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Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, LeBron James
THE Miami heat achieved success that they have not replicated since LeBron James and Chris Bosh agreed to join them in 2010. They made four consecutive NBA Finals, as well as two consecutive NBA titles.
However, despite LeBron’s status as the best player during those runs, Udonis Haslem believes Bosh played a bigger role in their success than James.
“Everyone thinks our most important player was Bron. Our most important player, not our best player, but our most important player was (Bosh),” Haslem said on the March 5 episode of “The OGs.” Yeah. He was our most important player. Because if Bron went down, you could bring in D-Wade, and he’s not the same player, but you’ll get similar results to what you’ll get from the player. When making plays, it can go up to 30. We couldn’t simulate it. We do not have any other credit card. If [he] fell and he was injured, we didn’t get another one.
LeBron James won two Most Valuable Player awards during his four years in Miami. Bosh made the All-Star team every year he played with the Heat, including his time with James. They helped the Heat beat the Thunder in 2012, then with the Spurs in 2013. Haslem played with both during that time.
Norris Cole Agrees With Udonis Haslem About LeBron James
Udonis Haslem isn’t the only one who thought Chris Bosh was more valuable than LeBron James. Norris Cole also thinks the same thing. Cole explained on the March 7 episode of “Gil’s Arena” why he agreed with Haslem about Bosh.
“We didn’t have anyone else like [Bosh]. If Bron came out… Nobody’s Bron, but D-Wade can put on a clinic and put up 35, 40, get eight assists for a few series if we needed him too. If [Bosh] had been away for too long, we had no one else like him to create these gaps.
Cole added that Bosh’s rare skills helped the Heat win those titles.
“Bron was our best player, but without [Bosh], we don’t win these championships because he’s the only role model like him on our team. No one was 6’9, 6’10, who could pick and jump, who could pick and roll short, who could also iso, who could guard multiple positions, who could run our small ball lineup. We didn’t have anyone else who was like that. We just didn’t do it.
Bosh’s development into a stretch big played a role in the Heat’s success as it gave their frontcourt more spacing. He shot 53.8% from three in their 2012 victory and 40.5% from three in 2013, by basketball reference.
Like Haslem, Cole played for the Heat in their two championships with LeBron James.
Mario Chalmers remembers the story of LeBron James
On the February 27 episode of “Playmaker” Mario Chalmers, former Heat alumnus recalled a story where LeBron James had a seizure.
“This man would lay his entire outfit out on the floor before the game and make sure everyone was walking around,” Chalmers said. “One time the media walked on the jersey, he broke down, and he asked the outfitter to get him a brand new jersey, shorts, tights, headband, armband and socks and he put back in place. As a superstitious OCD Bron, you know it’s best to go around it like it’s a chalk outline.
Chalmers helped the Heat win their two titles in 2012 and 2013.
Matt John covers the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns for Heavy.com. A Massachusetts native, he has covered the NBA since 2018, with stops at FanSided, Basketball News and Basketball Insiders. Learn more about Matt John
