Miami Heat Legend Udonis Haslem Settles LeBron James vs. J.J. Barea Debate

Anthony Pasciolla | 6 Hours Ago

Dec 30, 2011; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

LeBron James' first year with the Miami Heat left a sour taste in the mouths of many, as they fell short in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks.

James had far from his best Finals campaign, averaging 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, but it was a Mavs unsung hero that made the difference in the series. Guard J.J. Barea is widely considered Dallas' X-factor in the postseason run, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Some even go to the extent of claiming Barea shut down James.

Heat legend Udonis Haslem is not buying this idea one bit, sharing with Miami Heat On SI's Anthony Pasciolla what truly happened in the Finals.

"Well, first of all, Lebron is 6-foot-8, 265 [pounds]. J.J. is 5-foot-11, 170 [pounds]. There's no way he locks Bron up, there's no such thing," Haslem began. "What he did was he did catch us off guard. He was lightning in a bottle off the bench, and we didn't account for him in that playoff run, so shoutout to J.J. man. He played for my high school coach, Frank Martin, so there's ties to J.J."

Barea played 14 years in the NBA, the large majority of which with the Mavericks. Although he never earned major honors like an All-Star selection, the Puerto Rican guard impacted winning at a high level.

"I think what great players do is they seize those moments and those opportunities, and I think J.J. was ready for his moment," Haslem said. "[He] stayed ready so he didn't have to get ready, and when his number was called, he stepped up on the biggest stage and the biggest time and did what he needed to do for his team."

Despite commendable play from Heat stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Barea, and company closed the series out in six games. While James was not the leading scorer in a single one of the matchups, Haslem's unique analogy shows it was not due to Barea's defense.

"But there's no way in hell that J.J. locked down Bron," Haslem shared while laughing. "You ever seen a pitbull and a chihuahua? That's about how that was going to go."

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.