NBA Finals 2011: Why LeBron James Made the Wrong Decision by Going to the Heat
Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks have won the 2010-11 NBA Finals, despite playing LeBron James and the Miami Heat. We all have fresh memories in our minds from LeBron James' "The Decision," and it appears that he made the wrong one.
The Mavericks won the series 4-2, winning the last three games in a row, and handing Miami's Big Three their first two losses at home in the playoffs.
We, the media, have scrutinized LeBron James since he came into the league, and it was increased tenfold when his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended. Since last June, we have been watching him closely, and when he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh by 'taking his talents to South Beach,' he remained in the spotlight.
The Big Three promised Miami multiple NBA Championships, and they had their first opportunity this year. The Heat entered the postseason by beating the 76ers">Philadelphia 76ers, 4-1 in their series. They then proceeded to beat the Boston Celtics and their Big-Three-plus-Rondo, 4-1. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat topped the Chicago Bulls and MVP Derrick Rose, 4-1 as well.
Winning their first three series with apparent ease convinced many experts and fans alike that the Heat were bound to win the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, but it was not to be.
The Heat took Game 1 92-84, but after a failure to close Game 2, the series became more interesting. The Heat had finally lost at home, and Dallas had taken home court advantage. The Heat responded to the critics who said that they could not close games in Game 3, winning 88-86, and taking back home court advantage.
The Mavericks took a must-win Game 4, and then a crucial Game 5 to come within one win of becoming NBA Champions. The Heat needed to show the world that they could beat the Mavs at home, a place where they were almost perfect, but Big D won the game and the series.
The media has had a field-day with Dallas demonstrating that team-basketball can still beat superstars, and, as Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert tweeted: "There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE."
This leads us to ask the question: Did LeBron James make the right decision in choosing Miami? The answer—no.
LeBron coming to Miami may have seemed the best choice at the time, but in retrospect, it was not. By joining two other bona fide superstars, the team had very little room for all three.
The player whose game suffered the most was Chris Bosh. Bosh went from averaging 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, to 18.7 points per game, and 8.3 rebounds per game. Despite playing more time in more games, almost every single one of Bosh's numbers declined in the 2010-11 season.
Dwyane Wade's numbers also dipped. Wade averaged less points, assists, steals and threes per game.
LeBron James' numbers were not those of a normal year either, with his points, assists, steals, blocks and threes per game all dropping.
By coming to Miami, James overcrowded the court with talent, and there were not enough possessions to go around. This led, in turn, to their losing the NBA Finals, and to Miami being the wrong place for James.
The Big Three assembled like a team of superheroes. They then became supervillains in the eyes of the world, with only the city of Miami supporting them. Now that they have failed to win the championship they promised, they could possibly be the three most hated men in the sports world today.
