Miami Heat: Charles Barkley’s Even Switched Teams To Try And Win
Let’s transition to LeBron’s time in Miami. Barkley claimed that LeBron has stacked his teams over his career. On the Miami Heat, Charles does have a point here.
The Journey of a Champion in Miami
A Big 3 consisting of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, all playing at or around their peak, formed a dominant superteam. Were they unbeatable, though?
Certainly not. In fact, in their first year playing together, they were humbled by Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
LeBron continues to go through the struggle. LeBron James had to mature as a player.
His individual talent was unquestionable, but some began to question whether he could ever lead a team to an NBA championship. The following year, he took that next step with the help and encouragement of Dwyane Wade.
After winning his third MVP award, James led the Miami Heat to the Finals for the second year in a row. This time, the result was different.
The Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to win their second franchise title. LeBron was the Finals MVP.
From that point on, James was at the top of the league. During the 2012-13 season, he won the MVP award again, missing a unanimous selection by one vote.
James also finished second that year in Defensive Player of the Year voting. In addition to his individual success, James led the Miami Heat to back-to-back titles.
Looking at His Legacy
LeBron’s time in Miami was only the start of his success as an NBA champion. Since then, he has won two more NBA titles, including the illustrious 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors.
He has made 10 NBA Finals appearances. He absolutely dominated the past decade.
Nearly every NBA star goes through their fair share of ups and downs during their NBA career, but that does not mean they all have to experience them the same way. LeBron’s path to greatness was different than Michael Jordan’s; that does not take anything away from the greatness of either player though.
They both deserve to be in the conversation for who is the greatest of all time for what they have both accomplished in their respective careers. For the fans in Miami, we are glad we were able to witness, firsthand, LeBron’s transformation into an NBA legend.