Why I want the Miami Heat to win

I should say first of all that I'm not a bandwagon Heat fan. I'm not any Heat fan, and I am not exactly rooting for them in the most typical sense. But as someone who likes the NBA, I would like to see them win this championship.

Ultimately, my reasoning is pretty simple. I believe that Lebron James is easily and by far the best player in the NBA today. And so it frustrates me that this is buried beneath the constant stream of criticism (valid or otherwise). I guess it's not surprising that in our culture, which is largely selfish, greedy and critical, we focus on Lebron's faults and what he doesn't have/can't do. He chokes in the clutch. He doesn't have a ring. He's a selfish player. He has no post game.

I know this because I used to be one of those people. It was absurd to me that people thought Lebron was better than Kobe Bryant (although a few years ago it was much closer). Lebron hadn't won anything. He hadn't repeatedly carried his team through the playoffs as Kobe had done in the Smush Parker/Chris Mihm days. For a guy his size, he looked clueless and helpless with the ball down low. He shot too much and too poorly from midrange and beyond.

But over the past couple years, now that I've actually watched him play...it's so obvious that he is the best player in the league. Obviously anything can happen in the next 1-3 games, but I find it hard to believe that people can honestly think that Kevin Durant is a better player than Lebron.

I love KD. In my brief basketball fandom, he's one of the best scorers I've ever seen simply because he can score from anywhere on the court and with his athleticism and freakish length, there's often not much you can do to stop him other than hope that he misses. Still, I think that the suggestion that he is superior to Lebron is outright laughable.

The fact that this has even been brought up is proof enough for me that the massive microscope of criticism we've turned towards Lebron has blinded us from appreciating the entirety of his game. I mean over the first four games of the finals he's averaging a 29.3/10/6 line and making it look routine. In the regular season he led his teams in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

But his dominance should be clear even without looking at the numbers. His rebounding, court vision, and passing are much better than most people his size or at his position and he can assert himself on both ends. On the offensive side of the court he's a strange combination of size and speed, which generally allows him to shoot where and when he pleases either by beating his man to his spot or bullying him off of it. His shooting has greatly improved since he was a rookie and, despite what haters might say, his post game has as well. On defense, his size and speed again give him an advantage as it allows him to guard every position effectively. While there are several players who could likely get the better of him over the course of a full game, I truly think he could be fine defending anyone (without fouling) in the NBA for at least a handful of possessions.

Meanwhile Kevin Durant just played the biggest game of his life and the 6'9" (who many claim is closer to 6'11") forward grabbed two rebounds in 46 minutes of play (exactly the same amount as Miami's backup point guard Norris Cole had in eight minutes) and got outleaped on a crucial jump ball by Shane Battier, a 33 year old veteran with creaky legs. Durant's also had so many problems defending without fouling over the past few games that he was on point guards Mario Chalmers and Cole for long stretches of time.

This is not to hate on KD. He is a phenomenal player (and a good rebounder most of the time), but I don't know how else to illustrate what I perceive as a large, noticeable gap in between the two players. I don't know if any of this was actually necessary. I'd like to think not. I'd like to think that this was all very obvious, both because it would be nice if my views were validated and because again, I think it should be apparent to anyone who has watched basketball.

With all of this said, if the Miami Heat lose, especially now with a 3-1 lead, Lebron James's overwhelming talent will be even more obscured (granted, if they do lose three games in a row it's highly probable that harsh criticism of his game will be warranted). As fans, I feel like this hatred is preventing many of us from actually appreciating his game and realizing that we are, and have been, witnessing some of the finest displays of athletic ability on a basketball court. I get the backlash over The Decision. It was incredibly idiotic and out of touch. But are we really going to let a misguided 30 minute television special color our views so much that we miss out on just watching and letting ourselves be amazed at what Lebron does on the court on a nightly basis? I got over it and, if the Miami Heat close this out, it's about time everyone else did too.

Grown Man Move

With all due respect to Mark Jackson.

It's been several days, but somehow I've been sick of the Lebronocalpyse for several years already. I hate everything about how he handled this situation. I hate how it seems like the trio planned their teaming up years ago yet still led several teams on this off-season even though, realistically, Miami was the only possible location for their union. I hate how after the Cavaliers got booted out of the playoffs by the Celtics, Lebron talked about how he and his team would implement their game plan for free agency (shouldn't you have tried to implement a game plan for, you know, the game?). I hate the one hour television special (and I hate that it took him 30 minutes to get to a decision he promised in 10). I hate how he said that wearing a Heat jersey "feels right." I hate his assertion that the three of them could lead a winning team with Pat Riley as their point guard. I hate that claims that they're looking to win "not one, not two...not six, not seven" championships when Adam Morrison has more rings than the three of them put together. But one thing I do love is the nickname for them that's been floating around: the Three Miami-egos.

But do I hate Lebron? Unless his ego has finally taken over as a sentient entity, a possibility I don't discount, no I don't. Do I even hate that he's teaming up with Wade and Bosh in Miami? No, and in fact it excites me and I'm going to look to buy Suns/Heat tickets when the NBA schedule comes out. Like I said before, while I don't think they should be praised for this move, they shouldn't be vilified either.

The whole situation in general has been covered to death. But Lebron really has taken a beating in the last few days, and I don't think it's right. Let's be real here. He's 25. What 25 year old wouldn't want to play basketball for a hundred million dollars with two of his best friends while living in Miami? Look, I don't want to say he "earned" the right to leave because I think that whole idea is stupid. The whole point of free agency is that a player can go play where he wants to play and where he feels like he's being paid what he's worth. Lebron doesn't "owe" Cleveland any more than Dwyane Wade "owes" his hometown of Chicago. How many times do owners and GM use the defense of "it's a business" to justify when they treat players like crap or send them off in trades or waive them? A player's duty to a city and an organization is done once they've fulfilled their contract. From there, it's up to management to create a situation in which that player wants to come back. Granted, it's a different situation if a player promises to come back and still jump ship. However, this was not the case at all with Lebron. I believe that yes, he would love to stay in his home state and bring Ohio a championship. But he had to consider all the other factors and evidently decided that the grass was greener, the ocean bluer, and the sun brighter in Miami (and he would be right, literally and metaphorically). As much as I don't like Lebron, I can't pile on him for this decision and, to some extent, for how he handled it either. It was completely unnecessary, but it's who he is. No one's ever accused Lebron of being understated in anyway.

The one thing that's been far more disgusting than Lebron's ego has been Dan Gilbert's antics. His now infamous letter ripping Lebron is the ultimate example of sour grapes. It's childish, condescending, and doesn't make a lick of sense. He's not fooling anyone by releasing this letter claiming that Lebron is a farce who quit and can't win a championship the minute he realizes he's not getting him. His use of hyperbole, ALL CAPS, and Comic Sans font makes it so ridiculous that many people thought it was a fake or parody.

Lebron's doing what he thinks is best for him and his family. Critics may disagree on the basketball implications of his decision, but no one can say, "You can't/shouldn't do that" just because it's not what they wanted him to do. You'd expect the owner of the team that Lebron turned from nothing into a contender and brought countless extra revenue to to take the high road, to thank Lebron for what he's done. But no, the person who claims that Lebron is teaching kids the wrong lesson by...well, I was never really clear on that, proved himself to be the biggest kid of all.