LeBron James and Dwyane Wade (Photo : Twitter)
The Cleveland Cavaliers has been the most criticized team in the NBA but do they deserve it?
The rumors about the LeBron James 'superteam' or his dream of playing at least one season with his buddies Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul came at a time when the Cavaliers are under heavy scrutiny (but they almost always are) and became another talking point of how the King was unsatisfied with his teammates.
Then there was the shellacking at Miami which reinforced the notion that the "Big Three" was not just about three players coming together but there was something special about the Heat that made it all work. That LeBron James picking up any two stars to form their own big three will not hack it.
This is why Dwyane Wade would not join the superteam if ever it was intentionally formed. As quoted on Frank Isola's Twitter, Wade said:
"As cool as the headline is, that has nothing to do with what we're trying to do in here."
Most would find Wade's refusal to join the superteam ironic or even hypocritical, but it shows that the original Big Three is not about friendship, it's about winning. Wade and Pat Riley wanted to get the best player in the world to win titles, it just so happened that it was Wade's best pal.
The Miami Heat is on a roll and the Cavs are not playing with the demeanor of champions. However, this is not the postseason and the Cavs are still holding on to the top spot. There are even talks that the Heat could beat the Cavaliers if ever they get matched up in the playoffs.
Thus, the talks of LeBron returning to Miami emerged. If the Cavs fail, and the naysayers almost always say that they will, LeBron might be headed elsewhere, and why not South Beach again?
Despite all the extensive media coverage primarily predicting doom for the Cavs, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com says there's no need to panic, especially against the Heat despite LeBron's four losses against his former team.
"Taking a closer look at the Heat's four wins over James in Miami - one was on Christmas, 2014, the game after the Cavs lost Anderson Varejao for the season and before they'd made roster-reshaping trades," Vardon points out. "The other losses were all on the second night of consecutive road games for Cleveland. And in one, of course, James didn't play."
James will not return to Miami. It's an admission of defeat. His critics always say that he'll choke, but a choker does not make the NBA Finals five straight times. They said the Cavs, specifically LeBron James can't "turn it on" in the playoffs, reaching the Finals means he's won three seven-game series. That means, since 2011, James has won 17 playoff series with just 3 losses.
The Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Miami Heat in a playoff series will be a major highlight in the playoffs. The wise money is still on the Cavs and Pat Riley knows that.
