2010–11 Miami Heat season

In the regular season, the Heat finished first in the Southeast Division with 58–24 record, and made the NBA playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year as the Eastern Conference's No.

[3] Though the 2010-11 Miami Heat advanced to the 2011 NBA Finals after beating the Philadelphia 76ers, defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics, and the Chicago Bulls.

Even though Miami's playoff run ended in disappointing fashion, the Heat nonetheless enjoyed a successful year, despite witnessing a sluggish 9–8 start to the regular season.

The Miami Heat entered the 2010 NBA Free Agency period with nearly $46 million of salary cap space to spare, allowing the team to allocate enough financial resources to gain the ability to retain free agent and franchise player Dwyane Wade, as well as being able to pair him with two other perennial All-Stars and top-ranked NBA players at the time, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

[7] On July 8, 2010, it became official that NBA superstars and gold medal-winning Beijing Olympic teammates LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh would be joining Miami.

The Heat completed sign-and-trade deals, sending a total of four future first-round and two-second-round picks to the Cavaliers and Raptors for James and Bosh (both signing 6 years and $110.1 million contracts).

[12][13] Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries.

[17] Rookies Dexter Pittman and Da'Sean Butler, along with NBA Summer League standouts Patrick Beverley and Kenny Hasbrouck, also signed contracts.

[19] The Heat lost the opening game 88–80 and got off to a 9–8 start due in large part to inconsistent play and injuries to key role players Mike Miller (thumb) and Udonis Haslem (foot).

After losing four out of five games, including a Saturday night loss to the Dallas Mavericks on November 27, the team called a players-only meeting with the intent to get players to communicate with each other.

ESPN 3D aired its first NBA game in the third dimension on December 17, 2010, when the Heat defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.,[21][22][23] The Heat set a franchise record for wins in December with 15 and set an NBA record for consecutive road victories in a calendar month with 10 (including the Christmas Day match-up with the reigning two-time champs, Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers which the team won 96–80).

A few days later, forward Chris Bosh was selected as a reserve, marking the first time in Heat history the team had sent three players to the All-Star game in a single season.

[31][32] On March 27, Wade, James, and Bosh became the second trio in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the same non-overtime game (a home win against the Houston Rockets), matching Oscar Robertson, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman for the Cincinnati Royals in a loss to the Philadelphia Warriors on February 2, 1961.

Additionally, it was the first time that a team's trio recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games since Sidney Wicks, Lloyd Neal and John Johnson accomplished the feat with the Portland Trail Blazers in March 1975.

[34] The Heat advanced to the 2011 NBA Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks, who had defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

[35] As James only averaged three points in the fourth quarters in the series, and he received the brunt of the criticism for the team's loss to Dallas as a result of his lackluster performance.

[4] The New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat were in negotiations to sign LeBron James.

[6] On July 8, 2010, it became official that NBA players and gold medal-winning Beijing Olympic teammates James, Wade, and Bosh would be joining the Heat.

The Heat completed sign-and-trade deals, sending a total of four future first-round and two-second-round picks to the Cavaliers and Raptors for James and Bosh (both signing six-year, $110.1 million contracts).

[11] Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries.

[64] Rookies Dexter Pittman and Da'Sean Butler, along with NBA Summer League standouts Patrick Beverley and Kenny Hasbrouck, also signed contracts.

[65] The Heat lost the opening game 88–80 and got off to a 9–8 start due in large part to inconsistent play and injuries of key role players Mike Miller (thumb) and Udonis Haslem (foot).

ESPN 3D aired its first NBA game in the third dimension on December 17, 2010, when the Heat defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.,[67][68][69] The Heat set a franchise record for wins in December with 15 and set an NBA record for consecutive road victories in a calendar month with 10 (including the Christmas Day match-up with the reigning two-time champion Los Angeles Lakers, which the team won 96–80).

A few days later, forward Chris Bosh was selected as a reserve, marking the first time in Heat history the team had sent three players to the All-Star game in a single season.

[73] The Heat advanced to the NBA Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks, who had defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.