After shocking the sports world with his decision to take his talents to South Beach (Miami) with the help of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, also referred to as the “Big Three”, King James received much criticism from fans, media and some friends. The move to Miami caused not only shocked Cleveland fans and Cleveland Cavalier personnel, that it caused riots in the city of Cleveland along with the tearing down of the famous Lebron James poster in downtown Cleveland and the burning of his jerseys. The move also forced the Cleveland Cavaliers to change their jerseys to not remind them of the King James era. His debut in Miami was not what many fans thought the debut season would bring. Unfortunately the Miami Heat would lose in their trip to the 2011 NBA Finals versus the Dallas Mavericks.
James officially became a member of the Heat on July 10, completing a sign-and-trade six-year contract with the team.[111] With the move, he became only the third reigning MVP to change teams and the first since Moses Malone in 1982.[112] Although his contract would have allowed him to earn the maximum salary under the collective bargaining agreement, he took less money in order for Miami to be able to afford Bosh and Wade as well as further roster support.[113] That evening, the Heat threw a welcome party for their new “big three” at the American Airlines Arena, an event that took on a rock concert atmosphere.[114] During the gathering, James predicted a dynasty for the Heat and alluded to multiple championships.[115][116] Outside of Miami the spectacle was not well-received, furthering the negative public perception of James.[117][118]
Throughout the 2010–11 season, James embraced the villain role bestowed upon him by the media. He later said that the negativity surrounding him as a result of his actions during the 2010 free agency “basically turned me into somebody I wasn’t … You start to hear ‘the villain,’ now you have to be the villain, you know, and I started to buy into it. I started to play the game of basketball at a level, or at a mind state that I’ve never played at before … meaning, angry. And that’s mentally. That’s not the way I play the game.”[119] He often played the point guard role that Pat Riley sold to him during free agency,[120] and in an early season victory versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was Miami’s primary ball handler and registered a game-high 12 assists, the most ever by a Heat forward.[121] On December 2, he returned to Cleveland for the first time since departing as a free agent, scoring 38 points and leading Miami to a win while being booed every time he touched the ball.[122][123] He finished his debut season on the Heat with averages of 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 51 percent shooting.[46] Entering the playoffs as the East’s second seed, Miami defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics, and the first-seeded Bulls before stumbling in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, losing in six games despite holding a 2–1 series lead going into Game 4.[124] James received the brunt of the criticism for the loss, averaging only 3 points in fourth quarters in the series.[125] His scoring average of 17.8 points per game signified an 8.9-point drop from the regular season, the lowest such drop-off in league history.[126]
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