Whatever you think about LeBron, and I’ve always liked him even with “The Decision” and the declaration to the Heat fans before the 2010-11 season started that he, DWade and Bosh would win “not four, not five, not six” ect..  championships, you’ve got to appreciate the greatness that it took to win this championship. Not only his scoring, but also his passing, which is the best in the league maybe the best ever, his rebounding, his total dominance on the basketball court, particularly in the Celtics series and then in the dominating performance against the Thunder in the finals. When asked what it felt like to win after all the years of frustration, ‘Bron said, “It’s about time” with another word in there I won’t use. Not bad, but I try not to use any profanity on the blog. It had to be elation and relief. It’s got to be a relief to ‘Bron to get this title that has eluded him for so long. Some might say it was a short season, and may discount this title, but I don’t. LeBron earned it. He had a superb supporting cast with Wade, Bosh when he got back to health, and particularly Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers. Mike Miller came up big, too, particularly last night when he was seven-of-eight from trifecta. It really was some beautiful basketball played by the Heat in this series. The Thunder just not there yet. They’re a fine young team and KD is superb, but he just wasn’t enough. James Harden had a bad series, and you never know what you’re going to get from Russell Westbrook. There’s a lot of good at times, but some bad, too. He can be a liability. His foul in game four at the end of the game was a huge mistake. He’s a hard working kid, and a good kid it seems like, but he’s just kind of a head case. He reminds me of Rondo of  the Celtics, but a little worse. Still they’ve got a bright future. They may never win it; there are no guarantees in the NBA, the NFL or MLB. You just never know what happens with defections in free agency and those debilitating injuries that can happen during a season. But they are an excellent young basketball team. The Heat were just unstoppable last night. LeBron, DWade, Battier, Chalmers and the rest of the team were not going to be denied. Shane Battier is the most underrated player in the NBA. He may be the best defender in the league and he’s an excellent three-point shooter. Just a terrific player. So is Chalmers. LeBron kept riding him verbally throughout the series like an older brother would to his younger sibling, but Chalmers took it well, battled and excelled. He’s quite a player. He’s the guy who won the national championship for Kansas back in ’08 when he hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation to tie the game with Memphis in the national title game. Kansas went on to win it in overtime. Battier, Chalmers and Miller are clutch players. Wade came on strong in the last couple of games. I think Wade battled some injuries throughout the season that hampered his play. He toughed it out though and made some terrific offensive and defensive plays throughout the series. Bosh did some nice things. And LeBron finally silenced his critics; at least for a little while.
Can the Heat win multiple championships? Possibly. If they can keep this team together and stay healthy,  they can do it. LeBron is 27 and seems to be hitting his peak as a player. Wade is 30 and has some good years left. He needs some rest in the offseason. Bosh battled an abdominal strain, but he’s just 28, and he’s a player. Battier, Miller and Chalmers are relatively young guys and tremendous competitors. If they added a guy like Steve Nash, wow, they’d be special next year. But they should be pretty special anyway next year without adding anybody, and just keeping the guys they have. Udonis Haslem is a solid player. They were so good in the seventh game against the Celtics and last night. It was really a beautiful performance. It was greatness. Celtics, Lakers greatness.

And one last thing I give Erik Spoelstra a lot of credit. He’s been criticized quite a bit, but he kept this team together through the tough stretches and stayed calm throughout the challenges of being down to Indiana 2-1 when people were leaving the Heat for dead. Then going down to the Celtics, 3-2, and winning in Boston in game 6. He did a terrific job. Had some of the best players in the world on his team, but he managed them well and did an outstanding job. He kept them together. Just a tremendous effort by ‘Bron, company and Spoelstra.