At Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James stood still with a cold look on his face. It was the bus that pissed him off. Typically, the team facing elimination from the NBA playoffs shows up a couple of hours early at the opponent’s court so that they have enough time to practice.
But, the Miami Heat team of 2011-12 arrived at the court exactly forty minutes before the jump ball. As promised, LeBron took charge right after the beginning of the matchup. To recall this famous incident, Shane Battier sat with the team of OG in its recent episode. A glimpse of this was posted on the official YouTube channel of the team with the title ‘Shane Battier & The OGs Reveal UNTOLD Game 6 Story’.
The paucity of time between their arrival and the start of the game put the team in an intense situation with almost no time to practice before a pivotal matchup. Shane Battier said, “We walk in there and we look at that time and Dwyane says ‘We got 40 minutes.’ Bron has this look on his face that says, ‘Don’t worry about it.'”
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Meanwhile, the Heat legend shared, “They didn’t have four buses sitting outside like they do now…we got to the game late and it took an hour.” During the 2011-12 season, the NBA’s transportation had many loopholes that created havoc for players. But, being LeBron, the Heat’s legend had his ways to tackle the situation.
Taking hold of an intense situation a la LeBron James’ way
As the team reached the court, LeBron simply told them to jump on his back. “Everybody just realigned and got right back in order again,” said LeBron’s teammate. Moving on, LeBron, right from the beginning, took an edge over the Boston Celtics with an impressive 73.1% shooting accuracy.
Not only this, but he went on to create havoc by accumulating 45 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in just 45 minutes. Thanks to his efforts, the team emerged victorious in the game with 98-79 points, and that too in an important game in the 3-2 series. After this, LeBron continued to solidify his legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history with two championships and multiple MVP awards.
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LeBron departed from the Heat in the 2013-2014 season when the team lost the NBA Finals to the Spurs in five games. Yet, his tenure with the Miami Heat was a period of intense competition, particularly highlighted by key matchups with the Boston Celtics. Sounds fascinating, right? Let us know your thoughts.
Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.
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