Not the worst championship squad by a long shot. Just something for the LBJ haters to hand their hats on.

 

The extremes of the LeBron hate were more than I expected.

 

 

I argue that if the Heat are one of the worst champions ever, it brings credit to LeBron. If he is able to win a title with a bad team, how many more wil he win as the Heat roster improves.

You may be right about the star power. The 1-3 of the Heat can play with any previous champion. However, go 4-8 and find me one champion that is even close to as bad as the Heat.

 

I have never thought the Heat were all that bad 4-8, just overshadowed by who 1-3 are. Compare side-by-side most team's 4-8 and the Heat are just fine. Rarely is there a time when a combination of Wade, Bosh, and James are not on the court with bench players so it is kind of a moot point with their short rotation. They have no interior game, but who does? If anything, the Heat have underperformed (for lack of a better term) or at least not played to their full potential through now. Odd saying that with consecutive final's appearances. Maybe the pieces are not meant to fall in to place to dominate the league like many forecasted. By James' admission it was a lot more difficult than he anticipated.

Not that many teams in the NBA play down to an 8th man in the Finals that much.

 

Game 2 ( I picked a close game) The Heat played 9 guys. Guys 8 and 9 played 1 minute and 6 minutes. The other 2 guys were at 13 and 16 minutes.

 

Point being you run with you starting 5 in the playoffs for 40+ minutes typically unless you have a crazy deep team which most teams don't.

Who did the 2008 Celtics have on their team? Garnett, Allen, and Pierce (NICE BIG 3). Rondo was good then, nothing like he is now as the 4th player. Can you even name the subs on that team? I know Perkins was the 5th Starter. Can you say Luc Longley???? Disect it all you want. The fact is the HEAT are Champions and they deserve it! That coming from someone who was rooting for the Thunder.

Who did the 2008 Celtics have on their team? Garnett, Allen, and Pierce (NICE BIG 3). Rondo was good then, nothing like he is now as the 4th player. Can you even name the subs on that team? I know Perkins was the 5th Starter. Can you say Luc Longley???? Disect it all you want. The fact is the HEAT are Champions and they deserve it! That coming from someone who was rooting for the Thunder.

 

PJ Brown, Eddie House, and one of the best six men in the league at the time, James Posey, are a few I remember off the top of my head. I'm pretty sure Sam Cassell was on that team too and Big Baby Davis was there.

 

Not saying they were anything to write home about but the first three I named played some key roles, just like Miami's too.

^ Posey was HUGE for the Celtics in that title run.

^ Posey was HUGE for the Celtics in that title run.

 

Do I remember right that a lot of people where comparing his big shots/games to Robert Horry?

Do I remember right that a lot of people where comparing his big shots/games to Robert Horry?

 

Yes, he hit a number of big shots that year for them.

Well, they did have Jaamal Wilkes and Rick Barry.

 

Portland in '77 was a great TEAM but not filled with superstars. Same could be said for a lot of 70's champs: '78 Bullets, '79 Sonics.

 

Wilkes was a rookie on that team and the Bullets had 2 of the best players ever in Unseld and Hayes.

I would argue that last year's Mavs weren't as good.

 

That is the team that beat the Heat in the finals right?

Wilkes was a rookie on that team and the Bullets had 2 of the best players ever in Unseld and Hayes.

 

Yes, but he was a very good rookie. Rick Barry carried that team.

 

The Bullets had the Big E and Unseld but both had come up empty before and were in the back side of their careers. (See Golden State) The complimentary roster included Kupchek, Kevin Grevey and Bob Daindridge.

 

The Sonics had even less star power in Gus Williams, a young Dennis Johnson and Jack Sikma.

 

Portland had Walton at the best of his career and Maurice Lucas. But after that Lionell Hollins, Twardzik, Larry Steele and Gross didn't intimidate anyone.

You may be right about the star power. The 1-3 of the Heat can play with any previous champion. However, go 4-8 and find me one champion that is even close to as bad as the Heat.

 

I could be completely wrong about this, and most likely I am. But who were players 4-8 for all those Bulls Championships? I was young only remember the guys who stand out like Jordan, Pippen, etc. but were the 4-8 players really that great? Or just players who filled a role just like the guys on this years team for the Heat?

I could be completely wrong about this, and most likely I am. But who were players 4-8 for all those Bulls Championships? I was young only remember the guys who stand out like Jordan, Pippen, etc. but were the 4-8 players really that great? Or just players who filled a role just like the guys on this years team for the Heat?

 

Names that I can remember. Some guys obviously weren't there every year:

 

The early years - Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, BJ Armstrong, John Paxson, Craig Hodges, Stacey King, Will Perdue

 

The latter years - Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Jud Buechler, Bill Wennington, Jason Caffey, Scott Burrell

 

Their top three in both runs were pretty solid, their their top four were pretty good, but after that, nothing to be excited about. They played their roles and Jordan made everyone better.

Names that I can remember. Some guys obviously weren't there every year:

 

The early years - Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, BJ Armstrong, John Paxson, Craig Hodges, Stacey King, Will Perdue

 

The latter years - Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Jud Buechler, Bill Wennington, Jason Caffey, Scott Burrell

 

Their top three in both runs were pretty solid, their their top four were pretty good, but after that, nothing to be excited about. They played their roles and Jordan made everyone better.

 

Looking at the rosters, it looks like their 4 through 8 guys were just like the Heats. Role players who just had to play their role. So I dont why so many people are so obsessed with the 4-8 guys of the Heat, most Championship teams did not have stud 4-8 players either. Just guys who played their role, just like the Heats guys.

I think a better question is are the Heat's 1-3 the best 1-3 trio to ever win a title? In comparing it to past trios like the Lakers and Celtic teams of old, you have to consider there were a lot less teams. For the amount of teams there are today, having the best player and two others all-pro caliber players, you have to think they are. For the amount of star power that they have - which relative to the rest of the league I think it is the most ever - the Heat have nowhere near the best cohesion of teams to win a title.