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Cleveland Cavaliers owner Danny Gilbert is ecstatic. Ohio governor John Kasich is happy. The city of Cleveland is thrilled. Basketball fans in Texas are joyful. Practically the majority of NBA America is blissful. The reason why all of these people have such a euphoric feeling under their skin can all be attributed to Lebron James coming short of gaining a NBA title again.
It wasn’t too long ago when columnists and analysts quickly sky-rocketed James to an invincible pedestal alongside the legend Michael Jordan after the Boston Celtics series. But like a flamingo, LBJ finally showed his true colors. James’ magnificent talent and dominance in the league is undeniable, but the one thing the mega superstar lacks is a killer instinct. There’s no point having a talent, if you don’t know how to use it. Jordan was never questioned for his performance in a series or of having cold feet when all the pressure was on or not. No. 23 showed up an innumerable amount of times; check his resume. Once Lebron attains at least one ring is when he can be considered to even be uttered in the same sentence as MJ. Additionally, when did Kobe Bryant hand his crown down? Compare No. 24 and No.23’s (Lebron) style of play. It’s evident who is a better well rounded superstar.
The most depressing thing about the 2011 NBA Finals is that the Miami Heat will never get another chance to win a title like this. To quote King James’ twitter, “It’s Now or Never.”After all the bashful comments and shots thrown at them after joining forces and creating this villain super team, the only way to silence critics would be the instant gratification of a ring. For a team without any chemistry to have come this close to winning it all is an accomplishment, but getting this far and dropping the ball is definitely a heartbreaker. As Dwyane Wade said in an interview, “It would be a failure if we didn’t win it all.”
The 2011 NBA Finals defining moment was in Game 4 of the NBA Finals when Wade drained a corner three to extend Miami’s lead to +15. An immediate timeout was called by Dallas. The Heat bench rejoiced while Lebron and Wade smiled thinking they were minutes away from taking a commanding lead in the series and one step closer to accomplishing their goal. The Heat celebrated too early and never recovered from their Game 4 downfall.
This series came down to mental toughness, heart and determination. It was special to see how hard the Mavericks fought to gain their first championship in franchise history. Game 6 was the worst of all games for the Heat. It was like watching a car drive off a cliff. Miami had an inevitable route since their Game 4 break down. Missed free throws after missed layups led to unforced turnovers, showing that Miami was not the better team nor were they ready for the big stage. Miami may be one of the best teams in the league when looking at their roster, but in the finals, the team that plays the best is the only thing that matters.
The careers of Chris Bosh, Wade, and James will never be the same after this defeat. This asterisk will be in bold and underlined. It doesn’t matter if the Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2012 Finals, people will always remember how they choked in 2011. The only thing that can erase these cold sweats and nightmares is to avenge by winning multiple championships as they promised. This loss may haunt the team for now, but will only serve as motivation and fuel to prove everyone wrong whether they be critics or haters. I only hope that Miami is able to produce rings before South Beach turns against them.
Dallas fan or not, the Mavericks deserved this title. Their desire was unquestionable. Every member of this team contributed from Jason Terry to “The Custodian.” It was a great display of team effort and a great series to watch at that. This series should not be remembered for the collapse of the Big 3 or Lebron’s missing in action performance in the 4th quarter. The 2011 NBA Finals is the year that Dallas triumphed to their first NBA Title. Period.
Needless to say, the Mavericks played an amazing series and put the Heat back in their place every time their celebrations got out of hand, but just as much as the Mavs performed, the Heat didn't. That critical point in game 4 that you referred to where Dwayne Wade hit that "dagger" three-pointer in the corner was the point where the Heat played how everyone expected them to: like a team of athletic superstars, reminiscent of the Harlem Globetrotters. Their highflying antics and celebratory demeanors are what everyone planned for and looked forward to. When the heat took advantage of the fact that they were much more of an athletic team than the Mavericks, they flourished. LeBron's 4th quarter struggles can be largely contributed to the fact that he hesitated in attacking the basket and "putting his head down" like he normally does throughout any given game. Just as much as Dirk led the Mavs to this prestigious honor and franchise-naming championship, LeBron steered the Heat away from what they were capable of. The Heat attack the basket, their shooters shoot 40% from the field, they play a little defense, and the series goes another way. The Mavs play better than they've played in the last 10 years, and they pull out an NBA Championship a little more easily than they should have. I guess Miami couldn't take the Heat, but these Mavericks raced past a distracted, hollywood Miami team for their rings.
ReplyDeleteJustin, I'd have to agree with you on pretty much all of your points. Keying in on the lack of "killer instinct" in LeBron, I think that this is one of the reasons (besides the lack of rings) that he cannot, yet, be compared to Kobe or MJ. Is he talented? Of course, but he still has some growing (up) to do. Unfortunately, I feel as though he has shrunken as a player since his time with the Heat (granted he's no longer the lone star). I think that in an attempt to make the Big 3 situation work out, he's had to hold back his star power and influence on games. This was definitely amplified during the Finals. A friend of mine said it best in a recent Facebook post, "How can LeBorn be better than Kobe, when he's not even the best player on his team." Now, I'm not sure if I agree that Dwade>LeBron, but I will argue that Dwade is a better competitor. Though Dwade already has a ring, it seemed as though, at times, he wanted it more than LeBron. When the game is on the line, the team, coach, and fans all look for the "superstars" to step up. During this last series, LeBron not only didn't step-up, he took a step down. All in all, I think Magic said it best, LeBron needs to spend this summer (not making any more "decisions"), but rather having some time for "introspection" and finding out what he can do to improve as a player. I think the media/public were too quick to crown LeBron king. Prince LeBron still has to wait for the Mamba to leave the thrown first.
ReplyDeleteAL - The series was interesting to say the least, I personally didn't mind who one and I'm glad to see the Mav's players win a ring. They certainly desrve it and worked hard for it. Jason Terry backed up his talk and more importantly his faith by stading on it and always giving the credit to God. Dirk performed like only an all star could and Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler provided a defensive toughness that was the backbone of this team. This series also saw the emregence of Brea as the legitamate baller he is. However I think you have it right Justin this series in some ways will mean more for the Heat and those "bige three" players as they attempt to understand what happened and how to fix it. Lebron is cleary on of the most gifted athletes of the age but the question remains if he can put it all together when it matters and I personally think he needs to develop a mid-range game to rely on when the other aspects of his offense are shut down but he hasn't developed this yet. The difference between MJ and Kobe compared to LJ is that they both have killer mid range games to compliment the rest of thier abilities on the court. But enough of my ranting, great post and keep up the awesome work.
ReplyDeleteVery simply the Mavericks played great basketball over a Miami Heat team that, though full of superstars, showed some of it's youth and inexperience when taking on a team of veteran leadership such as the Mavs. - BWS
ReplyDeleteI cannot and will not fault LeBron for making the decision to come to Miami and give himself a better chance to win. We can say whatever we want about any championships that he may win, they will all be the same to him. At the end of the day a championship is a championship. As we all just saw they are obviously not a super team but they are very good. Was LeBron wrong in his approach? Yes but if he wins he won't care and neither should we
ReplyDeleteDirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks truly did deserve this championship. Nowitzki has been playing with Dallas for over 10 years and now he finally has his ring to be considered one of the greats. Lebron tried to take the easy road switching to a team with 2 other superstars. He did not put in the years of work and commitment like Dirk did. Miami had the talent to win over Dallas but in the end the better team won. I'm glad Dirk finally got his ring and Dallas one the championship. Now how well Dallas will do next season is still up in the air. I wish them the best. I'll still be rooting for the Sixer's though. - LH
ReplyDeleteThe NBA Finals of 2011 was all about Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks, yet Lebron James was able to get as much, if not more, media attention. The series was very interesting indeed. After the first game, conclusions were being made that Lebron James and the Miami Heat will easily take down the Dallas Mavericks. However, things didn't exactly work out that way. In my opinion, I believe Lebron James can not handle the pressure of winning a title for his team, however, Dwyane Wade can, and Lebron James knew this. Somehow, it got to Lebron that he should let Wade run the show, when he actually should have been taking center stage and living in the spotlight he so desperately needs. I do believe, however, that James and Wade will win a title together. As someone mentioned earlier, Lebron should focus more on getting better than trying to take the easy way out. - KD
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