During the 2010/11 NBA season I gave Lakers and Heat fans reassurance that everything will be ok when the playoffs were all said and done. Boy was I wrong. My apology to Lakers and Heat fans. I can't knock on Kobe; a proven 5-time NBA champion. He went down as a true warrior: fighting. To Kobe I tip my hat. Nuff respect to the max. It turned out that the Mavericks were the better team after all. Tyson Chandler was the defensive difference maker that tranformed them from "soft" to "tough". Dirk's was, as he turned out was just too much to handle. Pau Gasol had "issues" but no "answers" (to Dirk). Lamar was being Lamar as usual; old faithful came up short, resulting in Lakers being swept. For such a storied (and title-rich)franchise, you know the Lakers will bounce back.
The Miami Heat though is a different story. It is difinitely Dwayne wade's team. LeBron, you are officially no longer the man in Miami. You are a media star but not a superstar. LeBron (and I say this unequivocally), you are not a big game player. I have rooted for, stood up for and defended you over the years. Now I am convinced that you are the biggest disappointment professional team sport has seen in the modern era. How could you not play hard in an NBA final? This is preposterous. How can you look your team mates in the eyes (especially Dwayne Wade)and feel comfortatable knowing that you did not play as hard as you could? LeBron was so ridiculous that he couldn't even exploit a mismatch when Jason Kidd was guarding him. All LeBron did was pass, pass, pass. That's what role players do. Superstars take over (and win) games under pressure. LeBron clearly indicated during the finals against the Dallas Mavericks that he is not the superstar player we thought he is. He is clearly over-rated. Skip Bayless of ESPN First Take is smilingly right. He can say with authority that "I told you so". LeBron James is nothing but an over-rated media hype. If Miami Heat were to win a championship with the so-called "Big-three", it will add to Dwane Wade's legacy. To say the least even Chris Bosh showed up for the NBA finals. I wonder if it's the "Curse of Cleveland"? Who knows.
