People hate them or love them, but either way, they can’t deny that what the Miami Heat and LeBron James are doing is incredible.
The Heat, members of the National Basketball Association, overcame a 17-point deficit on Monday night and beat the Boston Celtics 105-103 to win their 23rd straight game. That streak is now the second longest in NBA history as the Heat bested the 2008 Houston Rockets’ 22-game winning streak, which the Celtics, ironically enough, ended that year.
It appeared the Celtics were going to end the Heat’s 22-game streak on Monday, but James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh had other ideas as they helped the Heat whittle a 17-point, second-quarter deficit down to six by half-time. That kept Miami, which is a league-best 55-14, within striking distance. It struck, and now it is chasing history. The only team to have won more straight games than this Heat team is the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, which ripped off 33-straight wins.
The Heat are, at times, an unlikeable team with the brash and cocky attitudes of James and Wade, two of the league’s superstars. James rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way a few seasons ago when he announced the “Decision” on national television to go from his native Ohio with the Cleveland Cavaliers to Miami. It was an hour-long broadcast that allowed James to be self-absorbed. It was an absurd move after an offseason filled with James’ courters making daily pitches to get him to join their teams. He made a fool of himself by announcing his new team, and for a while, was a vilified player. He has since matured and admitted that the “Decision” was a poor choice, and he regrets doing it.
Time, however, can heal all wounds, and no one can deny James’ greatness or Miami’s superiority in the league. James won his first NBA title last season, and appears to finally be at peace with himself ”“ and it shows.
He set a record earlier this season with the most consecutive games, scoring 30 points while hitting at least 60 percent of his shots. He did it in six straight games.
The great Chicago Bull Michael Jordan is the gold standard for NBA players, and after he retired, the basketball world was looking for the next Mike. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant has come close to filling that role, but James is beginning to most resemble the dominant player that Jordan was. Jordan retired with six championship rings, which could’ve been eight if he didn’t suddenly retire for two seasons in the prime of his career and then come back. James currently has only one ring and no guarantees of another.
Still, sports fans must appreciate what we are seeing with James and the Heat. We hope that people who don’t like the team or James can at least respect what is happening. It’s rare to see talent of this caliber, and it’s rare to see a team rise to this level of play.
Professional sports is filled with bad stories of corruption, sexual assault, cheating and greed, but the Heat and James are reminding sports fans why they watch. The story is about the game and the player, not about off-court actions that are fodder for police blotters.
No one knows if the Heat will break the Lakers’ record, and no one knows if James will go down as the greatest player in NBA history, but none of that matters right now. We should all live in the moment and enjoy what he and the Heat are doing. It might never happen again.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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