LeBron James has starred in multiple memorable moments during his honored NBA career. The four-time champion has been on both ends of glory, rising to the top of the world with his teams or watching his opponents celebrate championships.
Even before his battles with the Golden State Warriors as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James had made it to four consecutive NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.
The Big Three Heat finished with a 2-2 record, which could have been 1-3 if Ray Allen didn’t make one of the best and most dramatic shots in Finals history. It was Game 6 of their first of two series against the San Antonio Spurs.
With 8.6 left on the clock, Chris Bosh scrapped for a rebound and found Allen in the corner. The shooting guard hit a huge 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds to tie the game at 95.
The Heat ended up winning that game 103-100 in overtime to tie the series 3-3 and force a Game 7, which Miami eventually won 97-88.
During Tuesday’s edition of his “Mind the Game” podcast, James recalled that he felt “disrespected” moments before Allen’s shot. He told co-host Steve Nash that he had doubts about his chances to win that series when the NBA personnel were ready to crown the Spurs as champions.
“I don’t know exactly the score, but what pissed me off and I had a little of self-doubt is when the NBA personnel brought the yellow rope out on the court and the game wasn’t over yet,” James said. “There was a moment where I looked to their bench and they were all arms locked, getting ready to celebrate.”
He added that he wanted to be the person who made the big shot to tie the game before Allen got it done, noting that he had attempted two 3-pointers before the game-tying one.
“In my mind, I’m like, ‘That should’ve been me making the shot.’ I built myself up to that. Seeing those yellow ropes… My whole life is like, the game is not over until it’s zeros on the clock. And it was just super disrespectful.”
Coming off a terrific 2011-12 championship against the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder, the Heat appeared to have found their match in the Spurs. It took blood, sweat and tears and a little more, but they went back-to-back against one of the best teams in the league in the last decade.
The Heat were the ones who celebrated in Game 7, confirming that they were the team to beat in the association.