Miami's Dominance Over Boston

His scoring against Boston did not change when he got to Miami. The team around it did.

In 2011 Miami met Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals and won 4-1. It was the first Big Three win over an aging Celtics core, and what changed was the team standing next to him.

2012 was the hard one. They met in the Eastern Conference finals and Miami fell behind 3-2. Game 6 was on the road in Boston, facing elimination: 45 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, on 19-of-26 shooting.

With Miami one loss from the end of its season, the shots went in anyway. Miami won Game 7 and then the championship.

Now set 2012 beside 2008. Same 45 points, same opponent, opposite result: one of those nights ended a Cleveland season in the semifinals, the other kept a Miami title run alive in the conference finals. The scoring was the constant. The roster was the variable.