LeBron James: Remembering the most dominant streak of his career
There are many arguments to determine when LeBron reached his peak. But few compare to his 27-game winning streak in 2013 with the Heat.
LeBron James He took a long swig of a banana milkshake from Swensons, an Akron restaurant chain. He Miami Heat He used to order it as part of their post-game catering routine when they played in town. When he finished, James slumped into his chair after a long, strange night.
“This has been one of the strangest and most unique days of my life,” he said, between a smile and a sigh.
It was almost midnight on March 20, 2013, and James He had just experienced one of the most memorable, historic and dominant moments of his career.
He heatat the height of the Heatles phenomenon, had just won its 24th consecutive game after a 27-point comeback in the second half in Cleveland.
There are those who debate about when James He reached the peak of his career.
Some might prefer the 2016 Finals, when he led the Cavaliers, who were down 3-1, to a surprising seven-game victory over Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, who had won 73 games. Others might highlight his impressive play during the 2018 playoffs, the last of an incredible streak of eight Finals appearances.
But the winter and early spring of 2013 also have their place. At 28 years old, in the prime of his athleticism, with fully mature skill development and with the Heat designing a roster and a system around him that allowed him to shine to the maximum, James and his team swept the league.
Every time James returns to Miami and the Kaseya Center, as he will do on Thursday night with Los Angeles Lakersunsure about his future and whether this could be his last visit, the memory of the 2013 title he won in that pavilion is always present in his mind.
And at the center of those memories is the 27-win streak the Heat achieved that season, the second longest in NBA history.
Now, 13 years later, the stories of that streak have aged as one of James’ best red wines.
February 3, 2013: Victory No. 1
It was a frigid Sunday afternoon in Toronto, an infamous situation that had plagued numerous teams for decades. But after a disappointing loss to their rival, the Indiana Pacers, two days earlier (the second time this season the Pacers had beaten them), the heat I was not in the mood for such a performance.
James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh They combined to score 81 points on 60% shooting in a 100-85 victory. It was the start of a streak of incredibly efficient matches.
Also, it was Sunday superbowl.
The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers faced each other in the Super Bowl XLVII, and the heat I was in trouble. His charter plane, after clearing customs, probably would not have been able to take off until the start of the game. Back then, the plane had no live TV or Wi-Fi, and everyone would be in the dark for the three hours back to Miami, missing most of the game.
But the team managers had a surprise. They delayed the flight and rented a section of Toronto’s famous Real Sports sports bar, right next to the Raptors stadium, where there is a giant 12-meter screen. And also, open bar.
The beer was flowing in abundance and the eaves of the heat, Shane Battiergot drunk on Anchor Steam, stealing a Colin Kaepernick jersey from a mannequin prepared for the occasion. Later, on the way to the airport, Battier grabbed the microphone on the bus and gave an impromptu speech to his visibly emotional teammates to “connect with people” while encouraging them to take advantage of the Heat’s popularity at that time and place.
“I felt the love of the public. It was one of the best days as a teammate,” Battier said on the show “The OGs” in 2024. “I felt like someone had to say something to immortalize the moment.”
There would be no defeat in the next 52 days.
February 26, 2013: Victory No. 12
Knowing that the three great stars of heat would have to sacrifice shots when playing together, the coach Erik Spoelstra He convinced them of a multi-year plan to prioritize efficiency.
Take higher value, higher percentage shots, he told them, and your scoring will not decrease.
Everything fell into place perfectly during this streak, almost too well.
The movement of the ball and the transition from defense to attack worked perfectly, and JamesBosh and Wade tirelessly pursued only quality shots, to the point that they were sometimes yelled at by substitutes for passing up shots that were simply “good.”
During a six-game streak, James He made 72% of his shots with an average of 31 points. In a nine-game stretch, Wade made 61% of his shots and averaged 28 points. And in a six-game stretch, Bosh made 65% of his shots and averaged 23.
It all culminated in this 141-129 double overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings. James He scored 40 points on 23 shots and distributed 16 assists, his personal best until then. Wade scored 39 points on 28 shots. It was his last game of February. James He had a success rate of 64% during the month.
The next day, the heat secretly recorded his viral video of Harlem Shakerefusing to tell coaches and staff what they were doing. They arrived with a bunch of costumes and props and locked themselves in the locker room.
This quirky response to the trend of the moment garnered millions of views over the following week, further confirming that everything the team did from then on turned to gold.
“At training that day we were elated,” Wade recalled in a recent Amazon Prime broadcast. “We were there like little kids, laughing out loud. Spoelstra was mad at us because we were laughing too much.”
March 6, 2013: Victory No. 16
With less than a minute left, with a three-point lead and possession of the ball, the Orlando Magic thought they were going to end the streak. Young center Nikola Vucevic had had a stellar performance, scoring 25 points and grabbing 21 rebounds.
But the defense of heat He prevailed at the crucial moment, finishing the match with five consecutive stops. This set the stage for the decisive basket of Jameswho scored a layup with 3.2 seconds left to save the streak and win 97-96.
James He scored 24 points, the 200th consecutive regular season game in which he scored in double figures. He would do it 1,097 more times in the next 12 and a half years.
“He’s defined by winning plays,” Spoelstra said that night. “Just keep doing them.”
March 18, 2013: Victory No. 23
The rivalry between heat and the Celtics, now established, were unmissable, especially the games in Boston. Although they had beaten the Celtics in the playoffs the previous two seasons, the heat he hadn’t won a regular-season game in Boston in six years.
The Celtics did not have Rajon Rondowho had just suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, nor with Kevin Garnett, affected by a thigh injury and the flu.
In his absence, Jeff Green had one of the best games of his career, scoring 43 points. With eight minutes left, Boston led by 13 points and the euphoric TD Garden crowd couldn’t wait to celebrate the victory.
But James He did not allow it, leading an improbable comeback after trailing by 17 points to finish with 37 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists. He scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, tying the game with a crucial layup and then hitting the winning 3-pointer from 20 feet with 10.5 seconds left. Final score: Heat 105, Celtics 103.
He also made a spectacular play that would become one of the most important moments of his career: a dunk over his personal rival, Jason Terry. Terry had provoked James and had finally beaten him during the 2011 Finals, when Terry was playing for the victorious Dallas Mavericks.
James he enjoyed humiliating Terry on the poster. In an unusual move, James He stood over Terry as he lay on the court, and veteran referee Scott Foster intervened and called him a technical foul for provocation.
“That it happened to JT made it even more gratifying. Because we all know JT and sometimes he talks too much,” he said. James so. “I’m glad it happened to him.”
And then the heat returned to Cleveland.
March 20, 2013: Victory No. 24
With seven minutes left in the third quarter, the Cavaliers took a 27-point lead against the heat.
Three years after “The Decision,” Cleveland fans, notorious for their hatred of James after his departure, relished the opportunity to inflict a loss on him that would end the Heat’s chances of matching the Lakers’ 33-game winning streak of 1971-72.
But suddenly, Miami he lit up from the three-point line. Battier scored three. Ray Allen scored two. The Cavs were unable to score or capture defensive rebounds. James He opened the fourth quarter by scoring three triples in a row, and the heat culminated a 45-12 advance that changed the course of the game.
Then, with eight minutes left, a young man jumped onto the field, overcoming security. Wearing a white T-shirt that said “We miss you” on the front and “Come back in 2014” on the back, he stood in front of Jameswho would be a free agent the following year.
David Holcombe, vice president of security at the Heat, He grabbed James Blair in a matter of seconds. But James He stopped Holcombe as he led Blair off the court and patted him on the head.
Blair, fan of James of a lifetime, told him to “go home” as the police dragged him off the field. The next day, after leaving prison, James He followed him on social media and the Cavs banned him from returning to the stadium.
James He finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks in the 98-95 victory.
“One of the best comebacks I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. James before finishing his beat.
The winning streak of heat It ended a week later in Chicago, on March 27, when the Chicago Bulls took a 10-point lead in the first quarter and prevented the heat began one of his characteristic streaks. The United Center crowd celebrated wildly after their team won 101-97, ending the team’s historic quest. heat.
Since then, only one team has won more than 20 consecutive games: the 2015-16 Warriors, who began the season with a 24-0 record en route to their record-breaking 73-win season.
He heat He had a 29-14 record when the streak began and finished the season on a 37-2 streak. They then won their second consecutive title in another historic moment: their seven-game series against the San Antonio Spurs, which included Allen’s miracle 3-pointer that sent Game 6 to overtime.
For that heatthe story was never the same: they lost to the Spurs in the 2014 Finals rematch, and James he returned to Cleveland that summer. However, the winning streak endures as the team’s hallmark.
“I wish I had had it another 6 or 8 years,” said the president of the heatPat Riley, last month, referring to the departure of James a year later. “It would have been great, but we’ll never know (how many titles we could have won), right?”
Jameswho hugged Riley when he visited Los Angeles in February for the unveiling of his statue in front of the Crypto.com Arena, treasures that time.
“The four years we were together were fantastic. We were able to win two championships,” he said. James. “So many wonderful memories. So many unforgettable moments there.”
