Mike Miller’s Syrupy Hands Help the King Win His Ring
So many aspects of the game of basketball are attractive. The high flying dunks, no look passes, alley oops, fadeaway jumpers, and blocked shots are all exciting features of the game. But for me the “swish” of the nylon resulting from a perfect shot is the game in its purest form. There’s nothing cooler than watching a player get completely dialed in and make shot after shot from long range, swish after swish. Only a limited number of players in the world can lock in and can make shooting 30 footers look easy. Mike Miller is one of those guys. Sure, coming into Game 5 Miller was 0 for 3 from downtown and pretty much nonexistent. But if you knew Miller’s past history as a player (this clip gives some hints) than you weren’t surprised by his performance. He got locked in, and what resulted was an NBA Jam shooting spree that jolted the Heat and gave them Game 5 and the title. As for LeBron, there’s no denying that what he just did was simply remarkable. Regular Season MVP, Finals MVP, and now Champion. That’s only been done ten times. He changed his attitude, developed a post-up game, and firmly took the reigns as the Heat’s leader. He got to the basket at will, rebounded the heck out of the ball, and played suffocating defense on Mr. Durant. LBJ’s monster Game 6 against the Celtics was his signature effort in the playoffs. He said F off to all the media scrutiny and the haters by going off for 45 points and saving the Heat’s season. Now that he’s got the monkey off his back, who knows what he’s capable of next year.
Photos courtesy of Sports Illustrated and the Miami Herald
