2014 NBA playoffs: Miami Heat during the Big Three era
June 15, 2014
End Of An Era?
The Heat know pain in the NBA Finals. They experienced it in 2011, when the Mavericks took advantage of a very un-LeBron-like performance and beat Miami in six games. The Spurs' 2013 pain was like that -- only worse, given how close they were to winning in Games 6 and 7. Another chance at a title was all San Antonio cared about, and once the Spurs reached the Finals, that pain manifested itself in near-perfect basketball.
After Miami tied the series 1-1 with a two-point win in Game 2, the Spurs went on to trounce the Heat in the three games that followed, by margins of 19, 21 and 17. It wasn't just how well the Spurs were playing that was eye-opening. It was how poorly most of the Heat played around LeBron.
But when you're on a run like Miami's, you never know you're not good enough anymore until someone shows you. And the Spurs showed the Heat that there are much-needed improvements to make if Miami is going to win championships again.
Already a report about the Heat pursuing Carmelo Anthony in the offseason sprouted during the Finals. And certainly serious discussions have to be had about the value of Wade, who at 32 with creaky knees no longer looks like a player worthy of max dollars. Four years in, with all of the Big Three eligible to opt out of their contracts this summer, Miami is at its first major crossroads of the Big Three era. We all knew it would come at some point. So let the summertime intrigue begin.
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