Turning up the Heat: A trip down Miami memory lane

Worst: 2011 Finals meltdown

Need I explain why? I guess I’ll try, if the memories come back clearly.

Coming off of thrilling five-game victories over the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Heat were viewed as the heavy favorites heading into the championship series.

James had many memorable fourth-quarter performances against the Bulls, and was a shoe-in pick for NBA Finals MVP…wasn’t he?

Miami’s momentum carried over into Game 1, and James thrived on both ends. He finished the game with 24 points and hit four of five shots from beyond-the-arc as the Heat won at home and took a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 came along, and I noticed several of the same patterns from the game before throughout the first three quarters. Despite James’ lack of aggression, Wade had taken the scoring reigns and was by far the best player on the floor. Following a corner 3 with just over six minutes remaining, Wade had totaled 36 points.

Dallas would go on to climb all the way back, using a 20-2 run to take a 93-90 lead. The Mavericks would go on to close them out and tie the series, and I can’t begin to express the anger I felt toward that team. I threw my pillows, punched my mattress and didn’t want to speak to anyone.

Although Game 3 helped wipe away some of that stress, it has never truly left. James had just 17 points in that game and hadn’t topped 25 in any of the first three contests.

Head-scratching. He hit his lowest point in Game 4, when he scored just eight points and looked severely distressed and uncomfortable throughout the game. It was mind-boggling. The best player in basketball against a team that had not one defender capable of checking him, couldn’t score, and he seemed hesitant to attack.

I couldn’t explain it then, and to this day I still can’t. His discomfort carried itself over into Game 5, when the Heat once again blew a fourth quarter lead, and James totaled just 17 points. I remember being particularly disgusted with that one, as I felt far too many were giving him credit for what I thought was the weakest triple-double in the history of the NBA Finals.

Would he bounce back in Game 6? With Miami down 3-2 and one loss away from a humiliating end to year one of this experiment?

After the first six minutes or so, it appeared so. James was 4-for-4 from the field and for a split second, I let myself believe he had finally turned the corner. Then I saw his face following that between-the-legs jumper, my hopes for the Heat to take home the title vanquished.

A look of confidence and swagger is not what I saw. I saw timidness and fear. I saw a player on the verge of a panic attack on the floor.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t cheering. Until the final buzzer, I was glued to the screen. But once the clock hit 0:00 and Mike Breen famously said “the Dallas Mavericks are NBA Champions, the first title in franchise history…” I wasn’t hearing any more.

I remember the painful images of Miami players heading to the locker room, and for a minute, we shared the same pain. I endured a year of grief upon returning to school in August, and although the Heat would go on to win the next two titles, it still didn’t stop the harshest critics.

I guess that’s what always struck me, and to this day, I can offer no explanation. Was anything this team did, going to be good enough? Could they ever truly live up to expectations? Two titles in four years says yes, but given the talent on the roster, some look at that as a failure.

Either way, I’m optimistic of what the future holds for this organization from a journalist’s standpoint. Despite not having a “true” superstar on its roster, the Heat continue to find ways to be competitive, especially in March-April.

Next: Miami Heat: Big man Hassan Whiteside's best moments of 2016-17

That’s what I’ve always appreciated the most.