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2010–11 Miami Heat season

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2010–11 Miami Heat season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachErik Spoelstra
PresidentPat Riley
Owner(s)Micky Arison
ArenaAmerican Airlines Arena
Results
Record58–24 (.707)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Southeast)
Conference: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Finals
(lost to Mavericks 2–4)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionSun Sports
Radio790 The Ticket
< 2009–10 2011–12 >
A Miami Heat practice session at the team's preseason training camp in Hurlburt Field, Florida, in late September 2010

The 2010–11 Miami Heat season was the 23rd season of the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the regular season, the Heat finished first in the Southeast Division with 58–24 record, and made the NBA playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year as the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed (behind the Chicago Bulls).

Marked by the acquisition of perennial All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh entering the 2010 NBA Free Agency period during the off-season, the Heat superteam opened the season with extraordinarily high expectations,[1][2] with many observers expecting a championship in the first year of the new lineup. With Bosh, James, and Wade having been ranked among the NBA's top players for many seasons in addition to being frequently sought-after big names looking to be courted by multiple teams during the 2010 NBA Free Agency signing spree at the time, team stars and 2003 draftees Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were predicted to potentially win an NBA championship in their first season together.[3] Though the 2010-11 Miami Heat advanced to the 2011 NBA Finals after beating the Philadelphia 76ers, defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics, and the Chicago Bulls. The team fell short of their championship hopes by losing to the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games in the NBA Finals, in a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, which the Heat won in 6 games for their first championship.

Even though Miami's playoff run ended in disappointing fashion, the Heat nonetheless enjoyed a successful year, despite witnessing a sluggish 9–8 start to the regular season. They finished the regular season with 58 wins, won the Southeast Division, and entered the 2011 playoffs as the Eastern Conference's second seed. Pat Riley was named NBA Executive of the Year. Wade, James, and Bosh were all selected to the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, the most Heat players sent to an NBA All-Star game in franchise history. James earned All-NBA First Team honors, while Wade was bestowed with All-NBA Second Team honors.

Key dates

[edit]

Summary

[edit]

Offseason

[edit]

The Miami Heat entered the 2010 NBA Free Agency period with nearly $46 million of salary cap space to spare, allowing the team to allocate enough financial resources to gain the ability to retain free agent and franchise player Dwyane Wade, as well as being able to pair him with two other perennial All-Stars and top-ranked NBA players at the time, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. According to Fox Sports Radio's Stephen A. Smith, speaking on his show just days after the NBA draft, the Heat were "highly likely" to sign all three players.[4] As James became an unrestricted free agent at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2010, his name circulated heavily during the 2010 Free Agency signing spree as he was courted by the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat; all of whom in negotiations looking to potentially sign him. On July 7, 2010, Wade and Bosh both agreed to their finalized contractual terms with the Miami Heat. Then next day on July 8, 2010, James held an hour-long special to announce his decision on ESPN to commit to playing with the Heat.[5] Later that evening, the Heat announced the trade of Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a pair of second round picks and cash considerations.[6] The three are called the SuperFriends by many sportswriters and commentators, most notably those for ESPN, because all three were taken in the top five of the 2003 NBA Draft and because they have become good friends over the years.[7]

On July 8, 2010, it became official that NBA superstars and gold medal-winning Beijing Olympic teammates LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh would be joining Miami. The Heat completed sign-and-trade deals, sending a total of four future first-round and two-second-round picks to the Cavaliers and Raptors for James and Bosh (both signing 6 years and $110.1 million contracts). Dwyane Wade re-signed with the Heat for $107.59 million for six years. All three stars have early termination clauses in their contracts, allowing them to become free agents again in the summer of 2014. The final year on all three deals, for 2015–16, is a player option.[8][9][10] The three made their debut at the 2010 Summer Heat Welcome Party at the American Airlines Arena on July 9, where they were introduced as The Three Kings by Heat play-by-play announcer and event co-host Eric Reid.[11] James predicted a dynasty for the Heat and alluded to multiple championships: "Not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven".[12][13] Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries."[14]

By taking less than maximum salaries, Wade, James and Bosh opened the door for the Heat to further continue its roster makeover with the resigning of Udonis Haslem and signing of veteran swingman and teammate of Haslem at the University of Florida, Mike Miller for dual 5-year deals worth a combined $45 million.[15] In order to fill the voids at forward and center, the Heat signed James's former teammate in Cleveland, Zydrunas Ilgauskas to a two-year deal for the veterans minimum at $2.8 million, resigning Joel Anthony, and signing power forward Juwan Howard.[16] In the guard department, the Miami Heat resigned guard Carlos Arroyo and signed former Celtics player Eddie House to a two-year contract for the veteran minimum of $2.8 million.[17] Rookies Dexter Pittman and Da'Sean Butler, along with NBA Summer League standouts Patrick Beverley and Kenny Hasbrouck, also signed contracts.

Members of the 2010–11 Miami Heat team and coaching staff during a timeout.

The Miami Heat began the regular season with much hype going into their first game against the Eastern Conference Champs, the Boston Celtics. Many considered the Miami Heat as the team to break the single season record of 72 regular season victories set by the Chicago Bulls.[18]

Season

[edit]

On the opening game of the season, broadcast on the TNT Network and featuring the debut of reigning two-time NBA MVP James in a Miami uniform alongside Chris Bosh, the game was the most-watched NBA contest ever on cable television. The game earned a 4.6 rating, delivering 7.4 million total viewers and 5.3 million households, beating the Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers on February 2, 1996.[19]

The Heat lost the opening game 88–80 and got off to a 9–8 start due in large part to inconsistent play and injuries to key role players Mike Miller (thumb) and Udonis Haslem (foot). After losing four out of five games, including a Saturday night loss to the Dallas Mavericks on November 27, the team called a players-only meeting with the intent to get players to communicate with each other. Much of the speculation was that Spoelstra could lose his job and that Heat president Pat Riley would return as coach, especially after a well-publicized incident when James "bumped" into Spoelstra during a timeout.[20]

After the players-only meeting, the team pulled together a 12-game win streak (10 of them by double digits) and limited the opposition under 100 points in all those games. During the winning streak, James led the Heat to defeat his former team by scoring 38 points (tying a Heat record for points in a quarter with 24 in the third) in a game that drew nearly 7.1 million viewers and earned a 25.4 rating in Miami. ESPN 3D aired its first NBA game in the third dimension on December 17, 2010, when the Heat defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.,[21][22][23] The Heat set a franchise record for wins in December with 15 and set an NBA record for consecutive road victories in a calendar month with 10 (including the Christmas Day match-up with the reigning two-time champs, Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers which the team won 96–80).[24]

During a postgame chat with Sun Sports' Jason Jackson on January 3, 2011, LeBron James joked "I see we sell out 99.1 percent on the road, so we call ourselves the Heatles off the Beatles, so every time we take our show on the road we bring a great crowd", giving the Heat's famed trio the unofficial nickname.[25]

On January 27, 2011, via fan voting, LeBron James (forward) and Dwyane Wade (guard) were selected to be starters for the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game, becoming the second pair of teammates to be selected as All-Star starters in franchise history (Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade; 2006 and 2007). A few days later, forward Chris Bosh was selected as a reserve, marking the first time in Heat history the team had sent three players to the All-Star game in a single season.

Like the 2005–06 championship season, the Heat were criticized for being unable to beat the top-caliber teams of the NBA. This criticism though would just grow more and more as the regular season was beginning to wind down. Despite being tied 2–2 with their division rival, the Orlando Magic, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers 2–0, and beating both the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder once, they lost the season series to the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 3–1, were swept by the Chicago Bulls 3–0 and lost both times to the Dallas Mavericks, who continued their regular season dominance against Miami for their 16th straight victory dating back to the 2004–05 season.

Teammates Dwyane Wade (3) and LeBron James (6) during a game

In order to improve for the playoffs, the Heat signed guard Mike Bibby, who agreed to forfeit the $6.2 million he was owed by the Washington Wizards for the next season so that he could become a free agent and sign a league minimum contract with a contender. In the process, the Heat released Carlos Arroyo. In Bibby's first game on March 3, the Heat were leading the Magic by 24 points in the third quarter before the Heat were outscored 40–9 and lost 99–96.[26] The following night against the Spurs, who held the NBA's best record (51–11), the Heat lost 125–95, their most lopsided loss of the year and their fourth loss in five games.[27] In their next game against the Bulls, the Heat had a 12-point lead in the first half, but ended up losing 87–86 after two failed shots by James and Wade in the last 6 seconds of the game. It was the Heat's 12th and 13th consecutive missed shots with a chance to tie or lead a game in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime. James had missed four in the four-game losing streak. It was the Heat's fourth straight loss, and the fourth time since February 24 they had lost after a double-digit lead.[28] The Heat were 2–5 since the All-Star break, 5–13 in games decided by five or fewer points and 14–18 against teams with winning records.[29] After the game, there were reports of players crying in the locker room afterwards.[30] On March 10, the Heat beat the Lakers, 94–88, and ended their five-game losing streak while also ending the Lakers' eight-game winning streak.[31][32]

On March 27, Wade, James, and Bosh became the second trio in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the same non-overtime game (a home win against the Houston Rockets), matching Oscar Robertson, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman for the Cincinnati Royals in a loss to the Philadelphia Warriors on February 2, 1961. Additionally, it was the first time that a team's trio recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games since Sidney Wicks, Lloyd Neal and John Johnson accomplished the feat with the Portland Trail Blazers in March 1975. It was also the first time in Heat franchise history that three players scored 30 points in the same game.[33]

The 2011 Heat finished with a 58–24 record, third best in team history and a second overall seed, behind the Chicago Bulls, who had the NBA's best record. Additionally, the Heat finished 5th in the NBA in attendance with 810,930 behind Mavericks, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, and Bulls in that order (100.9% capacity). The Heat faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and eliminated them in five games. In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the Heat defeated their rival Boston Celtics in five games, winning a dramatic overtime Game 4 in Boston and a come-from-behind Game 5 victory at home to finish the series. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat faced the Chicago Bulls. After being blown out by 21 points by the Bulls in Game 1, the Heat took home-court by defeating Chicago in Game 2, and winning their home Games 3 and 4, the latter of which came in overtime. In Game 5 in Chicago, the Heat made a historic comeback; after being down 77–65 with 3:14 left, the Heat went on an 18–3 run to win, 83–80, capped by a key four-point play from Dwyane Wade and clutch shooting from LeBron James.[34] The Heat advanced to the 2011 NBA Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks, who had defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Oklahoma City Thunder. The series was a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, in which Dallas won the first two games and then lost four straight to Miami. The Heat won Game 1 in Miami, 92–84, but in Game 2, the Heat were leading the Mavericks by 15 points with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter before the Heat were outscored 22–5 and lost, 95–93. The Heat won Game 3 in Dallas 88–86 with the game-winning basket scored by Chris Bosh. The Mavericks won Game 4, 86–83, holding LeBron James to a career playoff-low 8 points. The Mavericks won Game 5 and took a 3–2 series lead with a 112–103 victory. That was the first time since March 6 that the Heat had lost two consecutive games, including the regular season, playoffs, and the NBA Finals. In Game 6, Dallas defeated Miami, 105–95, to win the 2011 NBA Finals in six games, 4–2. James's 17.8 points per game in the Finals was the largest drop off in points from a regular season to an NBA Finals (down 8.9 points from 26.7) in NBA history.[35] As James only averaged three points in the fourth quarters in the series, and he received the brunt of the criticism for the team's loss to Dallas as a result of his lackluster performance.[36]

Draft picks

[edit]
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College/Team
2 32 Dexter Pittman C USA Texas (Sr.)
2 41 Jarvis Varnado PF USA Mississippi State (Sr.)
2 42 Da'Sean Butler SF USA West Virginia (Sr.)
2 48 Latavious Williams (traded to Oklahoma City) SF/PF USA Tulsa 66ers (D-League)

Roster

[edit]
2010–11 Miami Heat roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
C 50 Anthony, Joel 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1982-08-09 UNLV
PG 0 Bibby, Mike 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1978-05-13 Arizona
PF 1 Bosh, Chris 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1984-03-24 Georgia Tech
PG 15 Chalmers, Mario 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1986-05-19 Kansas
C 25 Dampier, Erick 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 1975-07-14 Mississippi State
PF 40 Haslem, Udonis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1980-06-09 Florida
SG 55 House, Eddie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1978-05-14 Arizona State
PF 5 Howard, Juwan 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 1973-02-07 Michigan
C 11 Ilgauskas, Zydrunas 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1975-06-05 Lithuania
SF 6 James, LeBron 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1984-12-30 St. Vincent–St. Mary HS
SF 22 Jones, James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1980-10-04 Miami (FL)
C 21 Magloire, Jamaal 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1978-05-21 Kentucky
SG 13 Miller, Mike 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1980-02-19 Florida
C 45 Pittman, Dexter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 290 lb (132 kg) 1988-03-02 Texas
SG 3 Wade, Dwyane 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1982-01-17 Marquette
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: March 2, 2011

2010–11 Salaries

[edit]
Player 2010–11 Salary
LeBron James $14,500,001
Chris Bosh $14,500,000
Dwyane Wade $14,000,000
Mike Miller $5,000,000
Udonis Haslem $3,500,000
Joel Anthony $3,000,000
Zydrunas Ilgauskas $1,352,181
Jamaal Magloire $1,352,181
Juwan Howard $1,352,181
Eddie House $1,352,181
James Jones $1,146,337
Erick Dampier $1,137,423
Mario Chalmers $854,839
Dexter Pittman $473,604
Mike Bibby $323,021
TOTAL $67,950,231
  • As of March 2011.
  • Source: Hoops World.com[37]

Pre-season

[edit]

Game log

[edit]
2010 pre-season game log
Pre-season: 3–4 (home: 3–1; road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 October 5 Detroit W 105–89 Chris Bosh (20) Udonis Haslem (13) Mario Chalmers (7) American Airlines Arena
19,600
1–0
2 October 8 Oklahoma City W 103–96 Chris Bosh (23) Udonis Haslem (9) LeBron James (8) Sprint Center
18,222
2–0
3 October 9 @ San Antonio L 73–90 James Jones,
LeBron James (12)
Patrick Beverley (10) Patrick Beverley (5) AT&T Center
18,581
2–1
4 October 12 CSKA Moscow W 96–85 LeBron James (22) Chris Bosh (8) LeBron James (7) American Airlines Arena
17,503
3–1
5 October 13 @ New Orleans L 76–90 Chris Bosh (24) Udonis Haslem (11) Kenny Hasbrouck (7) New Orleans Arena
12,043
3–2
6 October 18 Charlotte L 96–102 LeBron James (33) Chris Bosh,
Udonis Haslem (8)
LeBron James (5) American Airlines Arena
18,557
3–3
7 October 21 @ Atlanta L 89–98 LeBron James (38) Chris Bosh (14) Mario Chalmers,
Eddie House (3)
Philips Arena
15,197
3–4
8 October 22 Orlando Cancelled St. Pete Times Forum
2010–11 season schedule

Regular season

[edit]

Standings

[edit]
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Miami Heat 58 24 .707 30–11 28–13 13–3
x-Orlando Magic 52 30 .634 6 29–12 23–18 11–5
x-Atlanta Hawks 44 38 .537 14 24–17 20–21 9–7
Charlotte Bobcats 34 48 .415 24 21–20 13–28 4–12
Washington Wizards 23 59 .280 35 20–21 3–38 3–13
#
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Chicago Bulls 62 20 .756
2 y-Miami Heat 58 24 .707 4
3 y-Boston Celtics 56 26 .683 6
4 x-Orlando Magic 52 30 .634 10
5 x-Atlanta Hawks 44 38 .537 18
6 x-New York Knicks 42 40 .512 20
7 x-Philadelphia 76ers 41 41 .500 21
8 x-Indiana Pacers 37 45 .451 25
9 Milwaukee Bucks 35 47 .427 27
10 Charlotte Bobcats 34 48 .415 28
11 Detroit Pistons 30 52 .366 32
12 New Jersey Nets 24 58 .293 38
13 Washington Wizards 23 59 .280 39
14 Toronto Raptors 22 60 .268 40
15 Cleveland Cavaliers 19 63 .232 43

Game log

[edit]
2010–11 game log
Total: 58–24 (home: 30–11; road: 28–13)
October: 3–1 (home: 1–0; road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 October 26 @ Boston L 80–88 LeBron James (31) Udonis Haslem (11) Dwyane Wade (6) TD Garden
18,624
0–1
2 October 27 @ Philadelphia W 97–87 Dwyane Wade (30) Dwyane Wade,
Chris Bosh (7)
LeBron James (7) Wells Fargo Center
20,389
1–1
3 October 29 Orlando W 96–70 Dwyane Wade (26) Udonis Haslem (11) LeBron James (7) American Airlines Arena
19,600
2–1
4 October 31 @ New Jersey W 101–78 LeBron James (20) LeBron James,
Udonis Haslem (7)
LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade (7)
Prudential Center
17,086
3–1
November: 7–7 (home: 7–3; road: 0–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
5 November 2 Minnesota W 129–97 Dwyane Wade (26) Udonis Haslem (9) LeBron James (12) American Airlines Arena
19,600
4–1
6 November 5 @ New Orleans L 93–96 Dwyane Wade (28) Dwyane Wade (10) LeBron James (10) New Orleans Arena
17,988
4–2
7 November 6 New Jersey W 101–89 Dwyane Wade (29) Dwyane Wade (10) LeBron James (9) American Airlines Arena
19,600
5–2
8 November 9 Utah L 114–116 (OT) Dwyane Wade (39) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (14) American Airlines Arena
19,600
5–3
9 November 11 Boston L 107–112 LeBron James (35) LeBron James,
Udonis Haslem (10)
LeBron James (9) American Airlines Arena
19,650
5–4
10 November 13 Toronto W 109–100 Dwyane Wade (31) Udonis Haslem (10) LeBron James (11) American Airlines Arena
19,600
6–4
11 November 17 Phoenix W 123–96 Chris Bosh (35) Udonis Haslem (10) LeBron James (9) American Airlines Arena
19,600
7–4
12 November 19 Charlotte W 95–87 LeBron James (32) Chris Bosh (14) LeBron James (5) American Airlines Arena
19,600
8–4
13 November 20 @ Memphis L 95–97 LeBron James (29) Chris Bosh,
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (10)
LeBron James (11) FedExForum
18,119
8–5
14 November 22 Indiana L 77–93 LeBron James (25) Chris Bosh (11) LeBron James (6) American Airlines Arena
19,600
8–6
15 November 24 @ Orlando L 95–104 LeBron James (25) Dwyane Wade (7) Carlos Arroyo,
Dwyane Wade (5)
Amway Center
18,936
8–7
16 November 26 Philadelphia W 99–90 Dwyane Wade (23) Chris Bosh (9) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena
19,800
9–7
17 November 27 @ Dallas L 95–106 LeBron James (23) Dwyane Wade (9) Dwyane Wade (5) American Airlines Center
20,536
9–8
18 November 29 Washington W 105–94 LeBron James (30) Dwyane Wade (8) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena
19,600
10–8
December: 15–1 (home: 5–1; road: 10–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
19 December 1 Detroit W 97–72 LeBron James (18) Chris Bosh,
James Jones (7)
Mario Chalmers (6) American Airlines Arena
19,600
11–8
20 December 2 @ Cleveland W 118–90 LeBron James (38) Dwyane Wade (9) Dwyane Wade (9) Quicken Loans Arena
20,562
12–8
21 December 4 Atlanta W 89–77 Chris Bosh (27) Chris Bosh,
Dwyane Wade (10)
Mario Chalmers,
LeBron James (4)
American Airlines Arena
19,600
13–8
22 December 6 @ Milwaukee W 88–78 Dwyane Wade (25) Dwyane Wade (14) LeBron James (6) Bradley Center
17,167
14–8
23 December 8 @ Utah W 111–98 LeBron James (33) Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (10) LeBron James (9) EnergySolutions Arena
19,911
15–8
24 December 10 @ Golden State W 106–84 Dwyane Wade (34) Dwyane Wade (9) LeBron James (9) Oracle Arena
20,036
16–8
25 December 11 @ Sacramento W 104–83 Dwyane Wade (36) Chris Bosh (17) Dwyane Wade (6) ARCO Arena
16,396
17–8
26 December 13 New Orleans W 96–84 Dwyane Wade (32) Chris Bosh (11) LeBron James (7) American Airlines Arena
19,600
18–8
27 December 15 Cleveland W 101–95 Dwyane Wade (28) LeBron James (13) LeBron James (5) American Airlines Arena
19,899
19–8
28 December 17 @ New York W 113–91 LeBron James (32) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (10) Madison Square Garden
19,763
20–8
29 December 18 @ Washington W 95–94 LeBron James (32) Chris Bosh (9) LeBron James (6) Verizon Center
20,278
21–8
30 December 20 Dallas L 96–98 Dwyane Wade (22) LeBron James (10) LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade (7)
American Airlines Arena
20,178
21–9
31 December 23 @ Phoenix W 95–83 LeBron James (36) Chris Bosh (11) LeBron James (4) US Airways Center
18,422
22–9
32 December 25 @ L.A. Lakers W 96–80 LeBron James (27) Chris Bosh (13) LeBron James (10) Staples Center
18,997
23–9
33 December 28 New York W 106–98 Dwyane Wade (40) Chris Bosh,
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas,
LeBron James (10)
LeBron James (8) American Airlines Arena
20,288
24–9
34 December 29 @ Houston W 125–119 Dwyane Wade (45) Joel Anthony,
Dwyane Wade (7)
LeBron James (9) Toyota Center
18,409
25–9
January: 9–5 (home: 5–1; road: 4–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
35 January 1 Golden State W 114–107 LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade (25)
Chris Bosh (11) LeBron James (10) American Airlines Arena
20,254
26–9
36 January 3 @ Charlotte W 96–82 LeBron James (38) Joel Anthony,
Dwyane Wade (11)
LeBron James (5) Time Warner Cable Arena
19,233
27–9
37 January 4 Milwaukee W 101–89 Dwyane Wade (34) Chris Bosh (12) LeBron James (9) American Airlines Arena
20,215
28–9
38 January 7 @ Milwaukee W 101–95 (OT) LeBron James (26) Chris Bosh (12) LeBron James (5) Bradley Center
18,717
29–9
39 January 9 @ Portland W 107–100 (OT) LeBron James (44) LeBron James (13) LeBron James (6) Rose Garden
20,636
30–9
40 January 12 @ L.A. Clippers L 105–111 Dwyane Wade (31) Chris Bosh (13) LeBron James (6) Staples Center
19,803
30–10
41 January 13 @ Denver L 102–130 Chris Bosh (24) Mike Miller (8) Mike Miller (8) Pepsi Center
19,155
30–11
42 January 15 @ Chicago L 96–99 Dwyane Wade (33) Dwyane Wade (6) Dwyane Wade (4) United Center
23,017
30–12
43 January 18 Atlanta L 89–93 (OT) LeBron James (34) Joel Anthony (16) LeBron James (7) American Airlines Arena
19,600
30–13
44 January 22 Toronto W 120–103 LeBron James (38) LeBron James (11) Mario Chalmers (9) American Airlines Arena
20,025
31–13
45 January 27 @ New York L 88–93 Dwyane Wade (34) Dwyane Wade (16) LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade (5)
Madison Square Garden
19,763
31–14
46 January 28 Detroit W 88–87 LeBron James (39) Mike Miller (10) LeBron James (9) American Airlines Arena
19,805
32–14
47 January 30 @ Oklahoma City W 108–103 Dwyane Wade (32) Dwyane Wade (9) LeBron James (13) Oklahoma City Arena
18,203
33–14
48 January 31 Cleveland W 117–90 Dwyane Wade (34) Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (14) LeBron James (8) American Airlines Arena
19,600
34–14
February: 9–3 (home: 4–1; road: 5–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
49 February 3 @ Orlando W 104–100 LeBron James (51) LeBron James,
Mike Miller (11)
LeBron James (8) Amway Center
18,945
35–14
50 February 4 @ Charlotte W 109–97 Dwyane Wade (22) Dwyane Wade (12) Dwyane Wade (10) Time Warner Cable Arena
19,592
36–14
51 February 6 L.A. Clippers W 97–79 Dwyane Wade (28) Dwyane Wade (8) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena
19,702
37–14
52 February 8 Indiana W 117–112 LeBron James (41) LeBron James (13) LeBron James (8) American Airlines Arena
19,600
38–14
53 February 11 @ Detroit W 106–92 Dwyane Wade (24) Chris Bosh (10) LeBron James (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076
39–14
54 February 13 @ Boston L 82–85 Chris Bosh (24) Chris Bosh (10) LeBron James (7) TD Garden
18,624
39–15
55 February 15 @ Indiana W 110–103 Dwyane Wade (41) Dwyane Wade (12) LeBron James (5) Conseco Fieldhouse
18,165
40–15
56 February 16 @ Toronto W 103–95 Dwyane Wade (28) LeBron James (13) LeBron James (8) Air Canada Centre
20,156
41–15
All-Star Break
57 February 22 Sacramento W 117–97 LeBron James (31) Chris Bosh (9) Dwyane Wade (7) American Airlines Arena
19,754
42–15
58 February 24 @ Chicago L 89–93 Dwyane Wade (34) LeBron James (10) LeBron James (5) United Center
23,024
42–16
59 February 25 Washington W 121–113 Dwyane Wade (41) LeBron James (9) LeBron James (7) American Airlines Arena
19,825
43–16
60 February 27 New York L 86–91 LeBron James (27) Chris Bosh (12) Dwyane Wade (9) American Airlines Arena
19,702
43–17
March: 9–6 (home: 6–4; road: 3–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
61 March 3 Orlando L 96–99 LeBron James (29) LeBron James,
Mike Miller (6)
Dwyane Wade (5) American Airlines Arena
19,600
43–18
62 March 4 @ San Antonio L 95–125 LeBron James (26) Chris Bosh (14) LeBron James (7) AT&T Center
18,581
43–19
63 March 6 Chicago L 86–87 LeBron James (26) LeBron James (8) LeBron James (6) American Airlines Arena
19,763
43–20
64 March 8 Portland L 96–105 Dwyane Wade (38) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (8) American Airlines Arena
19,835
43–21
65 March 10 L.A. Lakers W 94–88 Chris Bosh (24) Chris Bosh (9) LeBron James (9) American Airlines Arena
19,986
44–21
66 March 12 Memphis W 118–85 Dwyane Wade (28) Chris Bosh (10) Dwyane Wade (9) American Airlines Arena
19,600
45–21
67 March 14 San Antonio W 110–80 Chris Bosh (30) Chris Bosh (12) LeBron James (8) American Airlines Arena
20,021
46–21
68 March 16 Oklahoma City L 85–96 Chris Bosh,
Dwyane Wade (21)
Chris Bosh (11) Mario Chalmers,
LeBron James (3)
American Airlines Arena
20,083
46–22
69 March 18 @ Atlanta W 106–85 LeBron James (43) Chris Bosh (10) Mike Bibby (6) Philips Arena
20,024
47–22
70 March 19 Denver W 103–98 LeBron James (33) Chris Bosh (11) Chris Bosh (6) American Airlines Arena
19,600
48–22
71 March 23 @ Detroit W 100–94 Dwyane Wade (24) LeBron James (8) LeBron James (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076
49–22
72 March 25 Philadelphia W 111–99 Dwyane Wade (39) Dwyane Wade (11) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena
19,840
50–22
73 March 27 Houston W 125–119 LeBron James (33) Chris Bosh (12) LeBron James (7) American Airlines Arena
19,825
51–22
74 March 29 @ Cleveland L 90–102 LeBron James (27) LeBron James (10) LeBron James (12) Quicken Loans Arena
20,562
51–23
75 March 30 @ Washington W 123–107 LeBron James (35) Chris Bosh,
LeBron James (8)
Dwyane Wade (9) Verizon Center
18,916
52–23
April: 6–1 (home: 2–1; road: 4–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
76 April 1 @ Minnesota W 111–92 Dwyane Wade (32) Chris Bosh (11) LeBron James (10) Target Center
19,096
53–23
77 April 3 @ New Jersey W 108–94 LeBron James (31) Erick Dampier (14) LeBron James (7) Prudential Center
18,711
54–23
78 April 6 Milwaukee L 85–90 LeBron James (29) Mike Miller (12) LeBron James (8) American Airlines Arena
20,017
54–24
79 April 8 Charlotte W 112–103 Chris Bosh,
Dwyane Wade (27)
Chris Bosh (10) LeBron James (9) American Airlines Arena
19,897
55–24
80 April 10 Boston W 100–77 LeBron James (27) Joel Anthony (10) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena
19,766
56–24
81 April 11 @ Atlanta W 98–90 LeBron James (34) LeBron James (10) LeBron James (7) Philips Arena
18,529
57–24
82 April 13 @ Toronto W 97–79 Eddie House (35) Jamaal Magloire (19) Mario Chalmers (13) Air Canada Centre
20,108
58–24
2010–11 season schedule

Playoffs

[edit]

Game log

[edit]
2011 playoff game log
First Round: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 April 16 Philadelphia W 97–89 Chris Bosh (25) LeBron James (14) LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade (5)
American Airlines Arena
19,600
1–0
2 April 18 Philadelphia W 94–73 LeBron James (29) Chris Bosh (11) LeBron James (6) American Airlines Arena
20,204
2–0
3 April 21 @ Philadelphia W 100–94 Dwyane Wade (32) LeBron James (15) Dwyane Wade (8) Wells Fargo Center
20,404
3–0
4 April 24 @ Philadelphia L 82–86 LeBron James (31) Dwyane Wade (8) LeBron James (6) Wells Fargo Center
19,048
3–1
5 April 27 Philadelphia W 97–91 Dwyane Wade (26) Chris Bosh,
Dwyane Wade (11)
LeBron James (8) American Airlines Arena
19,896
4–1
Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 May 1 Boston W 99–90 Dwyane Wade (38) Chris Bosh (12) LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade (5)
American Airlines Arena
20,021
1–0
2 May 3 Boston W 102–91 LeBron James (35) Chris Bosh (11) Chris Bosh (4) American Airlines Arena
20,104
2–0
3 May 7 @ Boston L 81–97 Dwyane Wade (23) Joel Anthony (11) Dwyane Wade (7) TD Garden
18,624
2–1
4 May 9 @ Boston W 98–90 (OT) LeBron James (35) LeBron James (14) Dwyane Wade (4) TD Garden
18,624
3–1
5 May 11 Boston W 97–87 Dwyane Wade (34) Chris Bosh (11) Dwyane Wade (5) American Airlines Arena
20,208
4–1
Conference Finals: 4–1 (home: 2–0; road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 May 15 @ Chicago L 82–103 Chris Bosh (30) Chris Bosh (9) LeBron James (6) United Center
22,874
0–1
2 May 18 @ Chicago W 85–75 LeBron James (29) LeBron James (10) LeBron James (5) United Center
23,007
1–1
3 May 22 Chicago W 96–85 Chris Bosh (34) Dwyane Wade (9) LeBron James (10) American Airlines Arena
20,123
2–1
4 May 24 Chicago W 101–93 (OT) LeBron James (35) Udonis Haslem,
Mike Miller (9)
LeBron James (6) American Airlines Arena
20,125
3–1
5 May 26 @ Chicago W 83–80 LeBron James (28) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (6) United Center
23,057
4–1
NBA Finals: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 May 31 Dallas W 92–84 LeBron James (24) Dwyane Wade (10) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena
20,003
1–0
2 June 2 Dallas L 93–95 Dwyane Wade (36) Chris Bosh,
LeBron James (8)
Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena
20,003
1–1
3 June 5 @ Dallas W 88–86 Dwyane Wade (29) Dwyane Wade (11) LeBron James (9) American Airlines Center
20,340
2–1
4 June 7 @ Dallas L 83–86 Dwyane Wade (32) LeBron James (9) LeBron James (7) American Airlines Center
20,430
2–2
5 June 9 @ Dallas L 103–112 Dwyane Wade (23) Chris Bosh,
LeBron James (10)
LeBron James (10) American Airlines Center
20,433
2–3
6 June 12 Dallas L 95–105 LeBron James (21) Udonis Haslem (9) Mario Chalmers (7) American Airlines Arena
20,003
2–4
2011 playoff schedule

Player statistics

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
James Jones SF 81 8 1,549 160 43 29 19 475 19.1 2.0 .5 .4 .2 5.9
LeBron James SF 79 79 3,063 590 554 124 50 2,111 38.8 7.5 7.0 1.6 .6 26.7
Chris Bosh PF 77 77 2,795 641 144 59 49 1,438 36.3 8.3 1.9 .8 .6 18.7
Dwyane Wade SG 76 76 2,823 485 346 111 87 1,941 37.1 6.4 4.6 1.5 1.1 25.5
Joel Anthony C 75 11 1,463 266 24 10 93 153 19.5 3.5 .3 .1 1.2 2.0
Zydrunas Ilgauskas C 72 51 1,145 287 26 23 58 360 15.9 4.0 .4 .3 .8 5.0
Mario Chalmers PG 70 28 1,579 146 177 76 7 447 22.6 2.1 2.5 1.1 .1 6.4
Juwan Howard PF 57 0 592 122 23 10 4 139 10.4 2.1 .4 .2 .1 2.4
Eddie House SG 56 1 978 92 62 32 3 362 17.5 1.6 1.1 .6 .1 6.5
Erick Dampier C 51 22 815 177 22 14 47 128 16.0 3.5 .4 .3 .9 2.5
Carlos Arroyo PG 49 42 995 80 100 14 1 274 20.3 1.6 2.0 .3 .0 5.6
Mike Miller SG 41 2 838 184 51 20 2 228 20.4 4.5 1.2 .5 .0 5.6
Mike Bibby PG 22 12 582 49 55 11 3 160 26.5 2.2 2.5 .5 .1 7.3
Jamaal Magloire C 18 0 158 61 3 4 2 35 8.8 3.4 .2 .2 .1 1.9
Udonis Haslem PF 13 0 345 106 6 7 3 104 26.5 8.2 .5 .5 .2 8.0
Jerry Stackhouse SG 7 1 50 7 3 0 2 12 7.1 1.0 .4 .0 .3 1.7
Dexter Pittman C 2 0 11 3 0 0 0 2 5.5 1.5 .0 .0 .0 1.0
  • Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Heat only.

Playoffs

[edit]
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
LeBron James SF 21 21 922 176 123 35 25 497 43.9 8.4 5.9 1.7 1.2 23.7
Chris Bosh PF 21 21 834 178 23 14 19 390 39.7 8.5 1.1 .7 .9 18.6
Dwyane Wade SG 21 21 828 150 92 34 28 515 39.4 7.1 4.4 1.6 1.3 24.5
Joel Anthony C 21 13 575 97 10 8 38 58 27.4 4.6 .5 .4 1.8 2.8
Mario Chalmers PG 21 1 511 40 44 27 1 163 24.3 1.9 2.1 1.3 .0 7.8
Mike Bibby PG 20 20 415 36 23 11 6 73 20.8 1.8 1.2 .6 .3 3.7
Mike Miller SG 18 0 215 49 13 7 1 47 11.9 2.7 .7 .4 .1 2.6
Udonis Haslem PF 12 0 290 54 9 6 4 63 24.2 4.5 .8 .5 .3 5.3
James Jones SF 12 0 272 30 2 6 2 78 22.7 2.5 .2 .5 .2 6.5
Juwan Howard PF 11 0 60 10 1 0 0 17 5.5 .9 .1 .0 .0 1.5
Zydrunas Ilgauskas C 9 8 104 32 3 0 3 32 11.6 3.6 .3 .0 .3 3.6
Eddie House SG 7 0 48 5 1 4 0 11 6.9 .7 .1 .6 .0 1.6
Jamaal Magloire C 3 0 18 5 2 1 0 4 6.0 1.7 .7 .3 .0 1.3

Awards, records and milestones

[edit]

Awards

[edit]

Week/Month

[edit]
  • On December 13, 2010 Dwyane Wade was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week (December 6 – 12).[38]
  • On December 27, 2010 LeBron James was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week (December 20 – 26).[39]
  • On January 3, 2011 Dwyane Wade was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week (December 27 – January 2).[40]
  • On January 3, 2011 LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were named Eastern Conference's Co-Players of the Month (December).[41]
  • On January 3, 2011 Erik Spoelstra was named Eastern Conference's Coach of the Month (December).[42]
  • On January 10, 2011 LeBron James was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week (January 3 – 9).[43]
  • On January 31, 2011 LeBron James was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week (January 24 – 30).[44]
  • On February 4, 2011 LeBron James was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Month (January).[45]
  • On February 7, 2011 LeBron James was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week (January 31 – February 6).[46]
  • On March 14, 2011 Dwyane Wade was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week (March 7 – 13).[47]
  • On March 21, 2011 LeBron James was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week (March 14 – 20).[48]
  • On April 15, 2011 LeBron James was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Month (April).[49]

All-Star

[edit]

Season

[edit]

Records

[edit]

Milestones

[edit]

Transactions

[edit]

Trades

[edit]
June 23, 2010 To Oklahoma City Thunder---- To Miami Heat----
June 24, 2010 To Oklahoma City Thunder---- To Miami Heat----
  • Future Second-Round Pick
    Cash Considerations
July 9, 2010 To Cleveland Cavaliers----
  • 2013 First-Round Pick
    2015 First-Round Pick
    2012 Second-Round Pick (Jae Crowder)
    Future Second-Round Pick
    Trade Exception
To Miami Heat----
July 9, 2010 To Toronto Raptors----
  • Two 2011 First-Round Picks
    Trade Exception
To Miami Heat----
July 12, 2010 To Minnesota Timberwolves---- To Miami Heat----
  • 2011 Second-Round Pick
    2014 Second-Round Pick
    Cash Considerations

Free agents

[edit]

Additions

[edit]
Player Signed Former Team
Dwyane Wade Signed 6 Year Contract For $107.5 Million Miami Heat
Chris Bosh Signed 6 Year Contract For $110.1 Million Toronto Raptors
LeBron James Signed 6 Year Contract For $110.1 Million Cleveland Cavaliers
Udonis Haslem Signed 5 Year Contract For $20.0 Million Miami Heat
Mike Miller Signed 5 Year Contract For $25.0 Million Washington Wizards
Joel Anthony Signed 5 Year Contract For $18.0 Million Miami Heat
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas Signed 2 Year Contract For $2.8 Million Cleveland Cavaliers
Juwan Howard Signed 1 Year Contract For $1.35 Million Portland Trail Blazers
James Jones Signed 1 Year Contract For $1.1 Million Miami Heat
Carlos Arroyo Signed 1 Year Contract For $1.23 Million Miami Heat
Jamaal Magloire Signed 1 Year Contract For 1.23 Million Miami Heat
Shavlik Randolph Signed 1 Year Contract For $250,000 Miami Heat
Jerry Stackhouse Signed 1 Year Contract For $210,339 Milwaukee Bucks
Erick Dampier Signed 1 Year Contract For $1.14 Million Charlotte Bobcats
Mike Bibby Signed 1 Year Contract For $450,727 Washington Wizards

Subtractions

[edit]
Player Reason Left New Team
Dorell Wright Free Agent Golden State Warriors
Quentin Richardson Free Agent Orlando Magic
Jermaine O'Neal Free Agent Boston Celtics
Shavlik Randolph Waived
Jerry Stackhouse Waived
Carlos Arroyo Waived Boston Celtics

Season in review

[edit]

The Miami Heat entered NBA free agency in 2010 with nearly $46 million in salary cap space, with the ability to re-sign free agent Dwyane Wade, and add two of the NBA's top players, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. According to Fox Sports Radio's Stephen A. Smith, speaking on his show just days after the NBA draft, the Heat were "highly likely" to sign all three players.[4] The New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat were in negotiations to sign LeBron James. On July 7, 2010, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh agreed to terms with the Miami Heat. Then on July 8, 2010, James held an hour-long special to announce his decision on ESPN to commit to playing with the Heat.[5] Later that evening, the Heat announced the trade of Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a pair of second-round picks and cash considerations.[6]

On July 8, 2010, it became official that NBA players and gold medal-winning Beijing Olympic teammates James, Wade, and Bosh would be joining the Heat. The Heat completed sign-and-trade deals, sending a total of four future first-round and two-second-round picks to the Cavaliers and Raptors for James and Bosh (both signing six-year, $110.1 million contracts). Wade re-signed with the Heat for $107.59 million for six years. All three have early-termination clauses in their contracts, allowing them to become free agents again in four years, in the summer of 2014. The final year on all three deals, for 2015–16, is a player option.[8][9][61] The three made their debut at the 2010 Summer Heat Welcome Party at the American Airlines Arena on July 9, where they were introduced as The Three Kings by Heat play-by-play announcer and event co-host Eric Reid.[11] Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries."[14]

By taking less than maximum salaries, Wade, James and Bosh opened the door for the Heat to further continue its roster makeover with the re-signing of Udonis Haslem and signing of veteran swingman and teammate of Haslem at the University of Florida, Mike Miller, for dual five-year deals worth a combined $45 million.[62] In order to fill the voids at forward and center, the Heat signed James's former teammate in Cleveland, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, to a two-year deal for the veteran's minimum at $2.8 million, re-signed Joel Anthony, and signed power forward Juwan Howard.[63] In the guard department, the Miami Heat re-signed guard Carlos Arroyo and signed former Celtics player Eddie House to a two-year contract for the veteran's minimum of $2.8 million.[64] Rookies Dexter Pittman and Da'Sean Butler, along with NBA Summer League standouts Patrick Beverley and Kenny Hasbrouck, also signed contracts.

The Miami Heat began the regular season with much hype going into their first game against the Eastern Conference Champs, the Boston Celtics. Many[who?] considered the Miami Heat as the team to break the single-season record of 72 regular season victories set by the Chicago Bulls.[18] The opening game of the season, broadcast on the TNT Network and featuring the debut of reigning two-time NBA MVP James in a Miami uniform alongside Chris Bosh, was the most-watched NBA contest ever on cable television. The game earned a 4.6 rating, delivering 7.4 million total viewers and 5.3 million households, beating the Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers on February 2, 1996.[65]

The Heat lost the opening game 88–80 and got off to a 9–8 start due in large part to inconsistent play and injuries of key role players Mike Miller (thumb) and Udonis Haslem (foot). After losing four out of five games, including a Saturday night loss to the Dallas Mavericks on November 27, the team called a players-only meeting with the intent to get players to communicate with each other. Much of the speculation was that Spoelstra could lose his job and that Heat president Pat Riley would return as coach, especially after a well publicized incident when James "bumped" into Spoelstra during a timeout.[66]

After the players-only meeting, the team pulled together a 12-game win streak (10 of them by double digits) and limited the opposition under 100 points in all those games. During the winning streak, James led the Heat in defeating his former team by scoring 38 points (tying a Heat record for points in a quarter with 24 in the third) in a game that drew nearly 7.1 million viewers and earned a 25.4 rating in Miami. ESPN 3D aired its first NBA game in the third dimension on December 17, 2010, when the Heat defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.,[67][68][69] The Heat set a franchise record for wins in December with 15 and set an NBA record for consecutive road victories in a calendar month with 10 (including the Christmas Day match-up with the reigning two-time champion Los Angeles Lakers, which the team won 96–80).[70]

During a post-game chat with Sun Sports' Jason Jackson on January 3, 2011, LeBron James joked "I see we sell out 99.1 percent on the road, so we call ourselves the Heatles off the Beatles, so every time we take our show on the road we bring a great crowd", giving the Heat's trio the unofficial nickname.[71]

On January 27, 2011, via fan voting, James (forward) and Wade (guard) were selected to be starters for the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game, becoming the second pair of teammates to be selected as All-Star starters in franchise history (Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade; 2006 and 2007). A few days later, forward Chris Bosh was selected as a reserve, marking the first time in Heat history the team had sent three players to the All-Star game in a single season.

Like the 2005–06 championship season, the Heat were criticized, for being unable to beat the top-caliber teams of the NBA. This criticism though would just grow more and more as the regular season was beginning to wind down. Despite beating their division rival Orlando Magic two of three games, sweeping the Lakers 2–0, and beating both the San Antonio Spurs and the Thunder once, they had lost to the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics three times, swept by the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks who swept the season series and continued their regular season dominance against Miami for their 16th straight victory dating back to the 2004–05 season.

In order to improve for the playoffs, the Heat signed guard Mike Bibby, who agreed to forfeit the $6.2 million he was owed by the Washington Wizards for the next season so that he could become a free agent and sign a league-minimum contract with a contender. In the process, the Heat released Carlos Arroyo. In Bibby's first game on March 3, the Heat were leading the Magic by 24 points in the third quarter before the Heat were outscored 40–9 and lost 99–96.[26] The following night against the Spurs, who held the NBA's best record (51–11), the Heat lost 125–95, their most lopsided loss of the year and their fourth loss in five games.[27] In their next game against the Bulls, the Heat had a 12-point lead in the first half, but they ended up losing 87–86 after two failed shots by James and Wade in the last 6 seconds of the game. It was the Heat's 12th and 13th consecutive missed shots with a chance to tie or lead a game in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime. James had missed four in the four-game losing streak. It was the Heat's fourth straight loss, and the fourth time since February 24 they had lost after a double-digit lead.[28] The Heat were 2–5 since the All-Star break, 5–13 in games decided by five or fewer points and 14–18 against teams with winning records.[29] After the game, there were reports of players crying in the locker room afterwards.[30] On March 10, the Heat beat the Lakers, 94–88, and ended their five-game losing streak while also ending the Lakers' eight-game winning streak.[31][32]

On March 27, Wade, James, and Bosh became the second trio in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the same non-overtime game (a home win against the Houston Rockets), matching Oscar Robertson, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman for the Cincinnati Royals in a loss to the Philadelphia Warriors on February 2, 1961. Additionally, it was the first time that a team's trio recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games since Sidney Wicks, Lloyd Neal and John Johnson accomplished the feat with the Portland Trail Blazers in March 1975. It was also the first time in Heat franchise history that three players scored 30 points in the same game.[72]

The 2011 Heat finished with a 58–24 record, third best in team history and a second overall seed, behind the Chicago Bulls, who had the NBA's best record. Additionally, the Heat finished 5th in the NBA in attendance with 810,930, behind the Mavericks, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, and Bulls in that order (100.9% capacity). The Heat faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and eliminated them in five games. In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the Heat defeated their rival Boston Celtics in five games, winning a dramatic overtime Game 4 in Boston and a come-from-behind Game 5 victory at home to finish the series. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat faced the Chicago Bulls. After being blown out by 21 points by the Bulls in Game 1, the Heat took home-court by defeating Chicago in Game 2, and winning their home Games 3 and 4, the latter of which came in overtime. In Game 5 in Chicago, the Miami Heat made a historic comeback; after being down 77–65 with 3:14 left, the Heat went on an 18–3 run to win, 83–80, capped by a key four-point play from Wade and clutch shooting from James.[73] The Heat advanced to the NBA Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks, who had defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Oklahoma City Thunder. This series was a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, in which Dallas won the first two games and then lost four straight to Miami. The Heat won Game 1 in Miami, 92–84, but in Game 2, the Heat were leading the Mavericks by 15 points with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter before the Heat were outscored 22–5 and lost, 95–93. Miami won Game 3 in Dallas 88–86 with the game-winning basket scored by Chris Bosh. They would lose to the Mavericks in six games falling just short of capturing their 2nd NBA Championship. Dwyane Wade averaged 26.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, the highest scorer on the team, while LeBron James averaged 17.8 points, and 7.1 rebounds which was the largest drop off in points from a regular season to an NBA Finals in NBA history.[35]

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ Goodman, Joseph. "Miami Heat still a work in progress". The Miami Herald. Retrieved October 13, 2010.[dead link]
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