Legacies are built or destroyed at defining moments, and you can't a more of a singular moment than this year's rematch of last year's NBA Finals.
Despite being comparable on the court, there will always be a dispute between the genetic make-up of each squad. Are champion teams built through the draft?
Or are they bought in Free Agency?
Thus far, the ledger favors buying titles. LeBron James has made the NBA Finals every year since he took his talents to South Beach. He could net his third title before turning 30, an accomplishment that would raise some big questions about his place in NBA's pantheon of greats.
Meanwhile, Tim Duncan continues to throw up big-time numbers and Gregg Popovich continues to throw together quirky line-ups to produce serious results. How much longer can these two keep doing this?
We also need to consider what this title means for the legacies of both franchises. Miami hasn't even been around for 30 years and a fourth title would put them on the same level as cornerstone franchises such as Boston and Los Angeles. For San Antonio, they too would be elevated, becoming equals with the 60s Celtics and 80s Lakers as a team that defined an era.
Each ofMiami's "Big Three" can opt out of their contracts and June's series will decide whether LeBron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh decide to go for a four-peat and truly challenge history.
Bosh has already ceded any negotiating leverage he had by expressing his desire to re-sign with Miami. Wade has been breaking down for going on three years now and no other team would dare pay him the same type of money Miami is able to. That leaves LeBron. James already took a pay cut to come to Miami and he would need Bosh and Wade to forego their paydays for him to earn his true market value.
Miami swung for the fences in 2010 and came away as winners. If the Heat truly want their legacy to stand alone in the annals of NBA history, Bosh, Wade, and James could forego even more money to bring in a Carmelo Anthony-type player to aid in their march toward immortality.