NBA Commentary: Why I Want the Miami Heat to Fail In Their Quest For Another Title.
The Miami Heat.
I think that Miami's basketball team, the Miami Heat, are the perfect name for what I'm going to discuss in this article. I know for a fact that I'm probably going to catch a ton of heat for my views in this article. However, since I'm a passionate sports fan like many others, I think it's fitting for me to get my views out there; even though this particular view probably isn't the most popular one.
As you can probably no doubt tell from the title, this article deals with my dislike for the defending NBA champions, the Miami Heat. Now I do realize that there are a lot of Miami Heat fans out there, and I will admit that I was once a fan of theirs as well. However, that was back in the late 90's and early 2000's. Remember back when the Heat had players like Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Jamal Mashburn, and P.J. Brown. I always enjoyed those rivalries they had with the New York Knicks back then.
The current Miami Heat team has pretty much dominated the NBA since winning the title last season. They ran off a 27 game winning streak during the regular season, and they finished the regular season with the best record in the league. They easily disposed of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs and after suffering a loss to the Chicago Bulls in game one of the second round, the Heat went on to close out the depleted Bulls team. Tonight starts the Eastern Conference finals, which finds the Heat pitted against a talented but young Indiana Pacers team. The Heat are easily favored to win this series as well, and go back to the NBA Finals.
Me personally, I want to see the Heat fail in their quest for a second championship. I know this isn't a popular viewpoint, but that's how I feel. I'm going to lay out the reasons why I don't care for the current Miami Heat team.
The LeBron James Factor.
Just like in various aspect of life, the landscapes of sports is constantly changing and evolving. Players(especially these days), are constantly changing out different uniforms like they're changing their socks and shoes. We're all aware that money is a driving force in professional sports, but it seems that many athletes today care more about money than their own legacies.
When NBA superstar LeBron James announced that he was taking his talents to South Beach in the summer of 2010, the decision was met with excitement, anger, and criticism. Obviously excitement came from Miami Heat fans, who were looking forward to Miami being a championship contender once again. On the other hand, many Cleveland Cavalier fans weren't too thrilled that James, who is a native of Akron, Ohio chose to leave the organization that drafted him with the number 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Now since this is an opinion topic, you're probably wondering where I stood on the whole 'The Decision' TV special on ESPN. Well, I thought it was a joke. What a surprise right? I just personally didn't see the point of it. I know that LeBron James is the most popular player in the league, but did he really need a TV special to announce where he was going next? I also don't feel like Cleveland fans should have been too surprised with James' decision to leave. It was reported that James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh had discussed the possibility of playing together. The fact that the special and hype was even displayed should have been a sign that LeBron James wasn't going to stick around in Cleveland.
'The Big Three'.
When LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in Miami, the Heat instantly became the team to beat by default. I thought this was weird, especially since they had yet to even play together. Nobody knew how they would mesh together. They were quickly given the moniker 'The Big Three', and a run of multiple championships was arrogantly predicted by James. Now before I go any further, I want to state that I think LeBron James is an extremely talented player. I give him all the credit in the world for his talents. In my opinion, LeBron lacks patience.
The NBA that I grew up with, and loved watching during the 80's and 90's obviously doesn't exist anymore. Back then, franchises drafted players and built their teams up that way. Superstar players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson made their teammates better. In those days rivalries existed, and meant something to the players and the fans. Even the competition was more fierce in those days. Players stayed with franchises longer, and some stayed with one team their entire career. The good ole days of the NBA; those days are obviously long gone.
Could you have imagined what the NBA would have been like if Jordan, Magic, and Bird got together and said lets get together so we can win a championship? It just wasn't a plausible idea back in those days. However, in today's era of basketball, these types of things happen. When you get three of the best players in the league such as James, Wade, and Bosh together, it's going to be difficult for any team to beat them. Remember how 'The Dream Team' of 1992 blew out everyone they played? It's almost like that, but that was under different circumstances.
Are You A Fan of the Miami Heat?
Arguments for LeBron James Departure, and 2013 NBA Title Chances.
One of the arguments I've heard in defense of LeBron James is that he didn't have any help when he was in Cleveland. If I remember correctly, didn't LeBron James lead the Cavaliers to the NBA playoffs 6 times out of his seven seasons in Cleveland? Oh yea, don't forget about the appearance in the NBA Finals in 2007. Although the Cavaliers didn't get over the hump and obtain an NBA title with James at the helm, they obviously only needed a few more pieces to get there. However, instead of sticking it out, he chose what I considered to be the easy way out leaving and going to Miami.
The Miami Heat have done extremely well since the James and Bosh joined the team. I won't take that away from them. In their first season together, the Big Three went to the NBA Finals, losing to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. The following season, James led the Heat past the Oklahoma City Thunder to win his first championship. Along with the finals trophy, James earned the NBA Finals MVP award. Now what is considered greatness is in the eye of the beholder, and peoples opinions vary on what they consider great. Do I consider LeBron James a talented player? Absolutely! However, I would respect his greatness more if the preserved with the Cavaliers.
It's hard betting against the Miami Heat winning a second straight title this year. I know that I'm going to be called a Miami Heat hater, but I would love nothing more than to see those championship hopes dashed for them. It's nothing personal, but It's hard for me to be in the corner of a team that I consider arrogant regardless of how good they are. I'll give them their props if they do win the title, but they still have a lot to prove in my opinion.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decision_(TV_special)
http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Cnf.html