In the doldrums of the regular season, mainly the time between November and the All-Star break, Miami is always looking for ways to entertain themselves.
They do themselves the disservice of playing down to opponents to keep games interesting — in which they usually come up victorious — but it’s still a process that requires a great deal of attention and focus to come out every night and compete against teams that treat a contest with the Heat as their personal Game 7.
After they treat fans, no matter where they are, to a wire-to-wire showing, they then treat the viewers at home with the league’s newest phenomenon: the videobomb.
In case you haven’t heard, the videobomb involves a player(s) disrupting the postgame interview. Miami is certainly not the only team to practice this, as the Los Angeles Clippers have also had their fair share of postgame moments. But they are the most notorious for it.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have all taken turns one-upping each other. The original videobombs were predominantly by Bosh, but Wade and James have both joined the fray and are competing with their teammate for the coveted position of who can annoy Jason Jackson, the Heat’s sideline reporter, the most.
Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick recently wrote on Jason Jackson and how he takes every interview in stride. Like every player on the Heat, he, too, has sacrificed plenty, mainly his patience, in order to adjust.
The videobombs are also serving a purpose in allowing viewers to get a rare look at how players interract off the court. Speculation and rumors run rampant within this team, especially with the summer of 2014 rolling up. There could be plenty of stories and falsities concocted about the team’s locker room chemistry.
With the videobombs, however, it’s impossible. These aren’t shows for the cameras; they’re aren’t trying to portray something they’re not. It’s easy to tell that the three All-Stars all enjoy being on the same team and are extremely comfortable around each other.
Because they’ve been so frequent this year, it’s difficult to narrow it down into a top five. However, it’s tough to go wrong with whichever five were chosen.
You just have to hope that they don’t go into a decline like so many great shows end up doing. It feels as if we’re only just now entering the videobomb prime of the Heat.
*** *** ***
5. LeTroll James
That’s a face only a franchise’s fanbase could love. It’s also a face reminiscent of the popular meme floating around: the LelBron.
Jason Jackson takes it in stride like a pro, once again, merely mentioning the obvious, offering his opinion on the look — anything other than terrified is a lie — and then moving on with the interview.
I’ve heard people claim that Jackson has to be annoyed with these constant interruptions, but I’d go with the contrary and believe that he loves the publicity and the fun-loving nature of the team that he works with.
4. I think you did good, too, Chris Bosh
This is the videobomb that would go on to inspire the Miami Heat’s fascination with interrupting postgame interviews and wreaking havoc at the expense of Jason Jackson.
As Jackson interviews LeBron James, Chris Bosh can be spotted between the two, just long enough to be seen looking into the camera and beginning his sprint. He then disappears behind Jackson’s head — to build suspense, of course — but pops out and immediately offers his thoughts on the night’s action.
It’s a simple analysis that’s capped off by a swear and Bosh failing to rip the foam off Jackson’s microphone, before jogging his way back out of the view of the camera, leaving behind a delirious LeBron and an apologetic Jackson in his wake.
3. Dwyane Wade gymnastics
You’re going to have a hard time convincing me that LeBron James will leave all of this behind this summer.
The execution of the cartwheel by Dwyane Wade is perfect, as is the camera work of keeping focus on the interview, rather than panning out and showing the lead up. With each member of the Big Three attempting to top each other on these videobombs, the last thing you expect to see is Dwyane Wade’s legs flying by behind LeBron and Jason Jackson.
Wade made note of his inspiration afterwards: “It’s all he (in reference to his son) does around the house. So I had to participate.”
LeBron’s delayed reaction is priceless, as is Wade setting up and and performing another awkward cartwheel, this one complete with a towel being thrown at Dwyane by someone out of the picture.
I’d like to imagine that towel was thrown by Erik Spoelstra.
2. Theater of the insane
The absurdity of this is off the charts when you think about it, especially from a past perspective. Think back to not even four years ago. Did you ever picture LeBron James, fresh off two championships, grabbing onto Dwyane Wade’s ankles and using him as a wheelbarrow, parading him around in order to disrupt a postgame interview featuring Chris Bosh?
Is this a thought that could even be conceptualized? Even seconds before it happened, was it ever expected? How does the conversation between LeBron and Dwyane even lead to, “I’m going to use you like a wheelbarrow during the postgame interview”?
I have so many questions. It’s by far one of the most perplexing and unexpected events in sports history, yet it’s not even the best videobomb Miami has had.
1. Black belt Bosh
There’s just so much going on here. I don’t even know where to start.
First off, Dwyane Wade is a bow-tie away from bearing an exact resemblance to Humphrey Bogart’s character in Casablanca. Secondly, he asks Jason Jackson to remind him of the question he asks, only to push away Jackson once he tells him, emitting a facial expression out of Jason of concern, fear and shock.
As Dwyane Wade refers to himself as a superstar, Mike Miller makes an unexpected appearance by harmlessly placing a towel on the shoulders of LeBron James and Wade, but it’s then taken away by Miller.
That must have been inspiration for Bosh because this happened shortly after:
Wade’s reaction looks he wants nothing of it and also that he can’t believe someone would be interrupting his interview, even though he just did the exact same thing to Jackson seconds prior and many times before.
As much as certain writers want you to believe, it doesn’t seem as if there’s any sort of rift or tension between any of these players, aside from Wade, who may still be irked that Bosh disrupted the intricate art of the postgame interview.
What stunt will they pull next?
Follow John on Twitter at @jfriel1990.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
