King

Champions

The Miami HEAT has certainly matured a LOT from last season. I'm having goosebumps right now. It is an honor seeing a great team playing their best basketball in the most important game of the season. And yes, they played as a TEAM. Six players in double figures. Triple double for the reigning MVP, LeBron James.

2012 is Redemption year for the Miami Heat.

It is OUR year.

Miami Heat.

CHAMPIONS.

♥

Miami Heat - CHAMPIONS!

Criticized. Mocked. Judged.

Now we've paid our dues.

We did our sentence, 

but committed no crime.

And bad mistakes, 

we've made a few.

We've had our share of sand kicked in our face,

but we came through..

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

OKC and Miami - A Dream Match Up

As expected (but not without resistance), my Miami Heat is going back to the NBA Finals for the second straight year, but this year, they will be facing a team I so admire - The Oklahoma City Thunder.

This is a dream match up for all hoop fans all over the globe. James, Wade, Bosh, Durant, Westbrook, Harden. Wow! The NBA's reigning MVP versus the NBA's reigning scoring champion. It doesn't get better than this.

I'm in a sort of melan state right now, so the Finals will be a welcome distraction for me. Game one tips off on Wednesday (Philippine time) in Oklahoma.

Let's get it on!

Go HEAT!

Lebron & the Heat Torches the Bulls

So much has been said about the Miami Heat, but they've proved wrong all haters and doubters by coming from behind and defeating the Chicago Bulls earlier. The Bulls were still ahead by 12 points with 3 minutes left in the game, and while a lot of people thought it was over, my idols King James and D-Wade took over. I wasn't able to control my tears when the Heat finally tied and took the lead courtesy of King James. I'm glad I stuck with Lebron when a lot of people said he was overrated and couldn't even carry his team in the clutch. Now if you followed the playoffs this year, you know that those haters are now eating their words.

The Heat will face Dallas in the NBA Finals starting Wednesday, June 1, 2011 (Philippine time).

And do you know what Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen said about Lebron James after personally witnessing all 5 games of the recently-concluded Eastern Conference Finals?

"Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to play the game, but I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game because he is so potent offensively that not only can he score at will but he keeps everybody involved. You have to be on your Ps and Qs on defense. No guy on the basketball court is not a threat to score with LeBron James out there. Not only will LeBron dominate from the offensive end as well, but he’s also doing it on the defensive end which really makes him the complete package. He’s able to get in those passing lanes, shoot those gaps and create transition opportunities where he is pretty much unstoppable."

Many people will definitely react to that, but hey, he's entitled to his own opinion, and I'm entitled to agree to his opinion. Besides, he played with MJ and he's just witnessed how LBJ shut down the Bulls MVP this year, D-Rose, so Pip definitely knows what he's talking about.

Time to pay respect to James, Wade and Bosh

This is so well-written that I was in tears reading this so I just had to repost it. Shaun Powell is just an amazing writer.

MIAMI -- An NBA championship was not won last night. It only felt like it, looked like it and seemed like it at American Airlines Arena, where there was a changing of the guard. And the small forward.

It was too much Dwyane Wade at the start against the Celtics, and definitely too much LeBron James at the finish, and a whole lot of emotion when the Heat assured that the East will send a new face to the NBA Finals next month.

LeBron, in particular, was misty-eyed moments after he brought the Celtics to tears, scoring the final 10 points of Game 5 in a blizzard of 3-point shots, a steal and a driving layup. This was his series, because  he crumbled against these very same Celtics a year ago as a member of the Cavaliers, and watched his brand collapse as well. And this was his game, seized by the finest three minutes of his basketball life.

So he closed his eyes and knelt at midcourt, overcome by a beating heart and a lumpy throat. Then he took a hug from Celtics coach Doc Rivers and finally, a tight embrace from Wade, who had to be fished out from the crowd, where he was swallowed up after chasing a loose ball at the buzzer.

What was churning inside LeBron's headband?

"Everything," he said. "Everything that happened this summer, the decision to come down to this team. All the backlash I got from it. It is not about the individual. I am happy we got through it as a team. It was just very emotional at that point."

How emotional? Enough for LeBron to give a "my bad" -- officially, regretfully and dare we say, honestly -- for arriving here, to this point, in the manner in which he did.

"I apologize for the way it happened. (Pause.) But I knew this opportunity was once in a lifetime, in order for me to move on in my career, to be able to come down here to this organization."

Well. That may not be enough for Cleveland to re-raise the "Witness" billboard. But strictly from a basketball standpoint, we did witness a new beginning for LeBron (endearing, maybe?) and the team he helped make. Respect must be paid, even if grudgingly so by the haters, for the way LeBron, Wade and Chris Bosh have figured it out, seven months later. They opened the season by losing to the Celtics, sputtered to a 9-8 start, endured constant abuse and scorn, and now just erased the Celtics in five to become a real threat to keep ticking folks off.

"Those three guys are tough," said Rivers. "Those two guys are monsters. When they're making their jump shots, they're tough to beat."

Some perspective here: Miami is only halfway through the LeBron Buffet -- the Sixers were breakfast, the Celtics lunch -- but for a few moments last night, the belly was full because it contained the corpse of the Celtics. Yes, it's true Boston winged it with a one-armed Rajon Rondo. And the Celtics had only three starters on the floor in the final, crucial moments.

But beating the dominant team in the East of the last three years was symbolic, if nothing else. It was an important and necessary step for the Heat, to earn this gold star, to get confirmation that they are worthy of representing the East in the NBA Finals. Even if nobody outside of Miami seems to want them to.

All you had to see was Wade scoring 23 points in the first half and LeBron going bananas after an 87-all tie. There were 34 points and 10 rebounds from Wade, 33 points from LeBron. The Celtics were tagged by the finest tag-team going, and these two players will most assuredly make the Heat the favorite to grab the trophy here in a new NBA world where the Celtics, Lakers and Spurs, the proud old guard, no longer reside.

Wade: "The things we went through over the summer, the summer of LeBron, the Boston Celtics were on our minds."

LeBron: "That was the team I wanted to get over the hump against."

So it's Miami to the East finals, the team formed with the purpose of winning a championship, now with a chance to win one -- or at least the conference title. Although, given their star power, would you rule against the Heat winning the whole shebang at this point, despite their obvious flaws (center, point guard, depth)?

The Heat may never be the people's champion, but even their perceived hatred can and should only go so far. They're the most intriguing team alive, if not the most closely followed. We turn the floor over to Rivers, who couldn't have said it better:

"I've never seen a team more criticized in my life, and a guy, LeBron, criticized for doing what was legal," Rivers said. "He didn't break a law, and he didn't do anything wrong. The preseason parade may have been a little much, but other than that?

"I just told him good luck and keep going. He was very emotional, and good for him. I don't think you can play this sport and be a winner without emotion. For me, it was good to see.

"I didn't like (the criticism) because I thought it helped them. They got booed for everything. I said it all year that I wished (the media) would leave them alone, because it allowed them to go through something and prepare for the playoffs."

And here they are. So deal with it. Because the Heat certainly have.

By Shaun Powell

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/shaun_powell/05/12/celtics-heat-game-5/index.html

Christmas Day Heat Wave in LA

When the NBA released the schedule for this season, one game that EVERY FAN highlighted was the new-look Miami Heat's visit to Los Angeles and the defending champion Lakers on Christmas Day. To many, it was the preview to the Finals in June of 2011, but to most people, it was the ultimate test for the Three Kings of Miami. It was the most anticipated match of the season.

Philippine time, the game started at 6 AM today. When the dust cleared 3 hours later, it was clear as crystal that the Miami Heat may have started the season slowly (growing pains), but they're now here to fight for the Larry O'Brien trophy. The score? Heat 96 - Lakers 80. Just another day at the office for King James with another triple double, with ample support from D-Wade and Bosh, and the rest of the team from South Beach.

Yes, it was just one game, but it was a game where the Lakers were complete (yes, Bynum and Gasul were healthy) and the Heat dismantled them. It was a statement game for both teams. Yes, the Lakers are still the champs - for now. They have to get back to their winning ways or else there will be another heat wave in Los Angeles in June - that is if the Lakers can survive the playoffs in the Western Conference.

Return of the King

The city that loved him and supported him in his 7 seasons there has turned against him when he decided to sign up with the Miami Heat before the season started. Yesterday, King James returned to Cleveland as the city's number 1 villain. Security was tight and he was booed from the moment he entered the arena, and every time he touched the ball. Just like when playing with other opposing teams, he silenced the crowd with his performance. He sat out the whole 4th quarter. He didn't need to play. After just 3 quarters, Lebron compiled 38 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal and 0 turnovers.

It was mostly the bench players of Miami playing in the 4th quarter where the Cavaliers tried desperately to catch up. Final score? 118-90.

King James just proved how much the Cavaliers miss him.

The Heat is On!

Can you feel the HEAT?

The King Goes to South Beach

The dust has cleared. King James is going to play for the Miami Heat next season. He's joining D-Wade and C. Bosh to form the NBA's newest and probably one of the greatest Big Three - at least on paper. They showed that they play well together when they led the USA Team to the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Now they have to play well together for around 8 months to win the gold trophy and some gold rings with lots and lots of diamonds.

The other teams who courted LeBron did not take it well, most especially the Cavaliers, the only team he played for in 7 seasons in the NBA. The Cavs owner even posted an open letter on their website which I think is very disrespectful and uncalled for, and the news showed some Cavs fans burning LeBron jerseys and shirts. This just shows how selfish these people are. I mean, come on. King James worked his butt off for 7 years in Cleveland doing almost everything, but the management was not able to put a good enough supporting cast for him. LeBron is a winner and wants to win an NBA title, and in Miami, he has a very good chance with Wade and Bosh on the same team. It will be very exciting to see other role players come in before the season starts in October to have a chance to play with The Trinity.

I think October would be a good time to start having cable TV at home, can't wait to watch all 82 regular season games of the Miami Heat.