As much as NBA fans may have wanted LeBron James to be denied his chance at an NBA title, it's hard to deny that this was his year.
James and the Heat not only seemed to continue to build that necessary chemistry during the regular season, but also displayed that killer instinct necessary during the postseason. With their backs to the walls a couple times, Miami fought back and moved onward.
Kevin Durant and his Thunder teammates are a hard-working great of guys that are fun to watch and easy to root for. With all the drama surrounding the Heat over the last two seasons, the Thunder likely had every NBA fan not from South Beach rooting for them to take home the title.
But it simply wasn't their time. Even with home-court advantage, this just wasn't the year the Thunder would win the NBA Finals. Everyone expected the Heat to come out last season and win a championship right out the gates, but it takes time to build chemistry, understand one another on the court, and develop that resilient mentality necessary to win big. Though they continued to hear the critics loud and clear, the Heat nevertheless put in that time, making this year their golden one of opportunity.
The fact that the Thunder has a young core is irrelevant. This group's young studs have a high level of maturity as it is, but they have to keep working. Their achievement thus far (just reaching the NBA Finals) is impressive, but it'll take more time to win an NBA championship.
Though it seemed like an eternity, the fact that it took the Heat only two years to win a championship with their own core is impressive. The Thunder can only hope to achieve the same success next season.
NBA Fans don't want to see the Heat to succeed, but to be able to take home the title in just two years time takes a hell of a team. Of course, Miami's "Big Three" represents perhaps the most star-studded trio the league has ever seen. But this team as a whole is built like an overall champion. It took more than just the stars to win big, but it would appear as though the Heat have always known that. Their model for success, surrounding their stars with some of the league's top role players in guys like Shane Battier, Mike Miller, and Udonis Haslem, has continued to look strong. This championship title simply puts a stamp of approval on their mentality for building a winner.
As much as most NBA fans would hate to admit it, the team they root for should take a page out of Miami's book. The group they've built, along with the maturity they developed, helped them achieve the ultimate goal.
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