Current Miami Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have carved out an entirely new future for themselves in the NBA following the days of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, causing many fans to forget the glory of the franchise's wildly successful ‘Big 3.'
James, Wade and Chris Bosh led the Heat to two titles as a trio in 2012 and 2013, going ‘back-to-back' for the franchise's first championships since Wade and Alonzo Mourning won one in 2006. The 2011 season was a different story for James, Wade and the Heat, however. The trio ran into a buzzsaw called the Dallas Mavericks as Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, JJ Barea and Shawn Marion led the Mavericks to a Finals upset over the James-led ‘super team.'
Today's Heat still use those James teams as inspiration in their quest for franchise title number four, and are in the thick of the playoff race right now. A critical Tuesday night matchup with the New York Knicks was given a thorough preview recently. Heat guard Terry Rozier got real about his team's chances for a playoff positioning upgrade after a big performance recently.
Also on Tuesday, the Heat legend James shared his honest thoughts on the 2011 series with podcast co-host JJ Redick.
James Gets Real on Heartbreaking 2011 Series vs. Mavs
Speaking to Redick on his Mind the Game podcast recently, James shared his honest feelings about the stinging disappointment of the series loss. Fans across the Web have trolled James ever since, showing pictures of him in a losing effort vs. the Mavericks diminutive guard JJ Barea and using it as evidence against James fans' ‘GOAT' claims.
“I played like s–t,” James said on the podcast about his performance. “…I told myself the way I played, unacceptable.”
James averaged 17.8 points in the 2011 NBA Finals, a paltry number in comparison to Wade' 26.5 points per game total. He was also overshadowed by Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki who scored 26 points per game and grabbed over nine rebounds per game. James was outscored by Bosh during the series as the center/forward from Georgia Tech averaged 18.5 points per game and outrebounded his Heat teammate.
Heat Playoff chances in Eastern Conference
The Heat held a record of just 41-33 entering Tuesday night's shown with the Knicks in Miami giving them a chance to improve their positioning in the East. With what many would call an underachieving season still finishing up, the Heat appear destined for a matchup with the beasts of the East including the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics in the first round.
Miami holds a two-game winning streak heading into Tuesday night's game suggesting that their annual playoff metamorphosis may be right on schedule after all.
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