Basketball

A Dangerous Precedent

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Now what was the point of the NBA lockout?  I figured that the players wanted a bigger piece of the money pie and the owners didn’t want to give that up.  The usual billionaires vs. millionaires war of words.  But now after the lockout has been lifted and the season set to begin on Christmas day, I believe there were different reasons for the owners.

The players and owners want what’s best for them.  I get that.  My only problem with it is that there is too much money involved to not come to a reasonable agreement.  NBA commissioner David Stern saw that he had to make a deal.  The players union wasn’t going to budge on their stance and neither were the owners.  He got the owners to relax their stance and the players saw a change in their attitude.  Thus a deal was made.  At least that’s what it looked like to most of us.

However, with the recent fiasco caused by Mr. Stern himself in the Chris Paul trade proposal.  I now believe in my opinion that he went about ending the lockout a different way.  My thinking is that he knew that the majority of the owners, the ones who owned ‘small market’ teams didn’t want a season at all.  Those owners didn’t want to see a monopoly in the NBA where star players could dictate where they could go.  So David Stern made a promise to them that he wouldn’t let that happen anyway that he could.

How else can you determine why he vetoed the trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin to the New Orleans Hornets?  That is to me one of the fairest trades I’ve ever seen in any sport.  Each team gets an All-Star player and in the case of the Hornets, they received three.

The initial reasoning behind the trade getting rejected was for ‘basketball reasons.’  What that means I don’t know.  But what I do know is that since the New Orleans Hornets were purchased by the NBA almost a year ago tells me that they want a new owner to buy them while Chris Paul is still there.  But why would any potential owner want to buy the team knowing that Chris Paul is going to leave after the season as a free agent?  It’s better to get something for that player now rather than wait until the last minute ala the Denver Nuggets last year with Carmelo Anthony.

The bottom line here is this.  In every sport there are ‘small market’ teams.  But the success of those small market teams is entirely up to the front office.  Just in the case of the NBA the following small market teams have made an appearance in the NBA Finals; San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic.  And the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder have been involved in the playoffs on a consistent basis.

By my count that’s 10 ‘small market’ teams.  One third of the entire league.  David Stern no matter his reason(s) for vetoing the trade has set a very dangerous precedent.  Those who have said that the NBA is always looking to prop up the big market teams in some sort of conspiracy now might have some credibility.  Except it’s the exact opposite in this case.  He might have had the best intentions in keeping Chris Paul in New Orleans, but he better keep him there for good now.  Forget about seeing Chris Paul as a New York Knick or a Los Angeles Clipper.  Those are big markets.

Now the Los Angeles Lakers have dealt a disgruntled Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks.  The Houston Rockets are still looking for someone to replace Yao Ming.  And the New Orleans Hornets, specifically general manager Dell Demps wonder if they can even operate under normal circumstances.  There is no way around this one.  David Stern screwed up.

He’s Not Who We Thought He Was

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Now I understand that times have changed.  I grew up in the Michael Jordan era.  The time when he played in Chicago, not Washington D.C.  There wasn’t nearly as much media coverage as there is now for LeBron James.  I get that.  I also get that both of these guys play different styles and have two completely different personalities.  
Here’s what I don’t get.  Why were we lead to believe that LeBron was the same as Michael Jordan?  In what way was LeBron the same as Jordan when he was playing in high school?  Did LeBron even play college basketball?  Last I checked, the answer is no. Jordan didn’t even make his high school basketball team the first time around.  Was LeBron given the red carpet treatment when he arrived at his?
This is my problem with this whole fiasco.  The lack of common sense from everyone.  We want to think that there will be another great player to follow exactly what the other one did before him. Unfortunately there is only one and will be only one Michael Jordan.  In my opinion he is the only basketball player that I’ve seen that doesn’t just want to beat you.  He wants to take your soul in the process and shove it in your face.  That’s how he played and I personally love seeing that from an athlete.  
Those that have seen him play in his prime know what I’m talking about.  The competitiveness of Jordan isn’t seen now a days.  The only one that comes close to it is Kobe Bryant, but it’s in small doses.  Have we seen any of that from LeBron James?
Besides us and what we want to see, there’s LeBron himself.  I will say that I haven’t seen another athlete take the kind of beating day in and day out that he has.  Now some of it is he’s own doing. From ‘The Decision’ to the introductory rock concert in Miami to his ‘Karma’ tweet directed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, mainly owner Dan Gilbert.  He has completely changed his persona to something that everyone doesn’t relate to.
From the beginning he never seemed to get it.  I can’t remember the exact words I used, but I tweeted after LeBron’s ‘Karma’ tweet something to the effect that he should just focus on the court and stop worrying about stuff off the court.  Nothing to vilify him in any way.  I found that a certain Miami Heat fan was none too pleased with that and I was told to buzz off.  Don’t you just love intelligent people who can’t reasonably disagree.
He is an unique athlete.  No one that I’ve seen has the kind of athletic ability on a basketball court that he does.  He can do it all or so we thought.  What happened in this year’s Finals came as a total surprise to us all.  The question is why did he no show through most of it?  No one knows except him.  I’m not going to speculate on that so much, but I will say that LeBron is himself and can’t be expected to be the next Michael Jordan.
Truth is he never should have been in the first place.  He’s LeBron James first and foremost on and off the court.  If he doesn’t want to be the ‘man’ on the basketball court that’s fine.  
Don’t start this big marketing campaign to be a global icon and not expect some criticism to come your way when you no show on the biggest stage.  
Don’t put yourself on national television for one hour to say where you’re going to play without first telling the team you’re going to leave.  In fact, don’t do it on national television either.
Don’t act like you’re a rock star with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade during the first press conference.  Then announce that you’ll win ‘not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5…’ championships and not expect a lot of criticism along the way.
Don’t tweet anything pertaining to sports for a while.  Or just don’t get a twitter account.  That’s probably a better idea.
It will be a long summer due to the looming labor issue.  LeBron went out with a bang saying that his haters should get on with their lives blast was misinterpreted.  Forget the fact that he doesn’t get it, how do you say that when you’re wearing a ‘Witness’ t-shirt?  It goes back to a previous post of mine entitled, “Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say.”  If it’s not what you meant, why did you say it?
He still has a lot of time to fix his flaws on the basketball court, but he is starting to run out of time to fix the flaws off the court.  The sooner you figure out that you need to develop a consistent jump shot, the better you will be on the court.  The sooner you figure out that you’re not who you think you are the better.

2011 NBA Champions

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They had to wait 5 years to get back to the Finals.  It was well worth the wait.  The Dallas Mavericks were prepared and wanted it more than the Miami Heat.  Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry were with Dallas back in 2006 when they were beaten by the Miami Heat.  Not that this was a re-match of any sorts, but either way it feels so good to Dirk and Jason to finally get that ring.
Say what you want about Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, believe me I have.  He was going to win a championship at some point. What he has done with one of the worst franchises in basketball to get them to be a consistent contender year in and year out.  The culture in that city has gone from being all about the Dallas Cowboys to we finally have a basketball team to proud of.
Cuban made some drastic changes after the 2006 Finals defeat. Avery Johnson was let go as the head coach after numerous disappointments in the playoffs.  Rick Carlisle had the same trouble the last two years in the playoffs.  The big difference this time around is they had a motivated Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry determined to not let history repeat itself.  
Jason Kidd had seen the Finals in back-to-back seasons with the New Jersey Nets.  Tyson Chandler wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip through.  Shawn Marion had seen many playoff runs end prematurely with the Phoenix Suns.  J.J. Barea wasn’t going to let up at this point of the season after his impressive play against the Lakers and Thunder.
It was a consistent team effort that brought the Mavericks to victory during Game 2 when they were down by 15 with 7 minutes to go. Together they held off the Miami Heat during Game 4.  As a team they came back to beat the Heat to win Game 5 and take their first series lead.  There was no doubting the Mavericks as Dirk had an off night, but the rest of the team picked up their game on the way to victory in Game 6.
History might see this year’s Finals as the one the Miami Heat should have won if not for the disappearing act of a certain player. But that is a discussion for another day.  For now what we should take from this is that after 2006 we all thought Dirk Nowitzki would never get another chance.  He was labeled soft and didn’t have any post moves to speak of for a guy his size.  He shook both and any other negative labels after this year’s performance in the playoffs.  
Dirk Nowitzki is considered one of the most unique players of all-time.  A seven footer who can hit three pointers at will and is nearly unguardable in the post.  He changed his game.  It worked. He has his ring and the Dallas Mavericks can celebrate their first NBA championship.

The Diesel Turns in his Keys

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We all have different expectations for sports stars.  Everyone is different, but we always compare present athletes to those of the past.  It’s more for a point of reference, but they are all different. Case in point with the recently retired Shaquille O’Neal.  The name alone is different, but fits his personality and what he brought to the game of basketball.
He brought instant stardom as the number one pick out of LSU. The Orlando Magic were put on the NBA map immediately with his size, deceptive speed and tremendous power.  Instantly his name was shortened to ‘Shaq’ and it stuck.  He’s had more nicknames than any other athlete that I can think of.  Most of them were created by him, but to me the best one is ‘The Diesel.’  Simple and true.  Anyone and everyone that played with or against him stayed out of his way in the paint when he had position.
Now he had some rough patches through his career.  The way he left Orlando.  The rift with Kobe in Los Angeles.  Wearing out his welcome in Miami.  Not making a difference in Phoenix or Cleveland.  And the final short stint in Boston.  You can say that most people will not remember what happened in Phoenix, Cleveland and Boston, but it will leave a mark for his legacy.
It’s hard to not like the guy.  He is a charmer.  A funny guy.  He isn’t perfect, but he tries.  There are some things that I don’t condone that he did.  Rapping about Kobe Bryant after he won his fourth championship with the Miami Heat.  I won’t repeat what he said, but it was uncalled for nonetheless.  Of course the way he and Kobe handled their departure was just childish.  
Shaq Diesel the player will be missed.  I cannot wait for Shaq the TV commentator.  Where he ends up won’t matter at all.  He will still be a like-able person and an excellent personality as an analyst where ever he is.  I was a big fan of his.  I’ll be an even bigger fan going forward.  After all he was the first person I followed on twitter.  
So long Shaq.  We can still re-visit your glory days on youtube. You are definitely in my top 5 for best centers in the NBA.  I won’t go any further with my praise as to not offend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  By the way you’re in my top 5 too Kareem.  Now we can see who gets a statue first outside Staples Center.  Keep up the good work big fella.  If your Hall of Fame speech is as any good as your farewell one, I can’t wait for it.  “Can you dig it!!!”

2011 NBA Finals Preview

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Western Conference

3. Dallas Mavericks

vs

Eastern Conference

2. Miami Heat

Two completely opposite story lines for these two teams.  One wasn’t given a chance to be in this situation.  The other was talking of winning not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven championships before this season even started.  Both teams, well one has a superstar while the other was struggling to find their identity together.  All in all they meet for the ultimate prize in what is sure to be a competitive series that will define each teams legacy in basketball history.

The Mavericks

Dallas arrives as the underdog once again.  A role that they are all too familiar with throughout these playoffs.  Many (myself included) picked an upset in the first round with Portland beating the Mavericks.  Many (myself included) picked the two time defending champion LA Lakers to beat the Mavericks.  Many (yes, me again) picked the young Oklahoma City Thunder to be the representative of the Western Conference.
What did we learn?  Don’t underestimate the Mavericks.  Thanks in large part to Dirk Nowitzki and his big game heroics the Mavericks are playing in only their second title series.  Ironically he has to beat the Miami Heat again to win his first title.  It should be different this time though.  He is playing at an all time level right now.  His supporting cast is a bit different this time as well.
Jason Terry and Jason Kidd provide a nice backcourt combination. J.J. Barea is a force to be reckoned with all over the court. Shawn Marion is starting to show why he was considered one of the best all around players when he played with the Phoenix Suns. Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood are cleaning up the boards so Nowitzki doesn’t have to.  Things should be different if Dallas gets an early lead in the series.

The Heat

Miami has Dwayne Wade to help them relive that 2006 championship.  No one else from that team is on this years roster, but this is by far the most talented.  LeBron James is getting a second chance to win his first championship.  It will help to keep his critics at bay if the Heat win the title.  Although they will say it won’t be the same if he had won on his own in Cleveland.  Either way it will help him in the long run to win a title no matter where he’s playing.
Chris Bosh is more important now than at any point during these playoffs.  He was a big part of their success against the Chicago Bulls in the Conference Finals.  That was against a less mobile frontcourt in Chicago.  Dallas’ is more agile, but Nowitzki will have to be forced to play defense if the Heat are to succeed.  Miami has solved their problem at center by playing Joel Anthony a lot more during the playoffs.  He has been a force in the middle not allowing easy layups in the paint.
The issue with Miami will once again be at point guard.  Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers have been good, but in the crucial moments of the game the Heat are counting on LeBron and Wade to lead the attack.  That could pose a problem with Dallas exposing the same problem with Oklahoma City in their Conference Finals matchup. Miami didn’t let that bother them against Chicago as LeBron and Wade handled it well in the final two games of that series.

There will be plenty to talk about during this series.  One thing is certain though.  Two players have a lot to gain and a lot to lose from this series.  LeBron’s could begin in Miami with a championship.  Dirk’s could end on a high note.  Either way they both will be playing to prove something to the rest of the league.

Mavericks in 6 games