LeBron and the State of the NBA

Congratulations to LeBron James and the Miami Heat on winning their third straight NBA Championship. King James, willing his team to victory, has cemented his legacy as a three time champion with other legends such as Jordan, Bird and Magic. It really was a series for the ages.

Wait, what?

So you’re telling me that the greatest team assembled since the 96 Bulls, the 86 Celtics and the 72 Lakers that were supposed to win not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7 titles were manhandled in five games by the San Antonio Spurs? How could they have lost? They weren’t a match for the aging Spurs? Maybe the pain in LeBron’s legs weren’t from cramps but from carrying Dwyane Wade’s useless carcass on his back.

First how about giving the Spurs a little bit credit? They played ultimate team basketball and put on an interior passing clinic during the Finals. They have the best coach in the game, whose in-game interviews are Belichickian in style and providing relevant information. They have been seething since last year’s loss in the Finals and had a personal vendetta to take down the Heat. The Spurs are a throwback team to the golden age of the NBA from the 80’s and 90’s that is desperately missing in the league today.

But I can understand why all to talk has been focused on LeBron and the Heat. LeBron is the best player on the planet. His legacy is going to be negatively affected by this loss. Out of all of their finals’ appearances, this was the easiest path they probably ever had through a torrid Eastern Conference. They swept the inexperienced Charlotte Bobcats, dismantled the failed experiment Brooklyn Nets to finally beat the Indiana Pacers, who lost their team identity sometime back in March. Why wouldn’t they three-peat?

Maybe part of it was because of comments like this from the team’s leader and the league’s best player while down 3-1 and facing elimination.

"It's basketball," said LeBron. "I understand it's the media and the sport is the greatest sport in the world. I love it. It's done so many great things for me, but it's just basketball. It's just basketball."

In the scheme of life, LeBron’s comments of “it’s just basketball” couldn’t be truer. It’s an entertaining sport to watch and enjoyable to play, but in the end it’s a simple game. There are more pressing issues in life and around the world. But when you’re team’s back is against the wall in a do or die game? Larry Bird once called his teammates a bunch of woman. Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas were longtime friends during their playing days, but they never contrived to play on the same team together. It would have been unheard of. Michael Jordan is so competitive that he called out Byron Russell in his hall of fame speech.

Don’t get me wrong. As I said LeBron is the greatest player on the planet, but does he possess the tenacity and absolute desire to do anything to beat his opponent that made Bird, Jordan and even Kobe Bryant elite? Does Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, or any of the top players on the NBA have this attitude? I would have to say no. So for the time being we can hold off on placing LeBron on any NBA Mount Rushmore. 

LeBron has until June 30^th to decide if he’s going to opt out of his contract or stay with the Heat for the 2014-2015 season. Will he, Wade and Chris Bosh reunite to make another run at a title or will LeBron shake up the NBA again? Will he take his talents to another team with a better supporting staff or continue what he started and pledged in Miami four years ago? The people of Cleveland will tell you there’s no such thing as loyalty when it comes to LeBron James. Whatever he does decide to do, we have to remember that it’s just basketball.