrate after game seven in the 2013 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena. Miami defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win the NBA Championship. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Win or lose, and whatever this off-season brings for Miami (though I expect it there to be many changes made), these past 4 years have been an incredible journey.
4 straight NBA Finals, and two championships on the resume of the Big 3 era.
Why not channel their inner Batman one more time, and add another piece of history to this legacy?
“Why not us?”