After the NBA Finals Heartbreak, what’s next for LeBron James? NBA Special Report (Part 1)
In the last summer the dazzling forward of the league LeBron James decided to take his talents to the South Beach based franchise Miami Heat, where he joined hands with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. James inclusion in the line-up
was highly celebrated and many claims were made that now this trio will win the championship for the Heat.
Prior to this, James spent seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who picked him up from the 2003 National Basketball Association Draft, but he remained ring less with them. In the last season of James with Cleveland, the
franchise achieved the most successful regular-season record for the second straight year and LeBron was named the Most Valuable Player, second time in his NBA career. James was the 10th player in the history of the league to achieve this honour.
However, on July 8, 2010 in a TV show, James announced that he is leaving Cleveland and moving to Miami. James received lot of criticism for his decision and angry Cleveland fans burned his posters and t-shirts with his pictures.
Above all was the owner of the Cavs Dan Gilbert, who scorched James with his fuelled criticism. Gilbert wrote an open letter regarding James act and issued it on his team’s website.
Gilbert took a swipe at James by referring his act as a “shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own,” he also termed James’s decision process “a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating
with the national TV special of his ‘decision’ unlike anything ever ‘witnessed’ in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.”
Though Gilbert’s act got mixed reaction, but he was fined $100,000 by NBA Commissioner David Stern for passing such remarks publically. It was Gilbert, who made James a huge star and then took him with him with both hands on his
departure.
LeBron put everything behind and made a fresh start with the Heat. Miami won 58 games out of their 82 with their trio (James, Wade and Bosh) in the regular-season. The Heat ended the season on the second spot in the Eastern Conference,
behind the Chicago Bulls. James was exceptional throughout the season and led the Heat to countless victories.
During the previous regular-season Miami went through just two deprived phases. First phase came in January, when the Heat lost four games in a row against Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Chicago and Atlanta Hawks. One game
later New York Knicks hand them another defeat. Second phase came at the end of February, when the Heat lost five straight games against the Knicks, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers.
However, Miami managed to bounce back from the slump, when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 94-88 and James led the attack from the front with 19 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and one steal.
With the Heat finished the season on a high note by grabbing second most wins in the East and also secured a berth in the playoffs, James scored with an average of 26.7 points per game with a .510 field goal, .330 three-point and
.759 shooting percentage from the free throw line. Along with the points, James clutched 7.5 rebounds in each game and provided 7.0 assists per game.
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