Now the Heat can finally move on. (USATSI)
MIAMI -- “It was an incredible run," Erik Spoelstra told the media following the Miami Heat's 101-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. "He was a major part of it. None of us have forgotten his contribution. We'll look back on this; I'll look back on this with incredible pride and perspective that I coached one of the all-time greats.”
In however much a regular season win can be cathartic, the Heat's victory on Christmas Day over LeBron James in his return to the most successful stint in his storied career did have elements of closure for a jilted franchise. Without Chris Bosh manning the middle for the Heat, the sum of their parts came together and took advantage of the Cavaliers' struggles as a team. They've been through that side of what Cleveland is going through, in which success can't be quenched through the constant questioning of their roster and story lines louder than regular season wins on the court.
It won't be until (or if) the Cavs come together in a postseason and hoist the championship trophy that the questions will subside. The Heat have lived through this with LeBron. They know the pressure that mounts with each shaky performance and the volume of noise you have to block out as an organization to eventually find a deafening calm in regards to your place as a championship contender.
In the wake of LeBron leaving the Heat and heading home to Cleveland, Miami scrambled to put together a competitive roster. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh re-upped with the team. The promises/agreements to Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger prior to James' decision were honored. They convinced Luol Deng that a short contract with the Heat was the way to go. Miami marched out their "Heat Lifer" and #HeatNation campaigns to the fans, promising to be "as competitive as ever," despite the best player in the world leaving their organization.
While there have been flashes of a hyper competitive team and a brand of basketball surrounding two doubted stars in Bosh and Wade that has proven to be successful, injuries to the Heat's main components have kept Spoelstra and his coaching staff from building any momentum through the first two months of the season. Wade has battled various maladies and Bosh is nursing a calf strain that has kept him out for two weeks. Granger is slowly rebuilding his body and role in Miami's reclamation project program. McRoberts is likely done for the season with a lateral tear in his meniscus.
And yet, LeBron came to town on Christmas and the replacement components for how the Heat tried to fill the void left by James were able to shine in a mild night of I told you so's from friends and former teammates. During the night, twice the crowd honored LeBron. He was immediately cheered with exultation drowning out a smattering of boos during introductions. When the game started and James had the ball, the boos rained down on him.
When the first timeout in the game happened, the Heat organization played a tribute video to LeBron. It was a thank you for being the leader on two championship teams and a reminder to everybody how special those years were. The crowd roared in applause and cheering, giving him a standing ovation as he acknowledged the crowd and the moment. Play resumed and the boos were less severe but still a constant presence in the night for the four-time MVP.
"That's how it should have been," Wade said following his 31 points, five rebounds, five assists performance. "There's no other reason to say anything negative about LeBron James here in Miami. I'm glad our fans cheered him the way they did. They should always cheer him, especially before games. Once the games come on, you're a fan of your team, you need to do what you need to do. Before games, every time he comes back, he should be celebrated for what he accomplished here.”
Wade was the leader on the court and his early performance of 24 points in the first half helped build a cushion in the score that could eventually absorbed by Cleveland's inevitable run. For the national TV audience, it was a glimpse into the Wade people around Miami have seen all season long. He's been putting up similar numbers to his pre-LeBron era, even if the excitement that came with those numbers is no longer there. It was a reminder that two very good players no longer compete with each other, but get to reignite a friendly rivalry they had in their first seven years in the league.
“It was great,” Wade said about playing against LeBron again. “In coming into the league, I haven't had really a rival opponent and the closest thing I really had to that was the years we had when we went against each other. Our four years was amazing and we won't take nothing away from it, but it was good to see him on the other side of the court as well because he's going to bring out the best in you, and you hope you do the same. It was good.”
Outside of the renewed rivalry between these two, the Heat received huge contributions from those assigned to replace LeBron, knowing he can't truly be replaced in a matter of months. Luol Deng had arguably his best game of the season, putting up 25 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists -- a LeBron-esque stat line while playing great defense throughout the entire contest. James got his 30 points against Deng and the Heat, but Deng made him work for everything he had on the court. Granger stepped in and helped close the game out, scoring a couple of big buckets that secured the victory.
It's the type of reminder to the Heat that this process can work. The ceiling of this team isn't what it once was, but the process can still yield results. While the Heat build toward being "as competitive as ever" following James' departure, moments like this -- a big win on national television following a frustrating loss to the Philadelphia 76ers the previous game -- can remind everybody involved that this team is probably better than their 14-16 record suggests.
That reminder is what helps provide closure in a moment such as this. For the first two months, there was the story line of LeBron's return was always lingering, much like they experienced on the other end of that story when he returned to Cleveland for the first time as a member of the Heat. With the anticipation and buildup of his return out of the way and the team becoming healthier in the next week or so, moments that don't have to do with basketball subside and that calm all teams search for becomes viewable from a distance.
Much like James himself, they have acknowledged the moment and get to move on to more basketball focus than NBA tabloid fodder.
“I just had some butterflies coming in," LeBron said prior to the game when asked about the oddest thing about Christmas Day. "It's like I said, I played some great basketball here with my teammates. I miss my teammates more than anything. The camaraderie we had and the guys that's still here and the guys that's not even here like Shane [Battier] and Ray [Allen], and I still have Mike [Miller] with me and [James Jones]. But all the guys, we built something that will last forever.”
There was a moment following the game when LeBron walked over to Wade to offer up a final goodbye before they move on to their next city in the season. Wade was talking to Dion Waiters, so LeBron made good use of his time by approaching former teammates before circling back to Dwyane. He hugged Chris Andersen and Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole and Bosh. As he made his way back to Wade, his former teammate was being interviewed for television. LeBron waited and waited for the interview to finish. As it was wrapping up, he playfully threw a towel at Wade as a reminder he was waiting to say goodbye.
The two hugged, smiled, and offered up some parting words. They soaked in the moment on a big stage in an environment they helped create four-plus years ago when they decided to be on the same NBA team. Everybody looked at them, hoping to glean some type of emotion or hidden story line that could come of their friendship and renewed rivalry.
Instead, it's just back to basketball now. That era is officially over and that run together is something they will all cherish for decades to come. But it's on to worrying about their own teams again and getting them to a place that silences whatever outside noise tries to infiltrate their respective situations. They're in different situations, which have a familiar feeling to them once again.
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