There’s a huge dichotomy in this year’s NBA finals, and the contrast is stark. On one side is the San Antonio Spurs, a team that’s well managed, well coached, and has all the chemistry and camaraderie that one would want from the NBA’s best franchise in the past few years… a true team. On the other side is the Cleveland Cavaliers. They’re built around one superstar, and a group of one-dimensional players. The front office has committed itself to a few long term deals that have been considered very questionable, and their offensive game plan seems to have just one play: a pick and roll with Lebron James at the top of the key.
The Spurs have shown that they’re the superior team, and in many ways represent the purists’ representation of good basketball; that with execution, teamwork, and high basketball intelligence, a great team will beat a good team with a dominant player. This is no knock on Tim Duncan, as I perceive him to be the best Power Forward of our generation, and quite possibly of all time. However, Tim Duncan is the consummate teammate, while Lebron James has the talent, but not yet the experience nor the chemistry with his teammates to get there. The Spurs are a true team, while the Cavaliers are led by a one man army.
However, my biggest problem with the series is actually with how it’s being marketed. Lebron James, with his famed high school career, his rookie season which met and exceeded all the hype and expectations, and his up and rising career, should get a lot of recognition. However, it saddens me that the Spurs aren’t the focus. Maybe it’s due to their consistency, or their clockwork-like execution, but the Spurs have become known as a “boring” team, while teams with star power are the ones that get more recognition and they’re the teams that draw the biggest audiences. Kobe Bryant for the Lakers, Shaq and Dwyane Wade for the Heat, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony for the Nuggets, and Lebron James for the Cavaliers are all heavily marketed stars that help drive the fan base of the NBA. However, this has come at the expense of real teams that have helped the progression of league. Teams like the Utah Jazz, the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs, the Phoenix Suns, and the Toronto Raptors. They might not be as marketable to casual fan, and also many of them are from small market cities, but they are the teams that are truly built to be successful in the long term, in this league.
The NBA has decided to market the big name players over the real teams of the league. It’s understandable on one hand, but it’s also insulting, to the basketball purists, to the fans of the organizations that are well run, and most of all to those organizations that have done the research, work, and have built successful franchises without the support of a large metropolis.
If there’s anything I want the 2007 NBA finals to bring, it is change. The league and its fans should understand that the team concept is one that can and should be embraced and marketed. That the teams that have drafted well, signed manageable contracts, maintained a good environment and facilitated a winning chemistry should be rewarded. I would also hope that Lebron James understands the rigors of this league, and that just by making the NBA finals this year, doesn’t mean anything. He’s played this season like a light, turning it on and off. I hope he learns that to get to the level of being able to turn on that switch at will, he needs a commitment to winning, and a real team built on ball movement, defensive rotation, good spacing, and execution. I want to see this league do well, as basketball, in its apex, is in my opinion by far the most enjoyable spectator sport, and it’s a shame what this league has turned itself into.
6.10.2007
6.06.2007
King James and the NBA Finals
So... I guess I didn't get my NBA Finals matchup of Golden State and Washington. Unfortunately for me, and I suspect many of us, Carlos Boozer's dominance in the first two rounds and Gerald Wallace crashing into Mr. Hibachi Himself ruined and dashed my hopes and dreams. But it's ok, we still have LeBron "Oh-my-God-That-Was-Jordanesque" James against the San Antonio Spurs. But before I divulge who I want and who I think will win, I will explore how great LeBron's performance was.
LeBron James. Game 5. 48 points. 29/30 team points in the 4th quarter, 1st overtime and 2nd overtime. Was it a great performance? Absolutely. What is the performance that put him that upper echelon of superstars? Uh....let's pause a moment here. Being a youngster myself, this is certainly not that monumental of a performance. If he can do it against San Antonio, then I will never speak ill of Mr. James ever again. But he did it against a Detroit team who had no interior defense because Rasheed Wallace decided that basketball was no longer in his interest, McDyess was tossed because the L went from a man's game to a sissy sport, and Chris Webber was in the middle. So what does that mean? Rasheed could care less if LeBreezy dunks on him, the Pistons lost their best interior defender and Chris, who was my fave player behind MJ and Scottie as a kid, has no mobility anymore. Also, LeBron had the ball every position and shot almost every shot in those final 22 minutes. To put this in perspective further, LeBron had the chance to seal the game not just once, but twice. At the end of regulation, King James missed several key FTs that would have ended Detroit's season and again shot an airball at the end of the first OT that would have given the Cavs a lead. Since 1995, when I began to watch basketball from a more critical viewpoint, LeBron's performance was overshadowed by...no I'm lying. Lebron's game ranks up there with MJ's 63, MJ's Flu Game, MJ against the '93 Suns, Miller vs. the Knicks in 94-95, King vs Thomas, Olajuwon in 95, AI in Game 1 in 01, and one of my favorites (Thanks ESPN Classic) 'Nique vs Bird in '88. He dunked on centers, made step back 3s and did one of the best moves I saw all year when he dribbled left at the top of the key, dribbled behind his back to his right hand and made a jumper in Billups' face. As we say on the NYC playgrounds, shit was slaughter son. However, I will say despite the great performance, it didn't put him into the category of close out artist. Not yet. Daniel Gibson confirmed that for me.
Finals:
To keep this brief, I want Cleveland to win because I hate San Antonio with a passion. Tony Parker stole Eva Longoria from me. Manu Ginobili embarrassed the US in the FIBA Internatonals and Olympics, Duncan has crushed everyone who has come along his way and Popovich's smug attitude makes me sick. Oh, and don't get me started on Bruce Bowen. Dirtiest and wackest player I've ever met. He kicks Szczerbiak in the face, kicked Stoudemire in the foot and intentionally steps in on jump shooters after the shot is realeased. Forget the Spurs. Punks. In fact, I want to see LeBron do up the Spurs like Jordan did up: the Lakers in '91, Blazers in the first half of game 1 in '92, all of '93 against Phoenix, '96 against the world because they thought he was done after '95, the Jazz when he had a 103 fever in '97, and again in '98. Please LeBron, bring justice to the NBA and win one for us basketball enthusiasts.
But at the same time, I realize that the Spurs will contain LeBron. Not only contain him but make the rest of the squad irrelevant. They're team defense is fantastic and Duncan is a BEAST in the paint. I would mention Bowen but LeBron is built like a Tight End, so I think Bowen would hurt himself if he tried to play dirty. Hooray for Man-Children! No but seriously, I don't think I'll ever say this ever again, but on Thursday night, I think the world will appreicate just how good Duncan is. Hey, I mean, Mark Jackson called him the best power forward ever. He played in en era where the Power Forwards were Barkley, Malone, Kemp, Garnett, and Kevin McHale. So I mean, yeah, he's pretty damn good.
Before I sign out, I just wanna say that...man fuck it, I miss the old NBA. They need to get rid of this whole players can't leave the bench bullshit, zone defense, and every other provision Stern has made to make the NBA more marketable to luxury suite occupiers and basically, shun the NBA's most important audiences: the young and the inner city.
LeBron James. Game 5. 48 points. 29/30 team points in the 4th quarter, 1st overtime and 2nd overtime. Was it a great performance? Absolutely. What is the performance that put him that upper echelon of superstars? Uh....let's pause a moment here. Being a youngster myself, this is certainly not that monumental of a performance. If he can do it against San Antonio, then I will never speak ill of Mr. James ever again. But he did it against a Detroit team who had no interior defense because Rasheed Wallace decided that basketball was no longer in his interest, McDyess was tossed because the L went from a man's game to a sissy sport, and Chris Webber was in the middle. So what does that mean? Rasheed could care less if LeBreezy dunks on him, the Pistons lost their best interior defender and Chris, who was my fave player behind MJ and Scottie as a kid, has no mobility anymore. Also, LeBron had the ball every position and shot almost every shot in those final 22 minutes. To put this in perspective further, LeBron had the chance to seal the game not just once, but twice. At the end of regulation, King James missed several key FTs that would have ended Detroit's season and again shot an airball at the end of the first OT that would have given the Cavs a lead. Since 1995, when I began to watch basketball from a more critical viewpoint, LeBron's performance was overshadowed by...no I'm lying. Lebron's game ranks up there with MJ's 63, MJ's Flu Game, MJ against the '93 Suns, Miller vs. the Knicks in 94-95, King vs Thomas, Olajuwon in 95, AI in Game 1 in 01, and one of my favorites (Thanks ESPN Classic) 'Nique vs Bird in '88. He dunked on centers, made step back 3s and did one of the best moves I saw all year when he dribbled left at the top of the key, dribbled behind his back to his right hand and made a jumper in Billups' face. As we say on the NYC playgrounds, shit was slaughter son. However, I will say despite the great performance, it didn't put him into the category of close out artist. Not yet. Daniel Gibson confirmed that for me.
Finals:
To keep this brief, I want Cleveland to win because I hate San Antonio with a passion. Tony Parker stole Eva Longoria from me. Manu Ginobili embarrassed the US in the FIBA Internatonals and Olympics, Duncan has crushed everyone who has come along his way and Popovich's smug attitude makes me sick. Oh, and don't get me started on Bruce Bowen. Dirtiest and wackest player I've ever met. He kicks Szczerbiak in the face, kicked Stoudemire in the foot and intentionally steps in on jump shooters after the shot is realeased. Forget the Spurs. Punks. In fact, I want to see LeBron do up the Spurs like Jordan did up: the Lakers in '91, Blazers in the first half of game 1 in '92, all of '93 against Phoenix, '96 against the world because they thought he was done after '95, the Jazz when he had a 103 fever in '97, and again in '98. Please LeBron, bring justice to the NBA and win one for us basketball enthusiasts.
But at the same time, I realize that the Spurs will contain LeBron. Not only contain him but make the rest of the squad irrelevant. They're team defense is fantastic and Duncan is a BEAST in the paint. I would mention Bowen but LeBron is built like a Tight End, so I think Bowen would hurt himself if he tried to play dirty. Hooray for Man-Children! No but seriously, I don't think I'll ever say this ever again, but on Thursday night, I think the world will appreicate just how good Duncan is. Hey, I mean, Mark Jackson called him the best power forward ever. He played in en era where the Power Forwards were Barkley, Malone, Kemp, Garnett, and Kevin McHale. So I mean, yeah, he's pretty damn good.
Before I sign out, I just wanna say that...man fuck it, I miss the old NBA. They need to get rid of this whole players can't leave the bench bullshit, zone defense, and every other provision Stern has made to make the NBA more marketable to luxury suite occupiers and basically, shun the NBA's most important audiences: the young and the inner city.
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