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Johnson turned Cavs down because Heat were 'a piece or 2 away' from being on top

Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Cleveland Cavaliers were prepared to roll out the red carpet for veteran guard Joe Johnson after the Brooklyn Nets officially waived him. LeBron James was even willing to move to his dreaded power forward position in order to slot the 34-year-old swingman into the starting lineup at the three spot.

The seven-time All-Star ultimately shunned the Eastern Conference leaders to head to South Beach and join the Miami Heat, where he's averaging 15.5 points and 3.2 assists through his first 10 games.

With no championship ring on his resume, fans and critics alike were surprised to see Johnson decide not to join LeBron and the Cavaliers, as they're the heavy favorites to get out of the East and return to the NBA Finals for a second year in a row. His decision, though, came down to more than just where the team was in the standings at the time.

"Having (Dwyane) Wade here and talking to (Udonis Haslem) and Amar’e (Stoudemire), and their style of play," Johnson told the Palm Beach Post's Jason Lieser. "Style of play was probably the biggest difference. They told me they wanted to get up and down the floor and run, and that enticed me. I thought it was the best fit."

The Heat are currently 10 games back of Cleveland at 39-29, and 7-3 since Johnson joined the roster. They're also fifth in the league in scoring (111 points) during that span, but just 17th in pace (98.16 possessions per 48 minutes), which is still well ahead of the 26th-ranked Cavaliers (96.02).

The clock is ticking on Johnson's championship window, and he's now part of a team that will be a wild card when the postseason gets underway. Should the Heat enter the playoffs with a relatively healthy roster, they could have enough in their arsenal to dethrone the Cavaliers, something Johnson firmly believes.

"Style of play, man. Getting up and down the floor," Johnson said when asked why Miami was a better short-term option. "And just knowing this team was a piece or two away from possibly being at the top. I just wanted to help in some form or fashion."

If Miami winds up hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy at least once over the next couple of season, it will be with Johnson as an integral part of its core, as "Joe Cool" intends to ride out his remaining years suiting up at the American Airlines Arena.

"It's late in my career, man," Johnson said. "I'll be 35 this year. I was looking more for some security, not necessarily a verbal commitment or anything like that, but somewhere I could really play and come out and enjoy the game."

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