Chris Bosh was a standup comedian, LeBron James vowed to be himself and Dwyane Wade confirmed the most obvious thing of all: “If we don’t win a championship, yes, it’s a bust year.”

The mood was light Monday at the Heat’s official media day, but that pressure cooker of expectations is always simmering on Biscayne Boulevard.

Last year, it was a rolling boil before the season even began. The second media day for the Big 3 drew far less attention — there were a few hundred less media members at Monday’s event compared with last year — but the need to win a championship this season might be two-fold.

“I think we’re the best team in the league, and we’re going to work like it,” said Bosh, who matched one serious and thoughtful comment on Monday with a wise crack.

Bosh on the Heat’s Christmas Day matchup against the Dallas Mavericks: “If you get a good [Christmas gift], you’re happy, If you get a bad one, ‘Let’s boo the Heat.’ ”

Bosh on how his wife and their summer wedding helped him snap out of a post-Finals depression quicker than he expected: “Everyone here who’s married, you know, she comes first. So I got to get out of it fast.”

Bosh on the allure of being recruited by a Hall of Famer: “If [Michael] Jordan was recruiting you and Sam Bowie was recruiting you, who would you go to?”

Changing roles

If Bosh was in rare form, then James was in new form. Gone, said James, is the mean-spirited villain role he played so clumsily last season. Back is the playful King James he left in Cleveland — the guy who will remain unchanged this season no matter the amount of boos directed his way.

“It’s a different feeling coming into this year, honestly, for me,” James said. I am more alive, more being back to myself.

“I’m at a good place right now. Not much bothers me anymore.”

Which, conversely, means that James had a tough time dealing with the mental stress of last season — stress that was created, he now admits, with the way he exited Cleveland.

But even as time and acceptance distances him from Cleveland, the weight of expectations still rests atop James’ shoulders, and he won’t be completely at peace until he fulfills his championship promise. It’s a heavy burden.

“You never really can get over losing the Finals, but I think you have to move on because there’s a season now,” James said.

Proving himself

For many, the regular season will be an afterthought, and James will only begin to be judged when the playoffs begin.

He played poorly in the crucial games of the NBA Finals, and that memory will follow him throughout the shortened, 66-game schedule.

It most certainly will be revisited ad nauseam in the Heat’s first game of the season against the Mavericks.

Wade said James deserves no blame for the Heat’s collapse in the Finals; Miami lost as a “team.” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra went one step further on Monday and said last season was not a failure.

“We don’t view it that way,” he said. “That’s part of this journey. We have another shot at it this year.

“And that’s what we’re committed to, is giving ourselves another shot there, at the end.”