When thinking of the Big 3 era of the Miami Heat, former floor general Mario Chalmers likely isn’t the first name to pop into the minds of fans. His career averages with the Heat of 8.8 points and 3.8 assists per game weren’t necessarily anything to write home about, but he was Miami’s starting point guard for both of its title runs in 2012 and 2013.
According to Heat legend Dwyane Wade, Miami wouldn’t have won the way it won in those years if not for Chalmers’ contributions.
Dwyane Wade on Mario Chalmers’ game winning shot in the Big 3 Championship game:
“Mario f*cking Chalmers. That’s what he do… he won state championships in high school, he won national championships in college… we’re not winning the way we won without Mario Chalmers.” pic.twitter.com/Vn8Xy52Rz7
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Miami played a grand total of 46 playoff games across the 2012 and 2013 NBA Playoffs, and Chalmers started all of those contests and shot 35.6 percent from 3-point range on 3.5 attempts per game in that stretch.
In the 2012 NBA Playoffs, he was probably Miami’s fourth-best offensive player behind only the likes of Wade, forward LeBron James and big man Chris Bosh. Chalmers scored 11.3 points per contest in that year’s playoffs, which ranked fourth on the team.
Chalmers proved to be an ideal complementary player next to the Big 3 during the course of the era, and it wasn’t until long after the trio had split up that his tenure playing for the Heat came to an end.
He last played for Miami in the 2015-16 season before he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and finished out the campaign in Memphis. Chalmers last suited up for an NBA team when he appeared in 66 games with the Grizzlies in the 2017-18 campaign.
Wade’s comments on Chalmers serve as a good reminder that it took more than production from Bosh, Wade and James for the Heat to win consecutive NBA championships over a decade ago. For as much as the NBA is a star-driven league, basketball is still a team sport.
Chalmers is just one example of a role player who was majorly important to a team that achieved the ultimate goal. He should be fondly remembered by fans of the Heat for his contributions in those championship seasons, and it’s fun to think about whether Miami would have still won back-to-back titles without him.
