Thursday, July 8, 2010

The Heat is On LeBron in Miami

This evening, LeBron James announced he has signed with the Miami Heat during a townhall meeting style interview with Jim Gray in Greenwich, Connecticut.

After seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron is joining forces with Dwyane Wade and ex-Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh in Miami in the hope of putting together a championship dynasty.

Pat Riley is trying to do in Miami what Danny Ainge did in Boston three summers ago when he brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce and form the nucleus of a team that won the NBA championship in 2008. LeBron plays the role of Garnett, Bosh is Allen while Wade is Pierce.

Of course, the Celtics had gone more than two decades between NBA titles when the Big Three were put together. The Heat won the NBA championship in 2006 with Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. The Heat have made the post-season in three of the four years since their championship but haven't made it past the first round. This year they were eliminated by the Celtics which no doubt spurred the idea of having their own Big Three.

LeBron could have had a lot more money playing in New York or Chicago but the only thing left for him to prove is that he can help lead a team to a championship and it appears Miami is the place he will most likely attain that goal. Of course, that's easier said than done. As Glenn Frey said, "The Heat is On." Come to think of it LeBron will have to prove he belongs to the city.

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