"I've had a chance to [review] it, and it was one of my better ones. The fact that it happened to J.T. [Jason Terry] made it that much sweeter. Because we all know J.T. and he talks too much sometimes. And I'm glad it happened to him." -- LeBron James to ESPN
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On March 18, 2013, LeBron James of the Miami Heat turned into a professional wrestler.
Not the kind of wrestler who is a babyface, one who is beloved by the fans and wants to win the right way. No, this was a heel turn from James. Specifically, a transformation into an Undertaker-like figure where destruction and carnage are just a means to the end goal.
The destruction and carnage would land in the lap of innocent bystander Jason Terry, then of the Boston Celtics. Terry, not once to mince words, made the regretful decision to not pay the proper respect to the Heat's then 21-game winning streak. (Miami would go on to win 27 in a row) Instead of listening to what our mothers and grandmothers used to advise when one doesn't have anything nice to say, Terry went the passive-aggressive route.
"[I'm] not really impressed with it or anything that they do." said Terry.
What transpired in TD Garden on that Monday night would be of secondary consequence, as the Heat would squeeze by the Celtics 105-103. James would post 37 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in the win. No one would care about the box score at the end of the night however, as the 4-man setup on Terry would leave basketball Twitter buzzing for days on end.
This was evening the score up a bit, as Terry, then with the Dallas Mavericks, hit a critical shot over James two years prior in the NBA Finals and hit his trademark JET celebration afterward. The Mavs would secure their first NBA championship minutes after.
In 2013 the NBA had the Heat as favorites, as James and Dwyane Wade would fulfill the oddsmakers’ prophecies by securing their third title in franchise history. James would also win the second of his third NBA Finals MVP awards in the process.
LeBron was closing the gap (fast) on Giannis in the MVP race when the season was put on pause. A distant +800 in late February, he improved to +250 as of March 12th. LeBron averaged 30 points, 10.6 assists, and 9.4 rebounds in five games during March. Those games included statement victories over the Clippers, Pelicans, and Giannis' Bucks.
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At the same time, Giannis sat out Milwaukee's last two, and it was unclear how much rest he would get down the stretch as Milwaukee cruised to the #1 seed in the East. If you still think MVP is in the cards once things come back up, here's SBD's quick primer on how to bet.
For James, this dark moment was a throwback to two seasons prior, as he decided to wear the black hat after many derided him for "The Decision" for taking his talents to South Beach and moving on from the Cleveland Cavaliers. In times following, the Heat forward put that hat away. With Terry and the perceived lack of respect, he donned the black hat once more for a posterization we'll never forget. That includes JET.
"I think the worst thing about this is every time I'm in arenas or at the grocery store," said Terry. "Little kids come up to me, 'Hey, hey, are you Jason Terry?' 'Yeah, that's me.' 'Why did LeBron dunk on you?' I'm like come on, I thought you were gonna ask for an autograph."
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