LeBron James wants you to meet the "Heatles"
The Miami Heat trio of LeBron James(notes), Dwyane Wade(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes) has been known by many names over the past few months, some clever, some not. There's The Big Three, and Miami Thrice, and even the SuperFriends.
All these nicknames have been cooked up by fans and media members, not the members of the team itself ... you know, because giving yourself a nickname is usually frowned upon. But no one told that to LeBron, who informed everyone of a new one after Monday night's 96-82 victory in Charlotte. From Ira Winderman for the Sun-Sentinel:
James, on the Heat's ability to pack the house even in Charlotte, "We call ourselves the ‘Heatles' like the Beatles."
Cool name, guys, especially because "Rolling Heatones" doesn't really flow off the tongue. I can't wait to hear new singles like "I Want to Hold Your Early Termination Option" and "Sgt. Spoelstra's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Oh wait, I have another: "Riley Raccoon."
Matt Moore of NBA Facts & Rumors has already done an excellent job matching the Heat to their Beatles counterparts, and it's both easy and difficult. James is a decent John Lennon and Wade is a solid Paul McCartney, but Chris Bosh is a reasonably awful fit for George Harrison and no role player is quite as goofily consistent (yet still not entirely useful) as Ringo Starr. In other words, this nickname is best because it uses the name "Heat" pretty well, not because it fits the team perfectly well.
[Related: Big price paid for legendary John Lennon suit]
That said, perhaps the entire genesis of the name comes from the idea that James doesn't want yet another nickname tossed out there that only references Miami's best three players. That the Heatles, like the Beatles, refer to a collective unit, without referencing specific members. Although, the actual band Genesis turned out to only have three members by the end of its run, and it sold quite a lot of records.
[Rewind: LeBron booed at Carmelo's wedding]
Then again, Miami could make it better by winning several championships and changing the face of basketball for all future generations. At that point, it'll come close to matching the Beatles' influence, if not their popularity. And then LeBron can finally admit that he thinks he's bigger than Jesus.
Click the jump for a video of James' name-work in action.
(Image via Tauntr)
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