The Miami Heat era of LeBron James is immortalized as one of the greatest and most entertaining players to grace the hardwood.
James managed to enjoy multiple facets of greatness in different times of his illustrious career, but his version in Miami is undoubtedly the pinnacle he has ever been. Embracing his prime, James showcased dominance that is off the charts and was an athletic wonder on a nightly basis.
Besides his unparalleled physical state, James’ Heat version is possibly the most complete basketball player ever. From scoring, facilitating, and defending the basketball, James was a nightmare to deal with who emerged as the driving force of Miami’s supremacy in the early 2010s of the NBA, clinching two MVP awards while leading the franchise to two championships in four consecutive Finals appearances.
No one beyond Paul George has had complete understanding of facing a prime LeBron James on the other side of the court.
For a significant stretch, George rallied the Indiana Pacers and emerged as the prime competitors of James and his Heat squad. Both shared memorable and prime time battles along the way, mainly highlighted by three-straight playoff contests including back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals meetings in 2013 and 2014.
Looking back, George simply admitted that it was a fulfilling experience for him to go toe-to-toe against that overwhelming form of James.
“That Miami ‘Bron was crazy. I don’t even wanna know what young Cleveland ‘Bron was like,” the current Philadelphia 76ers said in the recent episode of his Podcast P.
“When I seen him in Miami I was like ‘Oh my God, this is crazy’. That dude was fast as hell, jumped out the gym, strong as (expletive), what can you do? Tip the hat to LeBron.”
Without a doubt, James’ best ability has been his longevity. And even though he is now the oldest player in the league at 40, he remains capable of showing what truly he was at his peak just a decade ago in Miami. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar can still go coast-to-coast through the rim, flush thunderous jams, and present an aggressive play.
He might never be that same player like what he used to be, but we can only appreciate how James continues to push strongly and defy Father Time.
“We not going to see someone at that size with that athleticism, George said of James. “We might see athleticism, there’s guys that can jump and do some crazy things. … Not with all of that.
“LeBron has still lost a step a little bit but ‘Bron is still gifted at 40. He’s still athletically gifted.”
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