LeBron James happy with his first season at the Miami Heat – NBA Update
Miami Heat superstar LeBron James did not have it easy last season.
The player faced constant criticism on a personal level and his team, the Miami Heat, were also under media scrutiny the whole year. He was recently nominated in a survey as the most un-liked NBA player and the vilification level
against perhaps the best player in the league will most likely increase in the next season.
James though believes that at the end of the day, the Heat and himself did pretty well and he was pleased with the season they had.
LeBron spoke during an interview, one of the few he has afforded since the Heat lost in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. He was directly asked about the season and how the intense media criticism affected it. James was upbeat
in his reply,
“For the most part we accomplished a lot of things that we wanted to accomplish. We didn’t accomplish our ultimate goal and that is to win the NBA championship, but for a team to come together for the first year, and get through
what we got, and to do some of the things what we did with all the scrutiny and media coverage that we had throughout the season, I think it was a successful season.”
Although his detractors would have you believe otherwise, James is probably right. He came to Miami as a free agent from the Cleveland Cavaliers under incessant media coverage. His decision angered many in the basketball community,
not just those from Ohio. The presence of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the same team as LeBron James made Miami a favourite for the NBA World Championship overnight and that did not go well with a lot of people.
Throughout the season the Heat faced criticism from the media and hostility from opposition fans. They also had a number of issues on the court and perhaps in the locker room. Through all the turmoil they fought to become a better
team and ultimately qualified for the NBA playoffs as the second seed in the East.
Reaching the NBA Finals after defeating the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics, the Heat lost out to Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs when it counted the most. Still, everything before the Finals was an unprecedented success for a
side that was up against pretty much everyone.
Therefore, James is right in his assessment of Miami’s first season with the Big Three. LeBron also took time out to comment on the man who assembled the star cast and is the guiding hand behind the franchise; Pat Riley.
LeBron praised the basketball great and said he had every confidence in Riley,
“I think Pat Riley is a great president, great GM for our team. He’s going t do whatever it takes to help us win if that means bringing in guys. He’s going to do what is best for the team.”
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