By MAX PRINZ
Pat Riley is an absolute genius. The president of the Miami Heat, and perhaps the smartest man in the NBA, Riley came through with another stroke of brilliance to get his team ready to chase its third consecutive title.
Floyd Mayweather, the greatest boxer in a generation, was seen exiting the Miami Heat practice facility this past weekend. Mayweather spoke to the Heat players before their practice and delivered what was, by all accounts, a powerful message that resonated deeply with the players.
Mayweather, in case you haven’t heard, is 45-0 in his boxing career, with titles in five different weight divisions. He spoke to the Heat about remaining on top, despite facing competition that grows fiercer by the day. It is a topic about which Mayweather likely knows more than anyone else on the planet. This is a man with eight major championship belts and an undefeated record in 17 years of fights. His work inside the ring is awe-inspiring and the Heat definitely got a peek behind the curtain as they look to retain their own title as NBA champions.
“With him being 17 years-and-0 — we’re trying to defend two titles — he’s been defending for a long time,” Lebron James told ESPN. “He definitely knows where we’re coming from. It’s definitely exciting to have someone, one of the greatest of all time, to be in your presence. It’s something you can talk about years from now when you look back on the history of sports. That guy was at our practice.”
Is the genius of Pat Riley visible yet? If winning an NBA championship is very hard, winning two championships in a row must be even harder. Winning three straight championships is close to impossible. Pat Riley just took the first step towards making that happen for the Heat.
Mayweather is absolutely the perfect person to talk to the Heat. He has always executed, always found a way to defeat his opponent; his nickname is “money.” He has, time and again, climbed the mountain and become a champion. He and Riley’s Heat team are a perfect match. Hearing the players after meeting with Mayweather, it is clear that he provided a great deal of inspiration.
“From one champion to another, he just talked about being proud of us and how we handled ourselves,” Dwyane Wade said. “He knows, as a champion, how hard it is to go out there and compete when people try to take you down, take what you work for. He kept telling us how proud he is of us. If you got up today and you were a little tired, you walk in and see the champ, you work a little harder.”
Look at that quote again. Mayweather has inspired the Heat to try even harder than before. A team that just won back-to-back titles has every reason to slack off, but Riley’s move has given the Heat the motivation to try for another title. If I were a competing team, I would be very worried.
Granted, Miami’s road to a title this season will be harder than ever before. The Pacers, who get Danny Granger back, will surely want vengeance for last season. Oklahoma City, once Russell Westbrook returns, will again be a top force in the West. The Nets made huge moves, trading for two future Hall of Famers. The Rockets found their second superstar in Dwight Howard and now have an inside-out threat with him and James Harden. And of course, there is the return of Derrick Rose, who looks very healthy, meaning the Bulls will again be a team that can give the Heat problems.
Only three other NBA teams, Shaq and Kobe’s 00-02 Lakers and Jordan’s 91-93 and 96-98 Bulls teams, have won three titles in a row. The reasons for their success are fairly obvious. Shaq and Kobe formed a two-man partnership that dominated in ways never seen before or since. The Bulls had the luxury of the greatest player ever, whose will to win bordered on insanity. Do the Heat, and especially Lebron James, have that same ability and fire?
I truly believe they do. Lebron is unlike any basketball player that has come before him. His ability to do so many different things well allows him to compensate for any and all of his team’s weaknesses. He is, far and away, the best basketball player in the league.
There was time when the infamous video of Lebron and Chris Bosh’s welcome party was a huge joke and a lesson in humility. That time is over. Miami is ready to make the visions of that welcome party come true.
I think the Heat will join that elite group of teams and win their third consecutive NBA title this season. I think Lebron James will win his fifth MVP and draw ever closer to the realm of Jordan. While it will likely be James receiving most of the praise, remember that Pat Riley certainly did his part to motivate his team to chase a third straight championship.
