The Miami Heat, who haven’t lost since before Super Bowl XLVII, are drawing ever closer to the Los Angeles Lakers’ record 33-game winning streak.
Recently, Heat star LeBron James, in talking about the mutual respect between some of the members of that Lakers team and the 2012-13 Heat, referenced the propensity of Mercury Morris -- a member of the Miami Dolphins’ undefeated 1972 team -- to be, well, not quite welcoming of other NFL teams trying to run the table themselves.
“I just appreciate the history,” James told ESPN.com. “I appreciate guys like Jerry West and Elgin Baylor and all those unbelievable guys who paved the way. For them to say they’re pulling for us to get the streak, I think that’s cool. When you read stuff like that, it’s cool. Guys like Mercury Morris, when you read stuff like that, I think that’s crazy.”
Per Fox Sports Florida, James recalled Morris talking about the 2007 Patriots.
“He was saying, ‘Don’t step on my lawn’ and all that crazy stuff,’ ” James said, according to the Fox story.
Morris, for his part, told Fox Sports Florida’s Chris Tomasson that he is rooting for the Heat.
“I hope they break the record,” Morris said.
That said, Morris also expressed some familiar sentiments.
“As far as LeBron bringing me up, hey, you tell him, ‘Don’t call me when you’re in my town. Call me when you’re on my freaking block,” Morris told Fox Sports Florida.
Morris noted that the Heat aren’t quite to 33 games just yet.
“I would say logistically they’ve come into town and they’ve got several blocks to go. As a matter of fact, I think about eight or nine blocks to go,” Morris told Tomasson. " But when they get to 30, they’ll be in the neighborhood. And when they get to 31, they’ll be on the block. But I ask the question, ‘Will they be parking?’’’
The Heat had a 25-game winning streak entering Sunday evening’s game against Charlotte, which has the NBA’s worst record.