The LeBron James era Miami Heat are one of the biggest "what ifs" in recent NBA history.
In defense of LeBron, he wanted to go home. It's likely that Pat Riley could never have convinced arguably the greatest player to ever play to remain with the Miami Heat in the chase for more championships. LeBron had the Cleveland Cavaliers on his mind, and he eventually would deliver for his hometown.
Still, looking back on that 2010-2014 Heat run of four straight NBA Finals and back-to-back championships, "what if?" will forever remain a question. There's no question that LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh couldn't have won another, or two. Tragically, we'll never know for sure.
So, even though Riley is enjoying his recent enshrinement outside of the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles in the form of an immortalized statue, LeBron in Miami still lingers in the back of his mind, as he spoke about on Monday. At the same time, LeBron and the Lakers faced off against the Boston Celtics — a common foe LeBron faced with the Heat.
Pat Riley believes the Heat with LeBron James missed out on an NBA dynasty
It was no secret that, at the time of LeBron's decision to leave Miami, Riley was rubbed the wrong way, even while eventually understanding the move to go back home. But that decision ended the Heat's chances of continuing their run with the "Big 3." Of course, LeBron would win another title a couple of years later, while the Heat began to take a different direction.
Nevertheless, Riley firmly believed that if LeBron stayed, the Heat could have won another title, even going so far as to say they could have created a dynasty.
“I thought getting the Big 3 — Dwyane, Chris Bosh, and especially LeBron — that we had finally put together what I thought could become a dynasty," Riley admitted to The Miami Herald. "It was four trips to the Finals in a row, two world championships. It was an incredible run. And as a coach and somebody who really thought about how to build that particular team and had built it, I saw something that could have lasted eight to 10 years.”
Riley clearly wanted more from that era, but he never got that wish, and further lamented the fact.
“But I’m going to be selfish here and say I wish I had him for another six or eight years. That would have been great. But we’ll never know, will we?”
Unfortunately for Riley and the Heat, they haven't won a title since that run, while LeBron has gone on to win two, one with the Cavaliers and one with the Lakers. LeBron is still seeking his fifth ring, but who knows if he'll ever get it. There is always the possibility that had he stayed with the Heat, he could have already tied or passed Michael Jordan, which would have impacted the GOAT conversation even further, if not, cemented it for LeBron.
Riley has the present iteration of the Heat to manage now, though, and he's been receiving some criticism lately from different sides. That said, Riley has never been one to cater to the outside noise, and he's sure to continue walking that path even now while the Heat try to finish this season strong as a playoff team, if they can manage it.