The Miami Heat are showing what it means to be great. They have won 16 games in a row and are continuing to serve notice to the rest of the league that they will not give up their title easily.

The Heat are a great team because the individuals they have on the floor are great. Greatness accepts responsibility and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Co. take personal responsibility for their performance. Great players live up to their potential because they are responsible for how they compete, perform and play.

And greatness is determined over time. To be great, one must be successful over a period of time, a dispensation that includes a large sample size and repeatability. Since last season, the Miami Heat have displayed their greatness by winning the Eastern Conference championship and becoming World Champions. This year they have put together some impressive performances and have been the favorite to repeat. Their current win streak bears witness to their collective consistency.

Finally, the Heat’s greatness is the best example I’ve seen in overcoming self. And they have a lot of self. Even if you have incredible talent, overcoming that talent means never believing you don’t have to play hard, perform well and take every opponent seriously. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade set the tone for the rest of the team and that tone has made the Heat deaf to criticism or critique. They are focused, quiet and dismissive of their current streak.

The Miami Heat continue to demonstrate why they are a great basketball team and favorite to win another NBA title. They are a team that takes personal responsibility for how they play over a long period of time and don’t really care who gets the credit.

This is bad news for would-be champions of the NBA.

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