The Streak is Over at 27

In two of my posts, “22 and Counting!!!” and “STREAK UPDATE!!!” I clearly explained the historic win streak that the Miami Heat had begun. Back on February 3rd 2013, Miami traveled across the Canadian border to play against the Toronto Raptors. The Heat went on to win the game by a double digit margin but they didn’t realize that the victory would jump start them into setting a historic streak. As the weeks went on, the streak grew larger and larger and the Miami Heat was once again the center of attention in all of sports media.

 “This streak is good for the NBA, it gives us as fans something to look forward to or be excited for,” Hall of Famer and ESPN NBA Countdown analyst Magic Johnson stated when asked about the streak. I wholeheartedly agree with Magic because the streak is exciting and although every human is not a fan of the Miami Heat, once it is known that a team is close to breaking records everyone watching becomes a little more intrigued with the situation.

Unfortunately the win streak came to an end at an amazing 27 games, on March 27th, 2013 when the Heat traveled to Chicago to face the Chicago Bulls. In a game that many considered poorly refereed the Heat lost 97-101. The officiating team received a lot of flack because of the “nonbasketball” plays that the Bulls were making in order to combat the physical abilities of Lebron James. In the clip below you’ll see Bulls guard Kurt Hinrich tackling James to stop the play, but Hinrich must have forgotten that they were playing basketball not football. 

I’m not here to make any excuses for the Heat and Lebron James because they could have still won the game, but a few mishaps in the final moments prevented the streak from continuing.  But all in all, the streak was great for the entire NBA as it added another exciting element to the 2012-2013 regular season.  The streak ended at a perfect time. As the playoffs approach, many of the key players such as Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh can now rest up and get ready to capture their second consecutive championship.

The Power of Pictures

There is the adage, “That a picture is worth a thousand words” and in the case of Lebron James there are two pictures that perfectly reflect his career. When James decided to join the Miami Heat in the off season of 2010, he made himself a walking target for criticism and hatred. The fact that James joined a team with two all stars already on the roster was the main reason for the hatred and harsh critiquing. Things only escalated once the Miami Heat were defeated in the Finals largely on behalf of James’ terrible performance. This photo shows James walking off the court as the Dallas Mavericks eliminated the Heat in game 6 on the Heat’s home court.

In this picture you see so much hurt and pain in the facial expression of James. He understood that once again he proved his doubters correct and gave the nonbelievers another reason not to believe. I believe it was the pain that motivated James to work twice as hard to get back to the Finals the very next year and play the best basketball of his career to obtain the coveted NBA championship.

By capturing his first NBA title James is no longer haunted by his demons. The harsh scrutiny and criticism has decrease vastly because of his outstanding performance in last year’s Finals. I believe it is the joy captured in James’ eyes in this picture that will motivate him to continue to get better and win more championships.

Miami Heat Visit the White House

Earlier this year, January 28^th to be exact the Miami Heat were honored by President Barack Obama for winning the 2012 NBA Championship. The Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the NBA Finals last June.

President Obama welcomed the team to the White House by beginning his speech with, "Everybody doing their part, is what finally put the Heat over the top". The president also congratulated the team for their success off of the basketball court. "For all the young men out there who are looking up to them all the time, for them to see somebody who cares about their kids and is there for them day in and day out, that's a good message to send," Obama said. He showed his appreciation for supporting military service members at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and also for being great father figures and role models to those without fathers.

Below is a brief video clip of Lebron presenting President Obama with an autographed basketball, and during his presentation Lebron explained how members of his team, who are all from various areas in the country, were honored to be in the White House meeting the President of the United States. "We're in the White House right now, which is like, like `mama I made it,'" is a quote Lebron will be remembered for. Although the audience laughed and cheered as Lebron walked away from the podium, Lebron expressed that the moment was surreal to him because twenty years ago as a child he only dreamed about meeting the President and the fact that he is now living out his dream still feels unreal.

 

Once again, Congratulations to the 2011-2012 Miami Heat team for winning the Championship:

• #6 Lebron James SF
• #3 Dwayne Wade SG
• #1 Chris Bosh PF
• #15 Mario Chalmers PG
• #30 Norris Cole PG
• #13 Mike Miller SG
• #31 Shane Battier SF
• #40 Udonis Haslem PF
• #14 Terrel Harris SG
• #22 James Jones SF
• #21 Ronny Turiaf C
• #50 Joel Anthony C
• #45 Dexter Pittman C
• #34 Eddy Curry C
• #5 Juwan Howard PF
• #32 Mickell Gladness PF

Although there has been a few roster changes to this season's team, it is expected that Lebron and the Miami Heat will be invited back to the White House for another celebration of the 2013 Championship.

Top 5 Reasons The Miami Heat Will Repeat as NBA Champions

With the second half of the season under way, the Miami Heat are currently putting the rest of the NBA on notice. While on a nine game win streak, the defending champions have made their case why they are the favorites to repeat. Frankly, it would be quite foolish if anyone would bet their money against Miami at this point of the season. There is a huge list of reasons why I feel so adamant about Miami’s chances but here are the five main reasons:

 

 

1.  New Acquisitions:

This previous off season the Heat acquired sharp shooter Ray Allen who left the Boston Celtics in order to have a better chance at winning a title. They also acquired veteran forward Rashard Lewis, another great perimeter shooter. These off season acquisitions were huge because it gave the Miami Heat an even deeper shooting core than the one that helped win the title. In Late January, the Miami Heat signed veteran forward/center Chris Anderson, who will tremendously help the Miami’s front court, which has proven to be the Heat’s weakness.

2.  Getting One Under The Belt:

They completed the hardest step which is winning the first championship. In the off season of 2010, the Miami Heat acquired star forwards Lebron James and Chris Bosh to team up with star guard Dwayne Wade in order to win championships immediately. Although it took the trio two years to finally win one, the pressure put on them win they join forces was diluted. It is common for a defending champion to enter the next season more relaxed but that is not the case for this year’s Miami Heat team, who seem to be even more driven than the year before. Although winning back-to-back championships comes with its own challenges, the Heat have completed the hardest part of the process by winning their first championship and with the way they are playing it is sure they will repeat as champions.

3.  Team Defense:

It is well known that the Miami heat can put the ball into the basketball at an astonishing rate but what is not known is that they are equally as good on the opposite end of the court. We all have heard the saying “Defense wins championships”. Well, the Heat has proven that saying to be correct. Not only are they committed to being a dominant offensive team, they have also locked in on defense and set out to be the best team in that aspect as well. Their best player Lebron James is not only the best overall player in the NBA; he is also the best all-around defender. As well as his teammates Dwayne Wade, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Chris Bosh and Shane Battier, who are all decent defenders and will make the opponents, work for every basket.

 

4.  Team Chemistry:

The chemistry on and off the court that the Miami Heat has developed is phenomenal and is a key reason why it is likely they reign as champions at the end of this season. “The Big Three” (James, Wade, Bosh) have been playing with each other for two years, going through a series of ups and downs on the way they are known to be the most scrutinized team in sports history. This severe scrutiny has helped developed a winning formula and positive team chemistry. Each member including “The Big Three” have found their destined role for the team and continue to play their roles to the best of their abilities. The chemistry from last year’s Championship season has spilled over into this current season and it is clear that the Miami Heat have found the formula to success.

 

 5.   King James:

Last but not least, the biggest reason of all the reasons that Miami will repeat is none other than King James. Lebron James is playing the best basketball of his career and has showed clear separation with his talents from the rest of the NBA. He just recently set a NBA record by recording six straight games of 30 points and at least 60% shooting from the field. If this remarkable play continues from James, the Heat will easily win its second consecutive title and James his second consecutive regular season MVP and finals MVP.

 

These are just a few key reasons why the Miami Heat has separated them from the rest of the NBA and are the favorites to win the 2013 Championship.

More Than A Game

By the time LeBron James was a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary's high school in Akron, Ohio he was already considered the world's most praised 17 year old ever. He was playing games in front of thousands of fans at sold out arenas, traveling to games via plane and driving brand-new luxury cars to class. He was already living as a NBA player; some may argue that he was being given too much praise while others believed this process was just preparing for his future lifestyle.

 More Than a Game is a documentary which follows the high school careers of James and four of his teammates. Director Kristopher Belman began filming this documentary as a class project but after devoting the a decade of his life to successfully completing it, he realized his documentary would interest many of Lebron's fans that wanted to know about his life before the NBA.

The plot of the film follows James and his teammates as they battle for state and national basketball championships. Each of them are interviewed and given the opportunity to explain their upbringings and how they all met. This can cause a little frustration to LeBron James fans as they may want to see a film where LeBron is the consistent speaker. I believe the way in which the director equally divided air time between the team will give fans a perspective into realizing why LeBron is such the great leader he is today.

   

The documentary also highlights the little difficulties the team experienced when they lost to Roger Bacon high school in the 2002 Ohio High School State Championship game. A Roger Bacon team that was less talented upset James' team because at times they seemed imprudent and didn't always play together. This feature of the film was interesting because it expressed the message that although a team can have elite stars on it, that does not mean they are immortal and exempt from making mistakes. 

With this film, director Belman was able to excite fans by exhibiting LeBron's development into the NBA's best player from a young age. The film also does a great job at highlighting his shortcomings on and off the basketball court. More Than a Game is rated PG, so moviegoers of all ages can enjoy it. After I watched the film, I was amazed at how it showed everything there is to know about LeBron James and I recommend that everyone take a little time out to watch it. And hopefully the brief trailer will help in convincing you all to go watch it. Enjoy!

A Little Background Info

Born in December 1984 in Akron, Ohio Lebron Raymone James showed early in his life that his talent for basketball was continually growing, and he began to earn a reputation as a prodigy of the sport. James was selected number one (1) overall in the 2003 NBA draft by his hometown team the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ten years later, James continues to dominate in all aspects of the sport, as well as developing into a global phenomenon. Overcoming every obstacle and accomplishing many achievements, even when many believed he could not, contributes to James' global iconic status as well as inspires others to achieve greatness.
In his ten year career, James has averaged an astonishing 27.6 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game and 6.9 assists per game. These fantastic averages are numbers that James has grown accustomed to as he averaged nearly identical statistics while playing his four high school years at St. Vincent St. Mary’s, in Akron, Ohio. The only difference came in points with James averaging 31.6 points per game in high school.  Upon graduating high school, James decided to forgo college and enter into the 2003 NBA Draft. Once the decision to go pro was announced, the negative criticism came down hard on James. The comparisons to NBA legends, the questioning of his physical and mental readiness and James’s life being put under a microscope began. James quickly proved his doubters wrong by dominating in his very first NBA game, where he finished with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. James showed that his first performance was just a preview of things to come.
Over the next seven seasons, James’ skill level continued to grow in many ways that made him impossible to defend. James and his Cavalier teammates managed to record winning records each of the seven seasons and making the playoffs in five of the seven.  In 2006-2007, James led the Cavaliers to the NBA, where they were shut out in the series 4-0 by the San Antonio Spurs. After losing in the Finals, the questions of James ever being able to win a world championship surfaced.  In the summer of 2010, James became a free agent and had the entire NBA anticipating which team he would sign to. James eventually signed to the Miami Heat, teaming with superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The team was designed to win championships immediately but fell short of the goal as they lost to the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2011 Finals. The Heat entered the next season refocused and used their losing experience as motivation to win the championship. Led by James, who was named MVP of the regular season, the Miami Heat beat out the Oklahoma City Thunder in a convincing fashion 4-1. Below is a brief highlight reel displaying a few of the many great things Lebron was able to do during the 2011- 2012 championship season:

After winning a championship and silencing his critics, James continued his excellent level of play and helped lead the USA Men’s Basketball team to a gold medal in the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
James consistent level of play has the sports world intrigued to see what's next to come in the already legendary career of his.