Fifty-two days, 27 games and an impressive average winning margin of 13 points propelled the Miami Heat to the edge of greatness throughout February and March.
The Heat nearly pushed their way into the record books, coming within an arms length of surpassing the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers 33-game win streak.
LeBron James put the team on his back throughout the impressive streak, pouring in 760 points – on average 28 points per game – as he helped shoulder the physical and mental load.
But with the streak now in tatters, the Heat have dominated headlines and sports talk shows with the rightly earned talk of “greatness”.
James is the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 20,000-point milestone. During February, in the middle of the winning streak, he became the first player in league history to score 30 points and make 60 per cent of his shots in six straight games.
He has now rightly earned the moniker of “King James” that has been with him since his days in Cleveland.
In an age dominated by television cameras and bloggers willing to criticize any real or apparent flaw in a player’s performance, one trend has emerged.
We are in a golden age of sports.
In soccer we have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominating, hockey has given us Sidney Crosby and basketball has now offered up LeBron James.
Every sports fan can sit you down and bend your ear for hours talking about their favourite players, underrated players and hated players.
But fans have never had such a variety of talented choices, across a broad range of sports.
Since returning after a concussion, Sidney Crosby has easily re-established himself as the best player on the planet, netting 15 goals and collecting 41 assists. Compared to a normal season, he would be on pace for 135 points.
Wayne Gretzky achieved the seemingly unbeatable record of scoring at least two points per game in the 1985-1986 season, with a total of 215 points. No NHL player since has ever come close.
Before fans get up in arms about me comparing “Sid the Kid” to “The Great One,” take a moment and look at those numbers. It shows how far the sport has come that we’re now graced with another similar athlete.
Soccer has given us two athletes to put on a pedestal. While fans can debate the merits of both, what they should realize is that they’re the best seen in years.
The traditional argument amongt soccer fans is to compare Diego Maradona and Pele. Messi and Ronaldo are different.
The sport has evolved since Pele and Maradona graced the pitch. It’s now more fitness-based than ever.
Messi and Ronaldo have been able to transcend this and become prominent in the elusive North American market.
For Messi, the title is definitely deserving. He scored 91 goals in one year, the most ever in one calendar year, surpassing the previous record of 85 set back in 1972.
He’s also comprehensively beaten the single season goal scoring record, hitting 73 compared to the 63 scored by Gerd Muller in the 1970s.
While Messi hogs the attention, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score against all 19 teams in the Spanish league in a single season.
Soccer has two idols who have divided fans over who is the best, but that’s not the real argument here.
What fans should recognize and appreciate about is the overwhelming amount of talent gracing arenas and rinks around the world.
Welcome to the golden age – long may it last.