Once again the NBA Finals are here and ironically enough, once again it seems to be the ultimate team vs. the ultimate player. I've always held a belief that in team sports it's the team, not the player(s) who make the magic. Austin Caulie's 4th and 18 "magic happens" catch wouldn't have happened if the O line didn't do their job and the QB didn't do his job. It's the team, not the player. I have this argument for everything from paying college players to which teams are more successful. In basketball though, the line blurs often from team to super star player. The Micheal Jordan Bulls were not nearly the same team without him while he was "playing" baseball. They were still coached by the Zen Master, they still had Karl Malone's top 5 player in Pippen, but both years they finished around .500 and got bounced early in the playoffs. The previous three years and the next three years the blew by everyone in the playoffs to win 6 NBA Championships. So does the superstar make the team in the NBA?
For those of you that would answer yes, I would ask which NBA champion can be considered the sole good player on his team? Magic, Bird, MJ, Russell all had all star casts. The only one exeption I would give would be early Wilt Chamberlain who was a superstar athelete in a short white man's league. Pistol Pete never had good teams around him and therefor, never won a championship. So, does the team make the superstar? I would also say no.
I count fewer superstars than many of the pundits. I don't count the Steve Francis, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook's of the world. They are prolific scorers and demand a lot of attention in that sense. But what else do they give you other than inefficient possessions? Melo doesn't defend, Iverson didn't pass, Westbrook is only just now beginning to learn to be more efficient because of an amazing teammate but still doesn't defend well. As Sloan used to say, defense is all about effort. They just don't care about that side of the court. Who are my superstars in the league today? Kevin Durrant, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant (fading fast) and Tim Duncan. Other than that, I have a lower tier (Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker), and a scorers list (Melo, Westbrook, Jefferson) and defenders (Chandler, Tony Allen, Ibaka) list. Real superstars though are very few. Even with that being said, where did Lebron take the 07 Cav's. They blew through a weak eastern conference and got beat up in the finals by a very well coached, well developed team. Let's go back to 01. How did the MVP Iverson fair with no one around him? His 76ers imploded and could barely win one game. So in all, I would dare someone to tell me it's still a superstar league
I digress, we have a superstar led team in which they are depending the King to get things done on both ends of the court. It seems as though every year we have this conundrum. Team vs Superstar. Most of the time though, it's more than that. MJ had Pippen, Kerr, Luc Longley and my favorite, Rodman. In one on one, the current Heat roster would blow away those Bulls, in every position but one. The NBA is 5 on 5 though and that was a much better team. However, with Ray Allen, Shane Battier and the Birdman (I love that guy!) coming off the bench, I think Miami is a better team than I previously have given them credit for. However, San Antonio is the most fundamentally sound team in the last 13 years. They have the best coach in NBA history (IMO), led by arguably the best F/C in NBA history and the best pure PG in the current NBA with Manu driving, dishing and shooting. Splitter and Leonard are two of the best young players in the league as well. They all compliment each other perfectly. The only knock I have is they only have player capable (if anyone truly is) of guarding the King. When Leonard is out, the are forced to throw different looks at him using a combo of Parker, Boris Diaw and Danny Green to attempt to hold him under control.
This year, D-Wade is LeBron's Pippen and Bosh has turned into Longley (I won't even give him the credit of Dennis Rodman). The issue is, unlike the Bulls of the 90's, they don't have the same quality coach who can reign and direct the personalities. What you get is a lot of standing around and watching while King James does everything. In Chicago, not as much in L.A. but more so than in Miami, you had a superstar who worked within a system that worked. MJ not only worked the system but he worked within the system. I'll go back to the '97 finals, game six against the Jazz. Coming out of timeout, Steve Kerr has said that though Jackson drew up a play to get Michael the shot, MJ pulled Kerr aside and said, (paraphrasing here) They know it's coming to me, when they double, I'll kick it to you and you'll hit the shot. The play played out just as Michael said it would and the Bulls dashed my dreams.
Game 1 was really exciting. You had a great team effort by the Spurs. They locked down Wade and forced Bosh outside his comfort zone (I would let him shoot long threes all day long). Great individual efforts by all involved, specifically Parker, Leonard and Duncan. And coach Pop controlled the pace of the game with subs. He sat Duncan with two fouls and when it started to look like the Heat would rally, Pop put Duncan back in to get some stops. James put on a clinic. He dominated on both ends of the court and when they needed a stop, he was chasing Tony Parker all over the place better than any one else did. The result: Spurs stealing the advantage and winning game one.
Game 2 was quite different. James did not have a stellar offensive game but played well defensively. Bosh was aggressive and even a bit nasty inside 12 feet, where he belongs. Wade played well without spending to much time on the ground, which surprises me. All in all, the Heat played as a team and the Beat the Spurs handily. The play everyone is talking about though is the Block. I'll say this, it was epic. It was an epic block at a not so key moment of the game which states his newish step on the throat mentality. Every championship style player has that finish him off mentality. However, it was also an epic fail, and should have been a technical foul. It was an arrogant, selfish move to stand there with his chest puffed out like he was a rooster looking for a fight while the rest of his team was down court trying to get a play off. About 8 seconds later you see him running down court by his self. It turned out well, but that was a boneheaded, ridiculous play that should not get rewarded. I think ESPN should show his pic next to a rooster and have THAT be the highlight, not the dunk. Show everyone what kind of player he is. Along with his literal sprinting down court every time a call goes against him, (needs a tech again) and his throwing his arms up like he just got zapped with a taser. MJ would put his hands on his hips and shake his head. That was in the days you were allowed to talk a bit to the refs. If LeBron wants to be compared to greatness, I will compare every step of the way.
The NBA should also hold their "stars" to a higher standard rather than letting them get away with that kind of nonsense. It has always bothered me that they don't call fouls on players like that because fans don't want to see them not in the game at key moments. Well, I say it's up to the player and coach to make sure that happens. Ref's should look at a play, not the player. One way to fix the worst officials in all of sports: call games objectively. Everyone knows they don't. Hell, if they did, Shaq would have been just above average because he committed offensive fouls nearly every time he touched the ball. Jordan wouldn't have scored the last bucket as a Bull the way he did. Not because he pushed off, (and he did) but because he hacked Malone (who flopped to try and "draw" a foul) at the other end of the court. It sets a bad image for the league, who, to their credit, has come a long way from the thug image of the Iverson/Artest/Arenas days. It's just disgusting to see that adolescent crap coming from one of the spokesman for the league. It's disheartening to see the league allows it. And ESPN promotes it with their continuous replay of the full play.
From this point on in the finals, I will be rooting for a less babyish and flopping Spurs team. Who would have thought with Parker and Duncan you could ever say that?
