Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving made the game-winning 3-pointer that helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win their first NBA title in 2016.
According to the six-time All-Star, he was inspired by watching the Big 3 Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.
Kyrie had an internship that let him attend the 2011 Finals.
Watching how Miami bounced back played a part in building his clutch mentality 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ZSNl7fYhDH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2020
The Heat team, which featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. However, they bounced back from the loss and won two consecutive NBA titles after that.
From 2010 to 2014, the Heat were the class of the Eastern Conference. The team made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and won two NBA titles before James left to rejoin the Cavaliers, where he teamed up with Irving and Kevin Love.
James and Irving led the Cavaliers to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and helped the team win its first NBA title, defeating a 73-win Golden State Warriors team that many expected to cruise to its second consecutive title win.
With Irving now in Brooklyn with two-time champion Kevin Durant, he will try to lead the team to its first title in franchise history.
The Nets have not played in the NBA Finals since they made consecutive appearances in 2002 and 2003, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.
