LeBron James Played His Best Basketball With The Miami Heat
Theo Pinson said James time with the Heat made him the "best player ever"
Superstar LeBron James is playing in his 21st season. With so many years behind him, NBA pundits have witnessed many versions of him. Due to the fact that he never took his foot off the gas, it’s difficult to pinpoint the greatest moment of his career.
On a recent episode of Theo Pinson’s Run Your Race podcast, Pinson revealed the moment he realized James was the greatest player ever.
“Best player ever to play this game was when Bron [LeBron James] was in Miami [Heat],” said Pinson
When the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted James in 2003, the expectations surrounding him were extremely high. Throughout the first seven years in Cleveland, he played at an elite level. But after the Cavaliers failed to build a contending team around him, James joined the Miami Heat in 2010.
During the 2010-11 season, he continued to play at an All-Star level, averaging 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.6 assists. When the playoffs arrived, he helped lead the Heat to the Finals, where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. In that series, James logged in only 17.8 points a game, including an eight-point performance in Game 4.
James took the offseason criticism personally.
After a rough ending to the season, James came back fully prepared to take over. During the 2011-12 campaign, he averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals. Due to his efforts, he won his third Most Valuable Player award.
When the postseason came back around, he continued his dominance. While averaging 30.3 points, he led the Heat to the Finals, where they battled the rising Oklahoma City Thunder. After losing Game 1, they defeated the Thunder the next three times, winning their first championship since 2006.
After averaging 28.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in the series, James was named Finals MVP.
James continued to build on his GOAT case
Surprisingly, the 2012-13 season might’ve been better for James. Along with averaging 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists, he even improved his 3-point shot. He recorded a total of 103 3-pointers on a then career-high 40.6% shooting.
When the Heat’s historic 27-game winning streak took place, James played a huge part in that as well. Throughout the streak, he logged averages of 27.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.9 steals. He even had a total of 10 games with 30 or more points.
At the end of the season, he captured a second straight MVP award while finishing second behind Marc Gasol for DPOY. During the playoffs, he averaged 25.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists en route to another championship and Finals MVP against the Spurs.
Despite failing to complete a three-peat the following year, James made an impact. Though his rebound and assist numbers slightly dropped, he still averaged 27.1 points, which included a career-high 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Without a doubt, James played some of the best basketball of his career in Miami.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to The Lead. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson