The Heat Will Win

Quick basketball post.

I think the Heat are going to win. I know I'm jumping on the bandwagon about 8 months too late, but I also didn't realistically think it would happen. I didn't expect the Celts to get so old so quick. I didn't expect the Magic to make that brutal trade. I didn't expect the Lakers to get swept in round 2.

But beyond all that, even if all of these teams were still involved and could play well, the Heat are a real tough match up for a seven game series. Can someone beat them once? Yes. Can they beat them 4 out of 7 times in a playoff series? Doubtful. The youth, the energy, the talent is very much to their advantage. The only team that (to me) could stand in their way is the Mavericks. I watched all of the Thunder/Grizz last night (3OT till 2AM, sleep deprived this AM) and I just saw a very sloppy sloppy game from both teams. The Bulls are hurting. I never considered the Hawks a legitimate contender. I also haven't seen a single game they play, so that might help with my opinion.

It just seems like the Heat are a train that will keep rolling over everyone.

We are all (unfortunately) witnesses.

The Lebroncalypse Is Over

I meant to write this a few days ago, but I went on a weekend vacation.

So the LeBronocalpyse happened. It was strange. It was exciting. It was something I'm not sure we'll EVER see again. The hysteria, the suspense, the drama, the hype, it was non-stop. The 3-hour SportsCenter was all LeBron LeBron LeBron.

It was a mess.

First of all, I don't hate LeBron. I think he's a little too proud of himself for doing nothing, but that's our fault. If I was on Sports Illustrated when I was 17, I would refer to myself as a King too.

In the end (or maybe it was all along) LeBron "will be taking his talents" to Miami and join Wade and Bosh. Cleveland is up in arms. Their hometown (and only) hero left them. However, I don't think they should be mad at LeBron. He gave 7 great years, and couldn't close mainly because he wasn't given the pieces needed to win. He can't do it himself.

So he left. Cleveland should be proud that someone from that city can be successful, instead of showing the lack of class to burn his jersey in the streets and threaten him with death threats. I know he meant the world to that city, but they should be more appreciative towards what he did and be happy that he's going to try to win.

I think the three guys had it in their minds that they would try to play together if they could. The haters all say that LeBron can't live up to the legends because he's not doing it on his own; he's joining forces with Wade & Bosh. People say - Bird and Magic would never play together. What people forget is that players used to HATE each other. Jordan loved beating his players to an absolute pulp. In today's league, everybody is buddy-buddy, and hang out enough at games/events etc that they are actually friends. The three hung out at Team USA Redeem Team and enjoyed playing with each other. They weren't really winning in their respective franchises (winning, but not championships besides Wade). Why keep the cycle of misery going? If it's fiscally possible, why not?

The other thing is Jordan DID do it with help - Scottie Pippen wasn't appreciated enough, but he was an excellent player. Rodman was Rodman. Garnett couldn't do it until he teamed up with Pierce and Allen. Nobody is hating on Garnett. Kobe - as great as a player as he is, really needed Gasol and Fish to make it work. No one player wins it by them self.

BUT the way LeBron handled everything was incomprehensible. Why did we have to have a one-hour special? I know I wrote earlier it's "because I can" but I can't believe ESPN green-lit that idea. Remember, ESPN made no money off that - all the advertising dollars went to the Boys & Girls Club. It was all so staged - and LeBron was so poorly prepared - that the entire event was comical. I was laughing the entire time.

LeBron's a 25 year old kid. He's empowered his friends around him to help make decisions that they aren't really in the best position to make when it comes to business decisions like how to handle making the biggest decision in the NBA in the past 25 years.

Whatever, it's all done now. It's going to be a fun few years for Miami, and I think it'll be good for the league to have this superpower - and to see if it works out. Somehow, I think it will. I'm not sold that they will win multiple championships, but I would bet at least one - pending the parts around them. Kevin Durant is still going to be better than all three of these players. You heard it here first.

Go Sixers......

LeBronMania

Is LeBron James a Free Agent?????

That question was clearly sarcastic. The abnormal amount of hype that has stemmed from his current free agency has been building for almost two years now. Two years before he was free, media couldn't stop asking "LeBron, where do you think you will be in two years? Can you predict the future and tell us now?"

There's a new rumor every 16 seconds. The only thing I'm still waiting to hear is that LeBron going to play for the Dallas Cowboys. It's seriously all speculation.

We're coming down the the finale of this hysteria (I think) with LeBron having a one-hour special on ESPN where he will announce his decision. What in the HELL is he going to talk about for one-hour? Here let's count how long this SHOULD take:

(me imitating LBJ) - "After some long and thoughtful talks with my family, friends, and God, I have decided to (fill in the variable - stay in Cleveland, go to the Bulls, go to Miami, go back to outer space, quit, etc)"

I counted out how long that took - I'm estimating 10 seconds. Maybe 20. So that's 20 seconds of a 44 minute program, and the other 16 going towards commercials. How do they fill the other 43 2/3 minutes of television programming?

It's going to be so obnoxious that everyone should HATE LeBron. Especially if it turns into a "this is how great I've been since High School when I was featured on SI and my games were shown nationwide on ESPN, and since I've won 2 MVPs, a gold medal, and ZERO NBA Championships" type deal. 44 minutes of that and I think I'll break my television set.

This really speaks to how big WE have made LeBron. It's our fault. I remember talking about him when I was 14. Now I'm 22, and still talking about him. And I'll probably watch all 60 minutes of that ridiculous program. And then I'll probably write a post about it. And then we'll talk about it until well into his first season with team X.

I think LeBron is a great player. I was lucky enough to see him live (Game 3 of the 2010 Eastern Semis), and he is a physical specimen that I don't think we've seen ever. He scored more points in the first quarter than the entire Celtics team. He may go down as one of the greatest of all time. Not the greatest, because I really don't believe we'll ever see another Michael Jordan. Partly because he revolutionized something that can never really be changed again - the marketing of sports athletes. Jordan was the first athlete to be EVERYWHERE. Now it's no big deal. You see more of Peyton Manning in the off-season than any other NFL player. It's how the marketing of sports works, and I believe Jordan's the prime reason that it happened.

LeBron's going to go play somewhere, and this chapter of LeBronMania will end, only to follow with "What Ifs" and "Will He Regret Not Choosing X". Like it or not, LeBron isn't going anywhere, until we have a new LeBron to hype - which I'm hoping is Kevin Durant, who I really think should be better than LeBron in a few years. Long Live the Durantula!