WEBVTT - Episode 5: The Crown 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:08.319 You know, speaking of that time, you know something that 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:11.560 was really a touch of my heart and with Miami, 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:16.920 you donasas them u D. He came to my video shoot, 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:20.439 one of my first videos called Born and Raised in 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:22.440 the County of Dad and to this day he walks 0:00:22.480 --> 0:00:23.280 out to it all the. 0:00:23.239 --> 0:00:27.160 Time he was in the video. So it's just love. 0:00:27.200 --> 0:00:30.360 And you know, you just brought the championship. You know, 0:00:30.400 --> 0:00:34.239 those days were like so maya mental. It was so 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:35.200 big for the city. 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:39.080 We're still proud and nobody could take that away from 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:43.199 us because it's like it's it's in stone and history. 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:44.320 You know what I'm saying. 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:48.320 That time Kaled was speaking of was actually four years 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:51.440 before Lebron and Boss joined Miami. When The Heat won 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:54.440 its first title in two thousand and six, it was 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:58.400 Miami establishing itself as one of the premier franchises, pairing 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:02.560 championship success with the natural draws of the Miami lifestyle. 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:05.120 It was that title that even allowed Miami to be 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:07.440 one of the finalists to land Lebron in free agency. 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:10.320 Welcome back to four years of Heat. I'm your host 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:12.920 Israel Gutierrez and this is episode five. 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:14.280 The Crown. 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:22.480 In twenty twelve, that winning experience was still fresh in 0:01:22.520 --> 0:01:24.959 the memories of head coach Eric Spolstra and the two 0:01:25.000 --> 0:01:28.840 players remaining from that six championship, Dwayne Wade and Eudonnas Haslam. 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:31.560 Combined that with the pain still felt by all the 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:35.160 players returning off the finals disappointment against Dallas, and the 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:37.679 Heat checked all the necessary boxes when it came to 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:42.680 experience and motivation. Their opponents in the twenty twelve finals, 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:46.680 The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't say the same. They were 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.400 a young team led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:52.240 James Harden, all of whom were twenty three or younger 0:01:52.720 --> 0:01:55.120 and had won just one playoff series in their young 0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:58.520 careers prior to the twenty twelve playoffs. They were led 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:00.520 by a coach in Scott Brooks, who was just in 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:01.720 his fourth year at the position. 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:02.800 It was all a. 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.400 Stark contrast to what the Heat faced in the veteran 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:09.040 Celtics in the conference finals and their head coach, Doc Rivers, 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:11.359 who'd already won a title as a coach in two 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.480 thousand and eight. Mario Chalmers was in his fourth year 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:16.639 in the league in twenty twelve and had started all 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:19.760 sixty four games he played that regular season. He learned 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:23.880 from his veteran teammates that series just how much experience 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:26.160 in these situations actually. 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:26.600 Helps a team. 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:29.320 It's not just something analysts say when they're trying to 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:35.920 predict the outcome of a series. Experience actually matters. Here's Chalmers, like. 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:39.600 You said, the said before that we played Boston older team, 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:42.359 the EXQ to a T. They got Doc Rivers, who 0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:44.440 has some of the greatest ato players ever. So you 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:46.840 know with them, you got to focus on all of 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:49.560 the little things, and the little things is going to 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:51.480 you do the little things right, it's going to help you. 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:54.840 With us going into the OKC series, we knew that 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:57.200 there was a young team. We knew they had two 0:02:57.320 --> 0:02:59.560 three stars James Harmer was a star at that time, 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:02.320 and we knew that they was young. And even though 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:04.760 I'm young, I'm hearing these old guys, the older guys, 0:03:04.760 --> 0:03:07.480 the Shane Battier's and the d Ways and Lebrons talk 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:10.440 about like they don't have the experience that we had. 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:12.799 And I remember in that series Shane Baddi a kme 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:14.760 to and he was like he's like this, Seri's gonna 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:17.160 be big for both of us. I'm like, why he said, 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:19.360 cause were gonna have the two hardest matchups, Like, what 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:21.560 do you mean? He's like, You're gonna have Westbrook and 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:24.280 most of the time I have KD. He said, the 0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:25.919 biggest thing that we have to do is get them 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:27.160 to not work with each other. 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:29.600 And I was like, how do you do that? 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:31.880 He was like, every time Westbrook get the ball, just 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:32.359 telling them to. 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:33.760 Go Westbrook season open. 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:34.880 That gets to the rabbit LA. 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:37.680 So then oh, want to Freddy play from Russell Westbrook. 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:40.280 So I'm sitting there going Westbrook like, oh you got it, 0:03:40.400 --> 0:03:44.680 go go go. And so Westbrook did good forty three 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:47.560 and one of those games and went crazy, but we 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:48.840 still won because that was. 0:03:48.760 --> 0:03:50.760 Our game plan after let both of them get off 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:51.440 in the same game. 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:53.920 So it was that playground style. I know, that's your shot, 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.160 you got that, that's you and it worked. 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:57.000 It worked. 0:03:57.080 --> 0:03:58.920 I mean it made me look bad some games because 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.160 Wes west did go on. He didn't miss any shots, 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.400 but it definitely worked to the game plan. 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:07.560 What's wild about the idea of literally asking Russell Westbrook 0:04:07.600 --> 0:04:10.840 to shoot in order to disrupt the thunders chemistry is 0:04:11.080 --> 0:04:14.800 the public narrative around the pair was exactly that they 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:17.480 don't work well together and therefore couldn't win at the 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:21.719 highest level. Surely, reaching the finals together was an indication 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:24.799 that it was all a false narrative, and that Durant 0:04:24.800 --> 0:04:28.560 and Westbrook in particular are too talented to fail. Regardless 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:30.200 of the awkward chemistry. 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:33.320 Westbrook split slap pad, he puts it out of file. 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:37.120 The Heat strategy was a difficult concept to remain faithful 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:39.960 in once the Heat lost the finals opener in Oklahoma 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:43.239 City one oh five ninety four behind thirty six points 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:46.680 from Durant and twenty seven eleven and eight from Westbrook. 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:50.440 Only one other player, Serge Ibaka, even scored in double 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:52.680 figures for the Thunder in Game one, and yet it 0:04:52.760 --> 0:04:53.680 was a comfortable win. 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:56.680 Weg right, Durant splicing left pouts past Low, Collinson high 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:59.800 stepped away for fuss six slams the Thunder in a 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:03.680 Dota Royal, I'll come from thirteen back to defeat, say Heat, 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:05.560 He'll take the one game to the lead. 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:10.000 Still, there was something about the initial game experience that 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:13.880 had the Heat believing the title was theirs. The last 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:16.600 time they'd lost a game Game five against the Celtics 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:19.440 and the conference finals. It felt as if the world 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:23.680 was about to collapse on them. After this loss, the 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:29.000 championships somehow felt closer than ever before. Shane Battier chose 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:31.839 the Heat that offseason to put an NBA championship on 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.479 his resume to match his college and high school titles. 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:38.560 He had a strong feeling he'd finally get it, despite 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:41.359 being down in the series one game to none. He 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:45.040 called this group a team of destiny. But there were 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:48.440 more tangible reasons for his belief as well, and it 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:50.960 had to do with who's Scott Brooks decided to put 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:53.000 on the court each night to match up with the 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:54.560 Heats now smaller lineup. 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:56.480 Here's Battier. 0:05:57.120 --> 0:05:59.840 We played really well, game won, and so we left 0:05:59.880 --> 0:06:03.560 that game, We're like, oh, we're winning Game two. And 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:06.080 we came out and just you know, laid the hammer 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:08.840 on him, you know, and I think the guy who 0:06:08.920 --> 0:06:13.560 I think is Kendrick Perkins, that was Scott Brooks, like 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:17.160 would refuse to take Kendrick Perkins out and do the 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:19.880 sensible thing of playing KD at the four and matching 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.200 up with our small ball, But instead, like they said, 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:24.360 this is how we play we're going to play backham 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:27.360 Perkins together, and so I got a free pass on defense. 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:29.719 I didn't have to guard anybody because Perk got one 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:32.440 one post up per game and that was it. And 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:34.720 then he didn't chase me out in three point line. 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:37.280 And so I shot like fifty percent from the from 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:39.920 the three in the in the finals, and we were 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:43.080 able to get our guys downhill with space, and it 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:44.960 was it was the perfect It was the perfect storm. 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:46.440 And so I got to look at that series. I'm like, 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:48.600 I don't know why they wouldn't go small play Kad 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:52.120 on me and totally match up. And so once we 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:54.599 got that game too and we won, We're like, oh yeah, 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:56.440 we're we're winning this. We're winning this. 0:06:56.800 --> 0:06:59.880 The Heat did win Game two in Oklahoma City, despite 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:03.360 playing smaller than the thunder Bosh pulled in fifteen rebounds, 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:07.279 James scored thirty two, and Battier hit five of seven 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:09.120 threes on his way to seventeen points. 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:12.280 The drive gets to the n kicks it up, Battier's open. 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:13.840 That's a three. 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:17.560 Battier, by the way, short changed himself with those shooting numbers. 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:20.360 He actually shot fifty eight percent from three in those 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:21.680 twenty twelve Finals. 0:07:21.840 --> 0:07:25.960 So hello short Ron, James kicks it up top batty, 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:27.920 He left wide open downs another. 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:30.440 By the time Game four arrived, with the Heat up 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:32.120 two games to one, with two more games to be 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:35.920 played in Miami, there wasn't much drama remaining about the 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:39.360 Only question marks left were first, just how much scoring 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:41.560 could the Heat with stand from Westbrook and still win? 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:45.760 And second would Lebron throw a wrench in the operation 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:50.080 by suffering from some untimely muscle cramps. James had experienced 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:53.080 severe cramping in games before, dating all the way back 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:55.280 to his high school days, when he even went through 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:58.160 a series of medical tests because of it. The answer 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:01.360 to the first question was apparently foury three points, which 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.760 is what Westbrook scored in Game four, and the Heat 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.680 won by just six points. The answer to the second 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:10.560 was yes, Lebron would make matters more complicated due to cramps. 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:14.480 He exited Game four with five minutes fifteen seconds remaining 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:17.920 with severe leg cramps, only to return one minute later. 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:21.960 He hit one three pointer and missed another before leaving 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.520 the game again for good with fifty five seconds left 0:08:24.520 --> 0:08:25.600 and the Heat up just three. 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:31.200 Lebron is cramping up me he is down on the deck. 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:33.160 The timing could not be any worse. 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:36.920 But on the very next possession the game four, Hero 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.440 Chalmers drove for a layup to put Miami up four 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:43.240 with forty four seconds left. Then he hit three or 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:45.920 four free throws in the final seconds to seal the 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:48.079 win on the driving side to. 0:08:48.040 --> 0:08:50.559 The remp lay up and got it carry o Jummers 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:54.079 on the running lay up, Miami now by five and 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:59.200 the Miami he win the game four one oh four 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:03.960 ninety eight and lead three games, the one in the 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:05.720 NBA Finals. 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:10.240 Chalmers scored twenty five points, matching his playoff career high, 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:13.080 and his motivation for the career highlight of a game 0:09:13.280 --> 0:09:17.680 was classic Chalmers. Kevin Durant was assigned to defend Chalmers 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:21.160 this game. Chalmers saw that as an insult. 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:23.079 I had two bad games before it. 0:09:23.080 --> 0:09:24.720 Well, not two bad games, but I didn't have the 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:27.080 games I expected to have come into the finals. So 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:29.319 I was a little down on myself. So I remember 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:31.319 going to that shoot around. Coach Bo was on me. 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:32.840 Everybody was on me, like real, get your head up, 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:34.760 come on real, we need you. Tonight, gonna be all night, tonight, 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:37.000 gonna be all night, Like I heard that throughout the 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.520 whole shoot around, So I'm kind of like, all right, 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:41.200 are y'all gassing me up to tell me that y'all 0:09:41.240 --> 0:09:41.600 want me? 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:43.680 Like that's all I need. You tell me that you 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:44.960 need something from me. I'm ready to go. 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:48.120 So now I remember after that, I took my nap 0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:50.600 and d Wade had text me right before the game 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:52.199 or right before I head to the gym, and He's like, Yo, 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:52.760 be ready to night. 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:54.120 I feel like it's gonna be a big one for you. 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:56.760 I was like, okay, So already in my mind, I'm 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:00.120 thinking like, okay, something specially is gonna happen tonight. Then 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:03.600 when I seen that, it was like, why is KD 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:06.640 guard me? I'm not one of the stars on the team, 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:08.760 Like this is the finals, Like you're supposed to be 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:11.640 guarding Braun or d Wade, Like this is a matchup 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:14.679 for y'all. So by you guard me means that you're 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:17.199 trying to rest and save all your stuff for offense. 0:10:18.040 --> 0:10:20.080 I'm not the type of player where I can't score. 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:22.720 I can't go get a bucket. I just don't because 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:25.200 I got three Hall of favors that do a little 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:28.880 bit better than me. So by that it's like, okay, 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:31.240 now that they see that your guarding me, they're running 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:33.560 a little bit more plays for me, for me to 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:36.360 be active and to get you active on defense so 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:37.000 you can't rest. 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:39.960 And I'm actually hitting my shots. So now I'm in 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:40.480 the rhythm. 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:42.800 Now I feel like I can go, and I keep going, 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:45.240 and my teammates keep feeding me, they keep finding me. 0:10:45.720 --> 0:10:47.560 I'm getting a little broken, played a little. 0:10:47.320 --> 0:10:49.400 Easy way ups, open threes, and it was just like 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:51.640 everything was just going my way that game, and I 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:54.360 felt good. I felt great about it, and just one 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:56.120 of them games, like you said, I always have a 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:57.839 big game in the playoffs, like I always want to 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:01.719 leave my mark and whatever championship, whatever series on Man. 0:11:01.760 --> 0:11:03.679 Just so you could say we can rely on. 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:07.040 Mike in game five, it would be another reliable piece, 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:09.800 Mike Miller who helped shoot his good buddy Lebron into 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:14.040 a championship celebration. Miller hit seven of eight three pointers 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:16.200 on his way to twenty three points in twenty three 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:17.240 minutes off the bench. 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:23.160 Miller for three bag Mike Miller from Downtown. Then the 0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:24.560 Heat lead by fifteen. 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:31.320 Manama shot block wait the Miller another three got another one. 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:36.640 Oh my goodness, you are watching perfection, not to seventh. 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:40.720 Tray Miller was the player Eudonnis Haslam says connected the 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:44.040 dots with that Heat team, getting along with each individual, 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:47.760 so his performance in that championship clincher made for an 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:51.360 even more joyful experience. But all eyes were on Lebron 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.439 James as he was about to win his first championship 0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:58.679 and his first Finals MVP Trophy. He and the remaining 0:11:58.720 --> 0:12:01.040 starters were taken out of the game with three minutes 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:03.560 and one second left in the season and a twenty 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:04.400 two point lead. 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:10.040 Ron James with a triple double. Most important game in 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:11.240 his career. 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:14.760 Lebron James will come out of the game to. 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:15.760 The roar of the crowd. 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:22.840 Wade, with a championship already in hand, made sure he 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:26.840 watched his good friend Lebron's reaction to winning his first. 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:31.000 He talked about that moment so many times, when the 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:32.800 clock is winding down and you know you got the 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:36.120 game in hand and it's about to be a celebration, 0:12:36.800 --> 0:12:38.360 And I turned around and looked at him, and I 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:39.720 just seen the smile on his face. 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:41.480 He look like he look key at that moment. 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:44.800 Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press would keep his eyes 0:12:44.840 --> 0:12:46.440 on James the rest of the way. 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:48.520 There's that image of him, you know, jumping up and 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:50.440 down on the sideline and swinging his arms with The 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:52.199 very first thing he did when he knew supposed taking 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:54.040 him out of the game was he went over to 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:57.280 Chris Bosh and he just bowed his head into Chris's chest. 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:03.360 It was like relief, it was joy, it was thank you. 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:08.920 Like he doesn't always show a super ton of emotion, 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.080 but it was so telling to me that the first 0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:15.680 person he went to go almost pay tribute to in 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:16.400 a way was Chris. 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:18.040 That was cool. 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:22.480 And then the clock go zero and he doesn't storm 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:24.559 the floor. They're not holding each other back, they're not 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:26.719 doing any of that stuff that you would typically see 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:28.520 when the clock go zero for a championship. 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:34.680 Let the coronation begin. Lebron James has helped Brown Miami 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:40.280 a champion of the basketball world. There'll be another barade 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:44.120 down beautiful Ben's game. Follah bah. 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:48.080 He's got the towel up, and he goes down and 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:51.080 he embraces Kevin Durant and he wraps Kevin Durant up 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:53.760 and starts whispering in his ear about how your. 0:13:53.559 --> 0:13:54.280 Time is coming. 0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:58.640 It was very cool in the moment that he recognized 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:00.560 there was more to the moment just you. 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:01.800 But yes, the weight. 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:06.880 Had been lifted and then he became lebron three point 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:08.640 oho or four point oh, whatever he became at that 0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:12.240 point because on top of being the baddest man in 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:16.040 the world, now he's a champion on top of it. 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:18.840 All right, that's why we trained each other twos ago. 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:21.720 Who's gonna be champions? 0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:23.720 Man, It's been a long problem. 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:25.040 We're today. 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:29.520 James recovered from his lowest professional moment, failing against the 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:33.720 Mavericks on the biggest stage in basketball, to raise two 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:37.720 gold trophies one year later, on a day he called 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:39.280 the best of his life. 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:41.240 We did Jews last year's experience. 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:44.040 You know, you know, the heartbreak lost in the finals 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:46.920 and you know, me not playing to my abilities and 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.160 me not making enough players to help our team win 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:52.600 that series. You know, it was the at the time, 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.040 it was the worst thing ever happened to me. But uh, 0:14:55.120 --> 0:14:56.520 you know, at that point in time, like I said, 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:58.520 I was not thinking outside the box at that point 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:02.280 in time, and you know I started, you know, after 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:05.560 I moped and laid around for a couple of weeks. Uh, 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:08.080 you know, I looked in the mirror and uh, you know, 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:11.160 figured out ways I can help this team win, you know, 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.120 figure out ways I can be better on and off 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:16.880 the floor. And now you know, today being the NBA champion, 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:19.520 you know, you know, that loss, you know, and that 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:21.400 heartbreak was the best thing that ever happened to me 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:24.880 because it basically refocused me, It rehumbled me, and uh, 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:27.000 you know, basically put me back in a position where 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:29.960 I just started back with the basics, and uh, you 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:32.240 know I was able to you know, regain who I am, 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:34.040 you know, both on and off the floor. 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:47.720 Miami was at the time one of the ten franchises 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:53.360 to win multiple titles, joining the Celtics, Lakers, Warriors, Bulls, Spurs, 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:58.320 seventy six Ers, Pistons, Knicks, and Rockets. Lebron James was 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:01.920 most believed on his way to fulfilling that infamous promise 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:05.320 of not one, not two, not three. To get to 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:08.360 this point, though, the parts around him had. 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:10.080 To evolve as well. 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:12.880 It wasn't just about upgrading the roster from one year 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:16.040 to the next. It wasn't just about Wade handing the 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:19.840 lead role to Lebron full time. It also included Chris 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:23.360 Bosh adjusting to a pair of teammates that dominate the 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:26.680 same area of the floor he did, and adjusting to 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:30.480 an NBA that was almost requiring big men to shoot 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:33.720 from three point range. And then there was Eric Spolstra, 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:37.600 the coach who'd been questioned since day one. The first 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:41.600 season with James Wade and Bosh featured too much predictable offense, 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:44.640 and Spolster would have his own regrets about the system 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:49.040 he was using all season. This first championship season would 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:52.360 provide the breakthrough both Bosh and spolsterra needed. 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:55.520 Our team went through a lot together and all those 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:58.400 adversities in tough times, and then you're finally able to 0:16:58.760 --> 0:17:02.000 get over the hump and climb that mountain and do 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:06.600 it collectively. It's an incredibly gratifying experience for Spolstra. 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:11.800 His biggest philosophical shift happened after that disappointing twenty eleven finals. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.479 He was so determined not to end another season feeling 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:18.320 like he could have done more, so he traveled across 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.439 the country to Eugene, Oregon, to meet with Ducks football 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:24.880 coach Chip Kelly. He'd reach out to so many more 0:17:24.920 --> 0:17:30.040 coaches that offseason, including Mike Krzyzewski, John Klipowi, and Urban Meyer. 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:34.119 His pace and space concept, most influenced by Chip Kelly's 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:37.680 football philosophy, had the Heat playing fast and their stars 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:42.520 playing aggressively, utilizing their athletic advantages while leaving much of 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:46.200 the outside shooting to the support players. This way, teams 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:50.000 like Dallas couldn't take those advantages away by comfortably settling 0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:50.840 into their defense. 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:53.959 This brotherhood, they can't ever take it away from us. 0:17:54.840 --> 0:17:56.080 Twenty five years. 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:58.440 From now, we're going to be coming back together in 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:01.080 this semi circle and talking about this journey. 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:08.679 Even within that twenty eleven twelve season, however, Spolster was 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:11.200 proving he'd learned from his first season with this group. 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:16.000 He'd adjust however necessary. It was never more obvious than 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:20.040 in between playoff series against the Pacers and Celtics. Against 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:22.440 the Pacers, the Heat had to match up with a 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:26.000 bigger team and did it with their best big Bosh 0:18:26.200 --> 0:18:30.399 missing due to injury. In the very next series against 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:34.760 the smaller Celtics team, Spolster changed everything about the offense. 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:38.320 Battier was one of the versatile players who allowed Spolster 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.159 to make the postseason switch with confidence. 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:44.320 Yeah, we literally went to a like a five out offense. 0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:49.000 You know, most of our sets when CP was healthy, 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:51.640 we're getting with these kind of like long, like ten 0:18:51.720 --> 0:18:54.280 second plays and we'd get like a you know, a 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:57.359 cutter running across the floor, cause misdirection and try to 0:18:57.440 --> 0:19:00.399 hit you know, one of our all stars where they 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:02.920 could go to work. So it's much more like traditional 0:19:03.000 --> 0:19:04.680 like they don't play this win in the NBA anymore, 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:08.320 but like much more traditional sets. And we went to 0:19:08.400 --> 0:19:11.400 an entirely like red based offense. We called it five out, 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:13.960 where the center actually was at the top of the 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:16.320 three point line and he was the key decision maker. 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:20.840 And it was a series of back cuts and curl 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:23.760 cuts and still getting our guys in position to do stuff. 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:26.879 But like and then the spacing was entirely different. And 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:30.000 so for the first time really since those guys have 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.359 been there. Because I was a group three point shooter 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:34.399 and would draw the defense out, these guys had a 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:37.320 room to operate and get downhill, and it was sort 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:39.920 of like, wow, this is different. You know, we actually 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:43.680 have space to operate now. And obviously you know, every 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:46.840 team went to playing small ball, but that's that's the 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:50.880 advantage of playing small where you create more space for 0:19:51.000 --> 0:19:53.600