Hello all. ·It is a pleasure to finally make my debut on TSJ. ·Though I prefer the likes of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League, I must say that these NBA Finals were quite a treat. ·First off, a heartfelt congrats to Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Guy with Neck Tattoo of Abe Lincoln, and the rest of the 2011 Dallas Mavericks. ·Not too many folks thought the Heat could be stopped in year one of their expected 10-15 straight titles. ·But Dallas did it with defense, a balanced/consistent attack, and some ridiculously good three-point shooting when it mattered most. ·Mark Cuban got that elusive first championship as owner, and most of the country rejoiced as James, Wade, and Bosh were all humbled by this year one ‘failure.’

Though nobody can take the trophy away from the Mavs, they have still become a kind-of second fiddle to the Heat ‘Will They/Won’t They’ storyline. ·At the center of this story (right where he wants to be) is of course LeBron James. ·The man who in one night swung about 95% of the country to despise both him and the Miami Heat franchise. ·I’m sure somehow, in some chamber of LeBron’s brain, ‘The Decision’ seemed like an ok idea in some way. ·He was, what, 25 years old when he did it? ·Going on 24, I definitely have my share of seemingly-good-ideas-that-are-regretted-within-a-nanosecond. ·It happens.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of this Heat conundrum, I will start with some aspects I just do not understand. ·I do not (and will probably never) get how the 2011 Miami Heat had a worse regular season record than the 2010 Cavaliers and the 2009 Cavaliers. ·I know the easy answer is teamwork, chemistry, etc. ·But are we really going to say that those Cleveland teams were built on teamwork and chemistry?

With LeBron James in 2010: Cleveland goes 61-21.

Without LeBron James in 2011: Cleveland goes 19-63.

The swing is almost unfathomable. ·So we’re going to take this supernova player that carries a franchise by himself, and put him with another top-5 player as well as a goofball who kept Toronto afloat on his own? ·And this super-team is going to finish with an inferior record to the 2010 Cavs? ·The ‘chemistry’ between LeBron James, Antwaan Jamison, and Mo Williams outweighed the talent of Lebron, Wade, and Bosh?? ·I understand that James has conducted a revolution of sorts—becoming a facilitator when the time calls for it and making his teammates better at the expense of his own numbers. ·Instead of being Superman, he was co-Superman along with Wade (Bosh is Lois Lane.) ·Therefore the Heat can beat you in many ways, yada yada yada. ·The only problem is, THE 2011 HEAT FINISHED WITH A WORSE RECORD THAN THE 2010 CAVALIERS. ·Mo Wiliams! ·Anderson Varejao! · J.J. Hickson! ·At least in terms of regular season, maybe the whole ‘Get outta LeBron’s way so he can score every point’ pays off just a tad better than ‘Get three stars and odds are one will shine every night on the way to a championship.’

I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but let’s say Dwyane Wade tore up his knee in the first game of the season and was out for the entire 2011 season. ·Essentially, the Heat would take on the LeBron-centered philosophy of Cleveland, only this time he has Bosh by his side. · So with their superstar golden goose on the sideline, would the Heat absolutely, positively have a worse record than the 58-24 they posted? ·On what basis can we definitively make that statement? ·I don’t see it, and I don’t get it.

Now that we took 20 minutes to discuss the things that I don’t get, let’s move on to the things I may kind of understand. ·It’s mostly opinionated, but an honest effort will be made to be fair about everything. ·I hate the Yankees. ·I hate the Patriots. ·I hate Duke. ·I hate any team ranked #1 in college football/basketball. ·So it’s not a big secret how I feel about what transpired in Miami last offseason. ·Nonetheless, if 50 million other Americans are voicing their LeBron opinions this time of year, what’s one more thrown into the ring?

So, Mr. James, why Miami? ·Weather? ·No taxes? ·Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikinis? ·What was it?

LeBron will tell you it was his best chance to win a championship and he thought it’d be neat to play alongside his boys Dwyane and Christoph. ·Not much the public can argue about on that one. LeBron will tell you he gave Cleveland all he had for seven years. ·He reached the postseason five of those seasons, including a Finals appearance. ·He was everything they could have asked for in one player. ·The prosecution rests on that one as well. LeBron calls himself the King and wants to be regarded as the best to ever play. ·That’s when America arises in rage. ·Wade won a title without LeBron James. ·Therefore, the King has guaranteed that no matter what, he will not win more championships than one of his peers.

I think the thing that really sets America off is LeBron was already on the right track. ·In terms of public opinion, was there anyone that really despised Cleveland-LeBron? ·Carrying a team on his back, hall-of-fame numbers to start his career, hometown kid, etc. ·Sure, there were no rings to speak of. ·But look at that 7-foot German with the flowing locks that just beat LeBron and the Heat. ·In terms of feel-good stories, it was hard to match Dirk getting his long-awaited ring this year. ·He’s a superduperstar and it took him well over ten years to summit the championship mountain. ·Think anybody is upset that it took him so long? ·Anyone?

LeBron seemed to have this notion that, in some way, ‘time was running out.’ ·He needed to get a ring for each of his fingers to be remembered. ·He cannot be totally faulted for this. ·When the national media starts with the Jordan comparisons at roughly 21 years old, it’s human nature to buy in. ·After seven years of falling short, it was time to expedite the process—public opinion be damned.

But I truly think there is an underlying truth to this situation. ·In terms of LeBron’s psyche, I think he was just tired of being the sole reason Cleveland couldn’t get it done. ·In a way, he was too-good-for-his-own-good. ·Sure, it would be easy and logical to blame his woeful lack of support cast. ·But if you’re good enough to win 60-65 games, aren’t you good enough to win a title? ·For seven straight years, Cleveland was ousted from the playoffs for the sole reason of Lebron didn’t have enough to get it done.

That’s all changed now. ·In a way, LeBron has assembled a seemingly-diabolical win-win for himself. ·If things go as expected and he picks up 2-3 or more rings, he will take his place in the record books as immortal. ·If things don’t go as planned, it was·THE BIG THREE that failed, not·LeBRON JAMES that failed. ·Maybe he needed this distinction. ·Evidently, he didn’t want to be Dirk Nowitzki. ·The risk of not having the big payoff in the end was too great.

Of course, win-wins usually have a flip-side. ·This one is clear. ·If James wins the titles, he needed to run and hide alongside one of his peers to get it done. ·Whenever James and his buddies fall short, they are subject to the scrutiny and mockery of a whole nation that used to adore him.

It’s not the easiest situation for LeBron James. ·But you’re gonna be hard-pressed to find any kind of sympathy for him. ·Long live the jester.