Former NBA Player Pins Blames on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for Miami Heat’s Loss in 2011

Former Dallas Mavericks forward Caron Butler felt LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had a part to play in the Miami Heat losing in the 2011 finals to the Mavericks.

Butler was a part of the Mavericks side only for a season, but received a championship to his name. They had beaten Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Oklahoma City Thunder to reach the NBA finals in 2011.

It was a time when Miami Heat from the East had just built a strong team with probably the greatest ever big three. LeBron James and Chris Bosh had joined the Heat the summer before to team up with Dwyane Wade. They had an immediate impact as the Heat reached the finals.

Butler felt LeBron James & Dwyane Wade were still unsure of their roles

Talking to Bleacher Report, Butler felt that his team then were fancying their chances in the finals as they felt James and Wade at the Heat were yet to figure out the best way they could play together.

“When we beat OKC. To me, I felt like this was the hardest team to overcome and I felt like we would win after we beat them. The Lakers didn’t seem as dangerous that year, we beat them and we beat Portland. OKC didn’t know any better because they were too young.

“I really felt like our percentages were high because I didn’t think Miami had it figured out yet. I remember Brendan Haywood looking at me like: We gotta get one before they could figure it out because LeBron and Wade didn’t know who was Batman and who was Robin,” he said.

It was also during this finals series that Dirk Nowitzki, quite famously, led the Mavericks to a win in spite of illness.

As for Miami Heat, they seemed to have found their Batman and the Robin after that season. They went on to win two consecutive titles in 2012 and 2013. However, the big three eventually dissolved in 2014 as the players made their moves.

Butler, meanwhile, played for the Mavericks only for a season. He later had a few short stints with various teams before ending his career in 2016.