Boston Celtics 2007-12

The Celtics have too rich of a history to finish dead last in their conference and be comfortable about it, but finish bottom they did and it was not the day to be a fan. The front office had to react and they did in a big way, acquiring two high profile stars to add to a Paul Pierce, their main piece. Ray Allen joined from the Supersonics, while former league MVP, Kevin Garnett, joined form the Timberwolves. Garnett and Pierce were two fiery personalities that could potentially burn the Celtics’ hopes but they found a way to make it work and after a 66-16 regular season it was clear they meant revenge and business. The team would go on to beat the Lakers in a thrilling finals and capture the NBA title in their first season together.

Miami Heat 2010-14

”The Decision” is probably one of the most watched videos of all time for Miami fans. LeBron James, making his announcement to sign for Cleveland was huge and it changed the course of the franchise forever. James brought his talents to South Beach because he was tired of doing it all alone in Cleveland and wanted a ring to cement his growing legacy. He was ready to do it by any means necessary and the plan was Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Both men All-star players in key positions, superstars in their own rights, joined to form the “Heatles”, the most feared , revered, and hated three-man juggernaut. For four seasons, the heat would be the team to beat in the NBA, as LeBron got to his prime and winning back-to-back championships.

Cleveland Cavaliers 2014-17 

LeBron James was not just looking to get a ring and win some recognition with MVPs, he had a particular path to his legacy in mind and that included bringing a championship to his beloved Cleveland, the first in the franchise history. He knew only one way to win a championship and that required two other superstars. The Cavs had a talented draft pick in Kyrie Irving who was already clearly ROY after a few games into his first season. The third wheel was the Timberwolves’ stretch big man, Kevin Love, and then a deep bench that included some solid role players that could even be stars on other teams. The first season back at Cleveland, however, will be met with resistance from the Bay as the rising Golden State Warriors were like a sprained ankle, nothing to play about. The surprise team of the 2015 season went ahead to beat a decimated Cleveland team that had no Irving nor Love in the finals. 2016 was a “run it back” scenario and once again it looked like the Warriors were going to run Cleveland out of another title till something snapped, Draymond Green got a suspension and the Cavs came back from 3-1 down to win the title. Who can forget an emotional James screaming, “Cleveland, this is for you!”

(Graphic: Betway)