MIAMI — Shane Battier, a 13-year N.B.A. veteran and two-time champion Miami Heat, was the perfect player to provide a bit of context to the happenings late Friday. Although some of his teammates said they would need time to gain perspective on their latest accomplishment — a playoff series win over the Indiana Pacers, a fourth straight trip to the finals — Battier seemed to possess a good deal.
Battier, 35, said that in the current environment of the N.B.A., with restricted spending and frequent player movement, sustained periods of success were becoming increasingly rare. That the Heat had made it to the league finals for the fourth consecutive year, he said, was a testament to the creativity of their front office in building a stable team and the willingness of its ownership to pay for it.
Battier said the stars would be the first to tell you that, too. Later, as if on cue, James rolled up to his postgame news conference on the back of a golf cart, wearing a limited edition version of his sneakers that had been made available in May to people who had completed several dozens of hours of tasks in a video game. The shoes were listed on online auction sites for more than $1,000.
The jungle cat pattern on the sneakers and the image of a lion on his shirt suggested his alpha status. But soon, relatively unprompted, James was doling out praise to a list of less heralded teammates.
James said the Heat started to hit their stride in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday when Chris Andersen, who had missed the previous two games with a bruised left thigh, entered midway through the first quarter. He credited Norris Cole’s drives to the basket for creating space. And he described Rashard Lewis as “the key to everything.”
“Once those guys got it going,” James said, “I think we all fed off of it.”
James recently suggested that the Heat were not the league’s most talented team — he would not say which teams were more talented — but that their collective smarts and experience made them among the best.
Battier nodded as this hypothesis was relayed to him Friday. That is what he and his teammates were talking about in the locker room.
“You can’t win big without talent, and obviously, we have talent,” Battier said. “But so much of it is the togetherness and the cohesion and the belief in the plan and the ability to withstand adversity.”
He added, “Going through this three years now, those are essential qualities in getting it done.”
The formative nature of the shared hardship and success was a big theme among the Heat players and coaches after their 117-92 victory in Game 6.
Coach Erik Spoelstra recalled discussing the group’s legacy and potential place in N.B.A. history on the first day of training camp in the Bahamas. Even to the newer players, Spoelstra tried to impart the idea that they were being absorbed into a larger undertaking that was in progress.
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The team has acknowledged that chemistry is a factor that lifts them to a championship level. The hallmark of these Heat squads, as much as high-flying play, has been stability, a steady culture of professionalism.
Wade was drafted in 2003 and has played only for the Heat. Udonis Haslem joined the team that year, too. James and Bosh arrived in 2010 to form the star triumvirate. Miami acquired Mario Chalmers from Minnesota on draft day in 2008, and three years later did the same to obtain Cole. Lewis and Ray Allen joined the team in 2012 and Anderson in early 2013 as accomplished veterans.
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