Every NBA team's best iteration ever

Every NBA team’s best iteration ever

PORTLAND, OR - 1987: Head Coach Pat Riley leads Magic Johnson #32, Byron Scott #4, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 during a game played circa 1987 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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LeBron James of the Miami Heat celebrates winning Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Arena June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The Miami Heat, led by NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James (2nd-L), won the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in game seven of the championship series. AFP PHOTO / Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) /

Miami Heat: 2012-13

After winning his first title in the lockout shortened 2011-12 season, LeBron James played perhaps the best season of his career the following season as he led the Heat to a 66-16 record and their second consecutive NBA Championship.

The Heat just outclassed everyone they came across that season until the later rounds of the playoffs where the Pacers and the Spurs both took them to seven games, though the Heat showed tremendous resilience in those series, eventually triumphing. Also during that season, the Heat earned the second-longest winning streak in NBA history by winning 27 consecutive games throughout February and March. They ended the regular season on an unbelievable run, going 37-2 over their last 39 games.

You can argue for lots of different years as LeBron’s best, but this year, while he was not as overwhelming as he may have been at other times in his career, he just did everything so well that he was like the Platonic ideal of a basketball player. He also still had something to prove, was consistently engaged defensively, and had finally refined both his jump shot and post game, which rounded out his already lethal offensive arsenal. His Game 7 performance in the Finals was not the most impressive of his career statistically, but he played an absolutely perfect game, scoring 37 points along with 12 rebounds while just doing everything the team needed to do to win on a night where only five Heat players scored.

The Heat were more than just LeBron James, though. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were still All-Star talents, and the addition of Ray Allen off the bench helped the team tremendously, and literally saved their season at the end of Game 6. This Heat team was the best and most well rounded of LeBron’s time in Miami, and that, combined with his seemingly superhuman talents, is enough to make it the best team in the franchise’s history.

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