WEBVTT - Episode 7: The Peak 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:07.200 That shot was the most biggest shot in the world. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:10.000 To this day, I think about that shot when I 0:00:10.039 --> 0:00:13.600 see him. I just see that replay. That's what you know, 0:00:13.800 --> 0:00:20.200 that one shot. That's what you call some mother excuse me, confidence. Confidence, 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:27.080 and that's what I how I played anything I do, music, golf, basketball, whatever. 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:30.880 I know, I'm good, I know I'm great, but my 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:34.320 confident level is just next level. The way he got 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:36.600 that ball and just made that shot. 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:39.640 Come on, James outside, three in the air, off the 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.600 rimbow gun, screep out ball, seven seconds to play, out 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:46.080 of three to the corner shot. 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:48.160 Yeah, that was legendary. 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:51.320 Ray Allen's three pointer that sent Game six of the 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:54.680 twenty thirteen Finals to overtime, where the Heat would eventually 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:57.640 save their season, was one of those you remember where 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:01.160 you were when it happened moments, But for the teams involved, 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:05.039 the feelings after Game six were just as vivid, and 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:07.600 they would spill over onto the floor for Game seven, 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:11.679 when another confident jump shot would close the deal for Miami. 0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:15.160 Welcome back to four years of Heat. I'm your host, 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:23.399 Israel Gutierrez and this is episode seven the peak. Ray 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:26.319 Allen described the reaction to hitting a big three point 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:29.800 shot as a bomb going off. The Spurs entered Game 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:33.640 seven as if Allan's three pointer was a literal explosion. 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:36.240 Mentally, they were tattered. 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.680 You could almost hear it in Mano Genobili's voice after 0:01:39.720 --> 0:01:40.039 the game. 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:44.919 We were a few seconds away from winning the championship, 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:46.520 and we let it go. 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:49.840 There was just one off day between Game six and seven, 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:52.720 and Spurs coach Greg Popovich tried to bring the team 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:56.400 together for a dinner that would help them regroup. Mono 0:01:56.480 --> 0:02:00.000 Genobili was particularly hard on himself after only scoring nine 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:02.400 points and missing one of the late free throws that 0:02:02.440 --> 0:02:06.760 helped Miami recover. Matt Bonner remembers how difficult it was 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:09.560 for everyone to shake the sense of loss. 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:14.200 I remember after the game that night, it was awful 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:20.200 like it started actually, it started out awful, like it 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:24.280 was just such a feeling of defeat, you know, a 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:30.280 crushing feeling. I remember Manu was really being really hard 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:33.440 on himself because he didn't have the greatest game. I 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:36.160 don't know how what I could compare it to metaphorically, 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:40.120 everybody's really upset. It felt like, all right, we're gonna 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:42.960 lose by fifty. In Game seven, like we got nothing 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:49.240 left mentally, psychologically, We're just completely spent and defeated. And 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:55.600 you know, in typical coach Pop fashion, he loves dinners 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:59.400 in the community, you know, healing over food, and I 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.880 remember we went to an Italian place. It had a 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:06.239 really long team dinner, and by the end of the 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:10.919 dinner we were kind of like refilled the cup. All Right, 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:13.560 we still have another game to play, We still have 0:03:13.600 --> 0:03:17.280 another crack at this and everybody was feeling a lot better. 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:20.560 The series had already taken everything out of Bonner physically, 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:23.200 as he wasn't even an option in the season ending game. 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:25.639 The Spurs were noticeably off. 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.800 Jenobili managed something of a bounce back effort with eighteen points, 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:33.760 but the rest of the group had no spring. Danny Green, 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:35.840 who set the record for most threes in a final 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:39.480 series two games earlier, was zapped of his powers, missing 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:40.880 eleven of twelve shots. 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:42.880 Tim Duncan tried. 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:45.320 To erase the memory of Game six with twenty four points, 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.760 twelve rebounds, four steals in a block, but there was 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:52.120 no recovering, not with just a day between games. 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:53.960 Not in the same building. 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:58.240 Mario Chalmers was on the winning side, and he believed 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:00.000 even his team was running on empty. 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:02.720 Like I still to this day, I say, Game six 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:04.680 is probably the hardest game I ever had to play 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:07.200 it in my life. And it was just what it 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.320 took to come back, what it took, like the mental 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:13.560 part of it, the actual playing part of it. That 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:16.000 game drained a lot of a lot of players that game. 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:18.440 A lot of people was emotionally drained and physically drained 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:20.560 from that game. So I remember when we made in 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:22.560 the locker room, it was just like, you know, we 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:26.680 really did that, Like we really came back and put 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:29.839 ourselves in this moment right here against you know, some 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:31.800 of the great so Tim Duncan's a Hall of Famer, 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.400 My New Hall of Famer, Rey Papovica Hall of Famer, 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:37.480 Tony hall of Famer. So it was kind of like 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:40.240 like to be able to do that against those Caliburton 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:43.359 quality of guys, It's like, you know, we really just 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:46.080 did something special in that Game six. So let's not 0:04:47.320 --> 0:04:50.200 take this for game Let's not make this Game six 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:52.039 one of the greatest games to lose in Game seven 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:55.520 and not make this a championship worth happening. So that 0:04:55.640 --> 0:04:57.440 mindset was just leave it all on the line, this 0:04:57.600 --> 0:04:59.400 game seven, this is what you this is what you 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:01.440 built for. This what you play for is these moments 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:01.920 right here. 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:05.520 It was actually the game six moments set'll be remembered 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:09.120 as the most exciting, with Allen's shot replaying for eternity. 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:13.120 It's been ten years since that shot, and maybe twenty 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:16.039 years from now people will incorrectly remember it as a 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:19.279 series winning shot in Game seven instead of the shot 0:05:19.279 --> 0:05:22.159 that tied Game six. But it might as well be 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:26.039 remembered that way, because losing Game seven for Miami wasn't 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:29.960 an option. The sports gods couldn't possibly be that cruel. 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:34.760 Jackie McMullin had seen something similar before, working as a 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:38.040 reporter in the nineteen eighty six World Series. She was 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.039 waiting by the Red Sox clubhouse, preparing to interview Boston 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:44.040 pitcher Bruce Hurst, who looked like he'd be named MVP 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:46.760 of the series, as the Socks were leading the series 0:05:46.760 --> 0:05:49.240 and Game six by two runs in the tenth inning. 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:53.520 As the wait for Hurst grew oddly long, McMullen made 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:55.440 it back out to the field in time to see 0:05:55.520 --> 0:05:58.440 the score was now tied and New York Mets batter 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:01.159 Mookie Wilson hit a ground bow that would slide under 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:04.640 the glove of first baseman Bill Buckner and into the outfield, 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:07.200 allowing the Mets to score a third run in the 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:10.920 inning and extend the series. The way most people remember it, 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:14.280 that Buckner play alone cost the Red Sox the World Series. 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:18.640 In reality, the Socks had an extended chance to recover, 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:21.280 but really, how could they. 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:22.760 Here's Jackie. 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:25.360 People remember what they want to remember. So the Red 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.640 Sox lose that game and there's a rain delay the 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:30.640 next day, they have to wait a whole nother day. 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:33.920 But you knew they there was just no way they 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:36.559 could win Game seven. It was just impossible to happen. 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:40.400 The Mets won Game seven, forever framing Buckner as a 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:44.000 goat the negative version of that word. The Heat would 0:06:44.000 --> 0:06:46.800 approach Game seven with a goat of their own. You 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:47.880 know which version of that word. 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:48.200 I mean. 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:52.279 Lebron James may have needed Ray Allen to extend the series, 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:54.800 but he wasn't going to rely on anyone else to 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:58.839 win it. It was the most statistically odd game of 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:02.839 the series. Game sevens traditionally are, and following the emotional 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:06.159 roller coaster of Game six, you could almost predict this 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:08.040 game would be a strange one. 0:07:08.080 --> 0:07:11.160 One game on our home floor to bring home another championship. Man, 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:13.640 This is everything that we worked for all season long, 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:16.440 all the sacrifices we'd made to each other, Dog every 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:19.800 single day, Dog, every single minute. They say, hard work payoff, man. 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:22.560 So let's make that statement become true. All right, and. 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.120 Here we go in seven of the finals. 0:07:25.480 --> 0:07:28.760 In fact, the game six hero wouldn't score a point 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:32.080 in Game seven, but Alan had already seen what his 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:35.280 Game six shot did for his teammates, and based on 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:38.640 their reactions, he had a strong feeling they'd complete the deal. 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:40.880 There was something wrong with me. I think it was 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:45.320 my finger, Like my finger like I don't know, like 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:48.840 I've broke an attendon. So it like kind of it 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.720 went limp. So I had to get this splint on it. 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:54.040 So for longest time, I couldn't. I couldn't pick my 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:57.160 finger up. It was it looked like it just the nerve. 0:07:57.160 --> 0:07:59.240 I don't know what happened to me. So I was 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:03.160 in the training room before practicing. You know, this was 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:05.840 going to the game seven. We will walk in. I 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:07.480 was in front training room. All the guys were in 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:11.480 the in the locker room. I walk in and Mike 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:14.600 Miller goes there he is, and you know, everybody was 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:18.120 in there, and it was like the ultimate sign of respects, 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:23.040 you know. And later on he says he I was like, 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:24.600 I told him, I said, Bro, you hit a shot 0:08:24.640 --> 0:08:27.080 with your shoe off. He goes, Bro, if you didn't 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:28.720 hit that shot, we wouldn't be here today. 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:30.880 And I just. 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:34.920 Remember just feeling, you know, such a great feeling to 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:38.240 know that you did your job when your team needed 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:40.280 you to do your job, you know, to do something 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:42.640 and and it's more than your job. It's going to 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:45.600 love beyond hit and doing something that you know, put 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:47.960 your team in the situation to win a game where 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:50.720 you you you gain the most, the utmost of respect 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:53.040 from all your peers. That that is one of the 0:08:53.080 --> 0:08:56.280 greatest feelings and one of the reasons that you play 0:08:56.360 --> 0:08:58.760 this game to be able to be relied upon, to 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:02.319 be you know, buy your team, you know, buy the organization. 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:06.559 Game seven was a win for the organization, but Lebron 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:08.720 James would have to do most of the heavy lifting. 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:12.720 That's because Allen wasn't the only scoreless Heat player. Mike 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:16.120 Miller started and didn't score in nineteen minutes. Chris Bosh 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:19.000 played twenty eight scoreless minutes and was in some early 0:09:19.040 --> 0:09:23.080 foul trouble. Even ultra confident Mario Chalmers was one of 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:25.920 seven from three point range in the game. There were 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:29.960 three constants in this one, however, Dwayne Wade's mid range 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:33.079 jumper was on. He hit eleven field goals for his 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:34.120 twenty three points. 0:09:34.320 --> 0:09:35.400 Age seven is tied. 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:40.000 James kicks it out, Wig fags across the lads, flicks. 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:40.120 It up, it in. 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:44.920 So was Lebron's jumper. He hit five threes in that game. 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:49.880 James, we'll try another three bucks it in. Lebron James 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:53.400 four to three pointer up the game. James again, Look 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:56.120 how far off they're playing. He'll try it again. Jis 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:58.680 come Labron, James Murting. 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:02.960 The Spurs play and there was one bench contributor. After 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:05.760 not scoring in double figures in his first six games, 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:09.920 Shane Battier exploded for six three pointers and eight tries 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:12.360 for eighteen critical points. 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:15.480 James open up top Chalmers, Battier for three. 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.400 The only other points off the bench were three from 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:24.400 Chris Anderson. Here's Chalmers on how rewarding the finish was 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:25.040 for Battier. 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:27.760 I felt great for shake. You know, Shane's a great guy, 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:31.560 great dude, great person, and it was just to see him, 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:34.160 you know, get beat up by David Wes, get beat 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:36.640 up by Roy Heiro, get beat up by Kendrick Perkins 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:40.760 and KG. It was just like, like, you basically helped 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:42.840 us get to where we are just by taking blows 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:44.600 and getting beat up. Just putting your body on the 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:48.720 line six right from that in a closeout game after 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:53.920 what you just went through. It just shows like the 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:56.840 grown upness he had about It's just like, yeah. 0:10:56.679 --> 0:10:57.000 You can't. 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:58.600 You can keep beating me up, keep beating me up, 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:00.360 but you're not gonna get me down. And I'm still 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:00.920 gonna be here. 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:01.360 If you need me. 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:05.520 James kicks it out in the corner. Battier puts it 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:07.360 in five for five. 0:11:08.920 --> 0:11:10.920 Yeah, it was like we were in the NBA for 0:11:10.960 --> 0:11:13.600 a reason. No matter if you're a defender or whatever 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:17.240 your role is, you're still a basketball player at the 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:18.920 end of the day. And Shane showed day like, I'm 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:21.360 one of the greatest defenders to play this game. But 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:24.240 I can also shoot, and I can also make big buckets, 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:25.640 and you can also count me in. 0:11:25.600 --> 0:11:28.880 Those moments Among the most memorable images of that game 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:31.720 seven were the fist pumps from Battier after his fifth 0:11:31.760 --> 0:11:34.400 and six threes of the game, both of them crucial 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:37.360 in a contest where neither team had the energy to 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:37.880 pull away. 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:41.719 Yeah the floor, Lebron step through the Battier. 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:45.880 Course three, got up, Battier dropped down down. 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:48.840 Neither team would score more than eighteen points in the 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:52.080 first quarter. Neither team would lead by more than six 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:54.160 in the second half. Here's Battier. 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:56.760 It's a weird game. And if I watch up you know, 0:11:56.760 --> 0:12:00.280 obviously I've watched it multiple times and it was one 0:12:00.320 --> 0:12:04.000 of those games where it's like it just crap happens 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:06.960 and the ball just didn't find CB, And you know, 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:09.880 Lebron obviously was stounding at d you wit had twenty something, 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:14.679 But it was never a point where it's like, cbe 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:16.880 we need more from you. Like we knew CB was 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:19.720 battling Tim Duncan. We knew he was. He was unbelievable 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.480 the pick and roll, uh, you know, blocking shots, and 0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:24.600 so it was never like, oh, CV, come out, pick 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:26.400 up your game. No, he was awesome that game. He 0:12:26.440 --> 0:12:28.640 just didn't score, which is which is bizarre, but he 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:31.400 played like an awesome game for someone who went scoreless. 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:35.800 In a late timeout, with the Spurs summoning every last 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:39.720 ounce of energy, Greg Popovich reminded his team how close 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:41.400 they still were to a title. 0:12:41.679 --> 0:12:44.760 Nice, it's the last game of the year, the last 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:45.800 two teams standards. 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:48.400 Why everything out there? 0:12:48.679 --> 0:12:49.439 They got talent. 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:51.120 We got to beat him with all of us. 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:53.760 In the final minute, with the Heat leading by just 0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:57.280 two points, the Spurs scrambled to secure rebound off of 0:12:57.320 --> 0:13:01.520 Battier missed three In the caaotic transition back to the 0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:05.320 Spurs end, Battier found himself defending Duncan near the rim. 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:09.080 With Battier on his back, Duncan took a dribble and 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:11.800 swept across the lane for a short hook shot He's 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:16.079 hit thousands of times. He missed the hook shot, then 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:19.000 gently tipped the rebound that he easily reached over Battier. 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:21.280 He missed that also. 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:26.920 Under a minute relating dream nearly lost it back to 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:30.200 Janaugley inside Duncan across lane. 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:31.360 Duncan misses the. 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:33.200 Techno god in pass rebound. 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:36.440 He clinging to it. 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:41.520 Two point lyad and a point blank missed by Duncan, 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:45.640 and then the follow time out, mining. 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.080 Duncan slammed the floor as the Heat dribbled the ball 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:50.800 up the court and called the time out. Six years 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.840 earlier in the finals, Duncan was all smiles, thanking Lebron 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:58.199 in a not so private moment afterward for allowing him 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:03.600 to have that championship before James inevitably took over the league. 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:07.840 Job La, I love how you're fifteen this name, say. 0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:10.480 That with my stay that we're gonna drive these guys 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:11.920 as it's gonna be your league in a little while too. 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:17.880 But I appreciate you giving my sister back. 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:21.040 In those two thousand and seven finals, Popovich took advantage 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:26.040 of Lebron's unreliable outside shooting and swept the Cavaliers. Fast 0:14:26.040 --> 0:14:28.560 forward back to this Game seven, with the Heat leading 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:31.280 by just two and a chance to seal a second 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:35.400 consecutive championship, effectively doing as Duncan predicted in two thousand 0:14:35.400 --> 0:14:39.760 and seven, with less than forty seconds remaining, Lebron James 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:42.680 took the inbound pass and faced the defense of Kawhi Leonard. 0:14:43.440 --> 0:14:46.640 The Spurs weren't switching defenders on Lebron, so Kawhi would 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:49.040 have to work through any screens to stick to him. 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:52.920 James used a Chalmers screen and got barely enough space 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:55.920 to square up from nineteen feet just beyond the right 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:59.520 edge of the free throw line, with Leonard trying desperately 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:02.880 to contest the attempt. After initially playing James for the drive, 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:06.480 as was the game plan the entire series, James rose 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:10.080 up for a championship level dagger that was yet another 0:15:10.200 --> 0:15:13.520 example of his growth. It was the exact shot Greg 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:17.360 Popovich had been giving Lebron for a decade plus. 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:21.400 James pulls up, puts it inad flow, point. 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:24.720 Ly time out sad it Telio. 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:27.880 Lebron snatched his second steal of the game in the 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:31.400 ensuing possession, forcing the Spurs to foul and sending the 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:35.760 crowd into something of a controlled frenzy. Remember, the Heat 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:38.320 had just come back in stunning fashion in game six, 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:42.080 so there was a respectful fear. Not even the gold 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:44.880 ropes meant as much as they used to. But the 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:47.720 clock would eventually tick down to zero's with the Heat 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:51.680 still leading, and a second Larry O'Brien Trophy would now 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:54.160 be re routed in the Heat's direction. 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:55.720 It never gets old. 0:15:56.040 --> 0:16:00.160 Having up parade for the third time down Bess. 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:06.280 Stain, Lebron would win his second straight Finals MVP trophy, 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:09.560 leading the Heat in minutes by almost seventy game and 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:13.960 leading them in points, rebounds, assists, and steals also by 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:15.160 fairly wide margins. 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:20.400 The twenty thirteen Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:23.800 for the second straight Finals Lebron. 0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:30.280 James Miami was getting used to this feeling too, And 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:33.640 in this moment in time, everything that was promised and 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:38.320 that Rockstar celebration was reaching fulfillment. It was as good 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:41.040 as they'll ever feel on a basketball court together. 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:44.240 We had to give everything we had and we did it. 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:46.600 Ain't got none left. 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:50.680 James, Wade and Bosh were repeat champions. 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:53.480 It was the overcome of all the challenges that we had, 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:56.080 all the hallwork that we put into at all the sacrifices, 0:16:56.080 --> 0:16:58.400 all the blusswa and tears toward the whole season. Man, 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:00.880 And this is the way you want to be rewarded. 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:04.440 Lebron's missed to do whatever it takes, and his knack 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:08.040 now for making big plays and big shots in big games. 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:11.359 Can't nobody say nothing about it. He scored thirty seven points. 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:13.880 He grabs twelve rebounds, he dished all seven saysts. 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:15.480 He guards Tony Parker. 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:20.400 He is today's greatest player for us. You know, it's 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:22.800 about doing what we came together do and that is 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:25.679 to win championships. And we've been able to do that 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:27.600 and now we are part of history. 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:32.840 Man. Champagne was cold burned, but it's just a sweet 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:36.640 feeling back in that position again. It was like deja vu. 0:17:37.280 --> 0:17:40.720 Everybody was just hugging, telling everybody we love him, man, 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:42.359 And you know, that's what it's about. 0:17:42.760 --> 0:17:45.760 For the role players like Mario Chalmers and Adonis Haslam, 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:49.080 their names will always be linked to winning at this level. Also, 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:53.520 it's not just superstars who create legacies in this association 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:56.920 that's been around for more than seventy five years. 0:17:56.960 --> 0:17:57.880 The way we want it. 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.919 It was definitely one of those like, okay, this is 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:04.240 this solidify us as a team, you know, because we 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:06.199 did this together as a team to come back. It 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:08.840 wasn't Broad hitting this shot, It wasn't d Wade doing this, 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:11.960 It was she Begett the rebound, Ray hit a shot. 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:14.840 I had twenty points that game, Like everybody did their 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:17.800 part for us to win, and I think that just 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:20.639 showed us, like, you know, as a team, one of 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:21.639 the best teams ever do this. 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:24.399 Like, at the end of the day, the respect that 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:26.480 I have in this league and around here is because 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:30.000 I won. It's not because I'm a nice guy. It's 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:32.040 not because I'm the oldest guy in the league. It 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:34.280 has nothing to do with that. As much as these 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:36.320 people in this organization loved me, as much as the 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:38.720 people in this city loved me. If I didn't win, 0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:42.879 I would not be here. If I didn't win, I 0:18:42.880 --> 0:18:45.560 would not have the respect. If I didn't win, I 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:48.080 would not have the keys to the city of Miami 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:48.480 and to. 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:51.960 Be able to do and move and influence and impact. 0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:54.200 It's all built off winning. 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:00.879 Ladies and gentlemen. 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:08.359 Let's raise the two thirteen NBA champion Chip Manner. 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:16.879 By the time the twenty thirteen to fourteen season began, 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:20.040 the Heat had effectively squeezed the fight out of. 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:21.400 The NBA's Eastern Conference. 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:24.359 With the exception of the Pacers, who were a bit 0:19:24.400 --> 0:19:27.520 more dynamic thanks to the continued emergence of Paul George 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:30.400 and the development of a former mister Basketball in New York, 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:33.800 Lance Stevenson, there wasn't a ton of competition on their 0:19:33.840 --> 0:19:36.800 side of the standings, it was the West that looked 0:19:36.800 --> 0:19:38.720 like it would cook up a true rival for the 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:42.919 two time defending champs. The Western Conference had seven fifty 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:46.720 win teams that regular season, compared to just two Miami 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:50.320 and Indiana in the East. Kevin Durant would win the 0:19:50.400 --> 0:19:54.280 MVP Award for the fifty nine win thunder Damian Lillard 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:58.159 and LaMarcus Aldridge had the Trailblazers rolling, The Clippers had 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:01.879 Chris Paul Blake, Griffin, Andre Jordan and were now coached 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:05.760 by Doc Rivers. And the Warriors won fifty one games 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:08.520 and were one year away from taking over the league 0:20:08.680 --> 0:20:12.240 for their own stretch. Then there were those darn San 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:16.040 Antonio Spurs, who dominated the regular season to the tune 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:20.080 of sixty two wins each win, both chipping away at 0:20:20.119 --> 0:20:23.680 the pain of the previous finals and sharpening their edge 0:20:23.720 --> 0:20:25.920 for a potential finals rematch with the Heat. 0:20:26.119 --> 0:20:31.160 San Antonio's won thirteen in a row, Spurs fifteenth consecutive win, 0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:36.600 and the Spurs with eighteen straight wins San Antonio, They're 0:20:36.640 --> 0:20:39.240 ten deep, and they play a system and play with 0:20:39.240 --> 0:20:40.320 the discipline. 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:41.200 That is just remarkable. 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.399 Miami, on the other hand, still had the game's most 0:20:44.440 --> 0:20:48.760 feared weapons somehow finding ways to improve his game. But 0:20:48.840 --> 0:20:51.600 the Heat weren't playing the game on the same razor's 0:20:51.800 --> 0:20:55.880 edge that the Spurs were this entire season. Here's Battier. 0:20:56.359 --> 0:20:58.879 Look for that team, it was three years of just 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:03.080 so much tensity. Every single game on the road, every 0:21:03.119 --> 0:21:05.760 single game at home. It was an event. And I 0:21:05.920 --> 0:21:10.000