Lebron James officially became a member of the Miami Heat on July 10th, 2010. Through the first season, the Heat were portrayed as villains throughout the media and opposing fanbases. They struggled to adjust to these new circumstances and amount of hate, which showed in their slow 9-8 start in the 2010-2011 season after 17 games. Lebron and the Heat faced the Cavaliers for the first time since his departure on December 2nd, and was booed mercilessly every time James touched the ball. He scored 38, silencing the crowd and securing a win. The Heat eventually turned their season around and finished as the East’s second seed, with James averaging 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7 assists per game on 51 percent shooting. He eventually advanced to the NBA Finals, where the Dallas Mavericks defeated James and the Heat in 6 games. Lebron James received most of the criticism for the loss, as he averaged 17.8 points per game, a 8.9 point drop off from the regular season, and averaged only 3 points in the fourth quarter for the series.
Humbled by the embarrassing loss in the finals against the Mavericks, Lebron James decided to elevate his game one step further. He started the 2011-2012 season a different player. with a much better post up game and a better jump shot. Miami exploded to a franchise best 18-6 start, but they didn’t slow down one bit. Lebron was named to his third MVP award finishing with averages of 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on 53 percent shooting.In the second round of the playoffs, In the playoffs, the Miami Heat temporarily lost Chris Bosh to an abdominal injury and found themselves trailing the Indiana Pacers 2–1. James responded with a 40 point, 18 rebound, 9 assist outing in Game 4, evening the series at 2 apiece. Miami would eventually go on to defeat the Pacers in 6 games. Facing elimination in Game 6 of the Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, James scored 45 points to lead the Heat to victory in what The New York Times called a “career-defining performance” Lebron James and the Miami Heat earned themselves a matchup in the NBA Finals against his budding rival Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Miami Heat eventually defeated the Thunder in 5 games, with James being unanimously voted the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player with averages of 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. His full postseason run, in which he averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, was ranked the second best in modern NBA history by ESPN.
The Life of Lebron James 