Remembering the Streak: Miami’s Remarkable 27-game run five years later
Things change fast in the NBA. When LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined up in the summer of 2010, it seemed like Miami’s new triumvirate would dominate the rest of the decade. And then four years later, poof… they were gone. Despite playing together for only four seasons, those Miami teams left an indelible mark on the NBA.
During February and March of 2013, the Heat put together one of the greatest regular season stretches in league history. They torched the NBA, ripping off a staggering 27 straight wins and demonstrating in terrifying fashion that Miami’s Big Three had finally “figured things out.”
Five years later, perhaps only the 2014 Spurs and the Kerr-era Warriors have hit the stratospheric level of basketball that Miami reached during that fabled streak. The most basic statistical overview of the streak is still remarkable: 27 straight wins, the second-longest win streak in league history, seven double-digit comebacks, an unthinkable +11.9 point differential and a net rating of +14.1.
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The Heat didn’t dominate the competition, they obliterated them behind one of the most efficient offenses in league history and a manic defense. By the time they finally lost to Thibs’ Bulls in Chicago, the Heat had solidified themselves as the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA title and vaulted themselves into the discussion as an all-time great team.
NBA basketball has changed radically in the past five seasons. Floor spacing, speed, ball movement and 3-point shooting have become increasingly vital facets of the game. In this respect, the 2013 Heat squad was a sort of proto-small ball team that was ahead of its time. Coach Spo, ever overlooked when attributing credit during the Heat’s Finals runs, re-imagined the team’s offense. The Streak represented the culmination of a basketball metamorphosis for the Heat. Over the span of two years Miami’s offense transformed into a harmonic symphony, a far cry from the shockingly stale offense that couldn’t solve Dallas’ zone coverage in the 2011 Finals.
The ball no longer stopped dead as LeBron and Wade took turns attacking opposing defenses. The Heat pinged the ball around on offense, constantly moving and prodding until they found promising gaps to attack. Miami went from being the league’s most talented team to organically becoming its best team. Winning the 2012 championship was vital in Miami’s pursuit of a higher level of play. The title alleviated some of the crushing pressure that the Heat had shouldered ever since the Decision and gave Coach Spo the opportunity and confidence to experiment with a loaded roster.
With LeBron pulling the strings alongside groups of killer shooters and willing passers, the Heat’s offense became an unstoppable scoring engine. The Heat didn’t bomb 3-pointers at the rate that the league’s best offenses do now, but the coaching staff prioritized spacing and player motion. Miami consistently generated the best possible looks on the floor, taking heaps of shots at the rim and leading the NBA in corner 3-point attempts. They converted those fruitful looks with ruthless efficiency. And just two years after having no real post game at all, the LeBron post-up became one of the driving forces of Miami’s offense.
The Heat relied on numerous lineups that put four or five deadly shooters on the court at once, generally featuring Bosh at the five and Shane Battier at the four. Battier was especially important in unlocking the Heat’s small ball potential. He provided spacing on offense and bore the defensive burden of guarding power forwards, which was a much different proposition just five years ago. The Heat’s approach wasn’t entirely novel, but their execution was consistently flawless.
Miami’s lineup data is a statistical wonder. Multiple lineups, in particular those with Battier playing the four alongside LeBron, eclipsed the 140 mark in offensive rating…an unprecedented mark. Just for reference, Golden State’s Death Lineup had an offensive rating of 142 during the 73 win season in 2016. Of course a 27-game stretch is an extremely small sample size, but the numbers are no less staggering.
On the individual level, Miami’s Big Three played at a historically high level. LeBron led the way with some of the most dumbfounding stat lines we’ve ever seen. James, Wade and Bosh all shot above 50 percent, with LeBron shooting an absurd 57.5 percent and a true shooting percentage of 65.%. In terms of scoring efficiency, this was by far the best stretch of LeBron’s career.
Wade, who altered his game to become one of the league’s most dynamic cutters, was incandescent during the Streak. He essentially averaged 23/6/6 on 53.6 percent shooting from the floor. This is probably the last point in time at which we could consider him a legit superstar. Of course, Wade has had numerous highs since then, including the 2016 playoffs, but he never really attained his vintage form after the Streak. As the 2013 season came to a close, the injuries began to pile up for Wade and his level of play fell considerably during the playoffs. We’ll always have this nerdy highlight reel though:
As for Chris Bosh, his offensive output during the 27 game rampage was fairly unremarkable. The consistent criticism he drew during Heatles era for “playing soft” and not playing near the basket is indicative of how the league at large viewed big man play. Without Bosh’s ability to stretch the floor and his quickness on the defensive end, Miami could never have completed the stylistic revolution that fueled the dominance of the Streak. As the game has evolved over the past five years, Bosh may finally be getting the credit he always deserved.
Top Ten Moments
Winning for almost two months straight tends to produce a ton of fun highlights and awesome memories! Choosing just ten can’t possibly do the Streak justice, but there were definitely a few moments that separated themselves as truly special; some have been forgotten with the passage of time, but a few are immediately recognizable. Without further delay, here are the top ten moments of the Streak:
10. The Heat demolish the Bulls
In their ninth win of the Streak, Miami stifled the Bulls 86-67 in a game that retrospectively seems like it was played on a different plane of existence. The Bulls committed an impossible 26 turnovers, shot 37 percent from the floor and made two 3-pointers. As much of as the Heat were an offensive juggernaut, they could destroy a team with ridiculous defensive pressure when engaged.
9. LeBron eviscerates Charlotte
LeBron has enjoyed torturing Charlotte over the years, especially when the Charlotte professional basketball team was still called the Bobcats. James poured in 31 points and went 13-of-14 from the field. This game was part of a crazy individual streak for LeBron, in which scored 30+ points on over 60 percent shooting for six straight games.
8. Bosh goes wild against Portland
Chris Bosh and LeBron led the way for the Heat in their sixth straight win as a precocious Damian Lillard dropped 33 points on the defending champs. Bosh had his best shooting performance of the Streak, going 13-of-16 and contributing 32 points for Miami. LeBron capped off his 60 percent streak with another 30 point performance as Miami went on a huge late-game run to bury the Blazers.
7. LeBron drops the Magic
During the 2010-2011 season the Heat had immense trouble at the end of close games. By 2013, they had their late game offensive hierarchy resolved: LeBron was option number one. During the Streak LeBron hit numerous shots to clinch victory in crunch time situations. After blowing a big lead against Orlando, James coolly put the Magic away with a left-handed layup.
6. 2OT vs. Sacramento
Beating the Kings is generally not an outstanding accomplishment, but this was a hell of a game. Dwyane Wade and Lebron James combined for 79 points on 51 shot attempts in a double overtime thriller against Sacramento. The Heat outlasted the lowly Kings, tacking on a twelfth straight win to the Streak. LeBron effectively iced the game with 11 points in the second overtime period.
5. The Streak comes to an end
This is kind of paradoxical, but the end of The Streak was one of the best regular season games in recent memory. The gritty Bulls, ever dealing with a torrent of injuries pulled out a 101-97 victory against the Heat. This game is the quintessence of the Tom Thibodeau coaching experience compressed into one 48 minute stretch. Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler both played over 43 minutes as a heavily outgunned Bulls team somehow managed to stave off a furious Miami comeback! Carlos Boozer, Nazr Mohammed, Kirk Hinrich, Daequan Cook and Nate Robinson all played more than ten minutes for the Bulls in this game. Need I say anymore?
4. Miami throttles OKC
This game has been long forgotten, but it serves as an underrated chapter in the LeBron vs. KD rivalry. After a relatively blah 35-14 start to the season, the Heat took a six-game win streak into OKC in a rematch of the 2012 Finals. LeBron put up a preposterously efficient 39 points on 24 field goal attempts as Kevin Durant matched him with 40 points on 24 attempts.
Despite a riveting scoring dual between two of the league’s premier superstars the Heat comfortably dispatched the Thunder 110-100, leading by as much 23 midway through the second half. By stomping the Thunder, then the favorite to reach the Finals in a brutal Western Conference, the Heat demonstrated that they were still the league’s top dogs. Winning their seventh-straight game with the All-Star break looming, they had only just begun rounding into form.
3. LeBron sinks Boston
March 18, 2013 was a rough day for the Celtics and Jason Terry in particular (more on that below!). After falling behind by 13 the Heat stormed back in Boston and won their 23rd straight game, surpassing the 2008 Rockets for the second longest win streak in NBA history. LeBron sunk the game winner with 10 seconds to go as the Heat got the better of Boston once more in their bitter rivalry.
2. LeBron ends Jason Terry’s career
That’s not entirely fair. Terry is still in the league at the spry age of 40… that’s right, 40!!! But he hasn’t had all that many moments since LeBron destroyed him on this alley-oop:
It simply defies description.
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1. The 27-point comeback
In what is probably the signature win of the streak. Miami displayed its seeming invincibility against a struggling Cavs squad just days after a thriller in Boston. After completely no-showing the first half, the Heat roared back in the second, outscoring the Cavs 64-40 and ripping out the hearts of tortured Cleveland fans in a 98-95 win.