Those of you who read this blog with any regularity probably know my feelings towards LeBron James by now. I am not like the rest of America. I do not hate him for "taking the easy way out and joining D-Wade in Miami"...in fact, I totally get it. He's 25 years old and every day he gets to play alongside his good friend D-Wade AND he gets to live in Miami. How is that not a win-win situation? Now I know that he handled The Decision poorly...we all know that. I just forgive him easier than others because he made a few poor decisions along the way AND more importantly, I love to watch him play basketball. When he is at his best, he is nothing but amazing. He is a constant mismatch - no one in the league has the same skills as him. And when he drives the lane there is no stopping him.
His play in the NBA Finals was obviously below expectations, but I'm not one to harp on him for not scoring 35 points every game. I'm not one to get on him for passing up the game winning shot. I'm not one to say that D-Wade wears the pants in the family. Nah, none of that from me because I value his play more than others. What I do want to say though is that for once, watching LeBron James did not get me excited. I watched the entire second half of Game 6 last night and besides a late game three and some nice should-have-been assists, he was like any other player - he was average. And to me, that is the biggest indictment on LeBron: he just isn't exciting anymore. He is still the best all-around player in the league, but something seems to be wrong with this team's chemistry.
I respect LeBron and Wade for trying to work this crunch time thing out, but LeBron almost looks too passive these days. Wade is the one with a killer instinct - not the guy who can own ANY player in this league on ANY night. I hope they get it figured out not so that they can win titles, but so that the old LeBron comes back.
Now that the Heat talk is over with, let me just say how special the victory celebration was for the Mavs last night. I came into the series simply wanting it to go 7 but I didn't care who won. My buddy Gorman said it's the Seattle in me because there is no way the old me would have rooted for the Heat. Maybe so, but I just can't help it - I don't hate the Heat.
But as the time ticked down last night, I found myself openly rooting for the Mavs. I mean, how can you not? Take a look at that team. I still have no idea how this team put 100+ on the board when Dirk only had 21. Where did the scoring come from? A team that everyone predicted to lose to the Blazers in the first round somehow put their faith in each other and got the job done. I think most people figured they would be an easy out because they were both old and a bunch of outcasts. Jason Terry said it perfectly after the game - they had a collection of guys with stories. Dirk. Terry. Peja. Marion. Kidd. Chandler. Stevenson. Cardinal. As individuals, they all have worts, but they were able to hide them up for a magical run.
I definitely got a little choked up during the celebration (and then of course Stu Scott ruined it by being Stu Scott...). Dirk walked directly off the court into the locker room. This was a guy who left civilization for two months after the 2006 Finals - you know that was on his mind the entire time. He knew this was his last chance of being able to erase those painful memories. Not only did he do just that, but he has now cemented his status as a top 20 all-time player (not bad for a dude traded for Robert Traylor).
How can you also not feel good about Cuban? I know he is not everyone's cup of tea, but how can you not give him props for having Commissioner Stern hand the Larry O'Brien Trophy to Donal Carter, the man who founded the Mavs 31 years ago. A good deal of us were looking forward to the awkward exchange between Cuban and Stern but at the end of the day, Cuban threw a curveball. He didn't brag. He didn't rub it in Stern's face. Nope, he paid homage to a man who brought basketball to Dallas. It was pure class.
Finally, how can you not feel good for my old friend, Jason Kidd? This was a guy who led a dormant franchise to the NBA Finals two years in a row...a guy who has had his various off-the-court problems (french fry anyone?)...a guy who at one time was the best point guard in the league and is now lucky to be in the top half. Simply put, this is a guy who after 17 years finally won the NBA Title that he deserved to have many years before. He might not be able to guard Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook anymore, but he can do something even more important - he can lead a team to a championship.
Amazing job, Mavs. Amazing job.
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