MIAMI, FL. There was an Eastern Conference Finals game tonight, but that was made irrelevant by the NBA ruling that came down today prior to ECF Game 3.
The National Basketball Association review video of the following video of Dwayne Wade delivering a flying elbow to the side of Lance Stephenson's skull during the previous Eastern Conference Finals game. You make the call; how many games should DWade be suspended for?
What was your answer? 3? 4? 5? 6? 7?
WRONG!
Try ZERO.
Lebron gets shoved; Nazr Mohammed gets ejected.
J.R. Smith of the New York Knicks misses with an elbow; he gets suspended.
DWade blatently and intentionally elbows a player at half court during a nationally televised game; no call, as Miami Heat referees "didn't see" the play during game; then upon league review, FLAGRANT ONE, fine and no suspension.
HUH!? NO SUSPENSION? For a malicious and intentional elbow to the head of another player?
There is no greater insult to the game when there is such a steep inequity in fairness between the privileged and the rest of the league.
The Miami Heat after losing to the Chicago Bulls in the Game 1 in a fairly officiated 4th Quarter, finally got by the Bulls with the help of Miami Heat referees.
Now, despite a dumb, dumb, dumb-ass play by DWade, the Miami Heat and the NBA's corporate fake-superstar, Lebron James, do not have to feel the repercussions of such a mistake, unlike the other 29 NBA teams, because the Miami CHeat are the NBA's pet franchise. And it will be the Indiana Pacers who will have their NBA Championship stolen one bad call at a time by NBA Miami Heat referees.
After a series where Carlos Boozer was called for an offensive foul for every Shane Battier flop, now the Eastern Conference Finals has been rigged by off-the-ball fouls on David West, who proved to be unstoppable during ECF Games 1 and 2.
Watch for more mystery fouls on the Indiana Pacers' dominant frontline in order to nullify the Miami CHeat's biggest weakness as a "team".
While Miami is by far the most talented team in the NBA (collusion by the Big Three to come together aside), they should not be GIVEN another undeserved NBA Championship just because they have the most stars. They should be made to earn it, in a fairly called series of games, just like every other team in the league. If the NBA can't clean up their corrupt officiating favoring their pet team and players, JOIN THE BOYCOTT!
CHICAGO, IL. WARNING! The geniuses at ESPN who were responsible for Lebron's infamous, hour-long "Decision" television special escaped from their cages over the weekend. The "Heat" rabies that infected them has been spreading like wildfire in the ESPN newsroom. as analyst after analyst is calling the Eastern Conference Finals in favor of the Miami Heat.
Apparently, the Miami Heat had somehow improved as a team when they defeated a tired, geriatric Boston Celtics team that everyone knew had sacrificed their main advantage over the Heat by trading Kendrick Perkins at the trade deadline.
Or maybe they figured that the ease of their 4 - 1 series victory over the same Celtics means that the Heat are now clicking on all cylinders, neglecting the obvious fact that Rajon Rondo, whom Doc Rivers has called the Celtics most important player, was injured and playing with one arm, as a result of a dirty play by Miami Heat guard, Dwayne Wade.
Anyway, ESPN, like the geniuses they are, called this Miami Heat team the favorite to win the Eastern Conference Finals.
In Chicago, they have a vastly different description for the Miami Heat and the Miami Superfriends, and they did not hesitate to share it with the world that was watching.
"Overrated!"
Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls defense allowed only 11 points for Wade and Lebron combined in the second half; Wade scored just 18 points and Lebron scored only 15 for the game.
NBA basketball fans have been unimpressed with the underachieving Miami Heat all year, as has most everyone outside of the Miami-Dade County area (save for a couple of self-proclaimed Lebron dick-riders), but as of the final day of the season, when the Chicago Bulls secured the best record in NBA this season, NBA fans were thoroughly impressed at how the Bulls have come together so quickly.
And the fact that the Chicago Bulls are the product of hard work, team effort, great coaching, and lead by a talented, yet humble homegrown superstar, just makes them a team everyone can root for. They are the anti-Heat.
Despite being the top seeded team in the playoffs, with homecourt advantage throughout, the Bulls have not acted entitled in the way that the Heat and Lebron have from the day they threw their party in South Beach talking about winning "not 5, not 6, not 7,...."
And after a Game 1 beatdown of the Heat, the Chicago Bulls certainly proved that Miami should be worried about them. Miami should be downright scared of the Chicago Bulls.
Anyone fantasizing about a 2006 NBA Finals rematch between Miami and Dallas has been out in the South Beach sun too long and is demonstrating symptoms of "heat" stroke.
Miami, with their "championship" celebration after eliminating the Celtics, are overlooking the real threat to their title aspirations. And not just this year. The Bulls are a much younger team, running the schemes that befuddled Wade and Lebron for the last two years and made the Boston Celtics the NBA Champions in 2008.
The Miami Heat have been dumbfounded for answers when it comes to getting a win against the Chicago Bulls.
Including Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Chicago Bulls have beat the Miami Heat four straight times, and in the most important of those games, the Bulls won by a margin of 21 points.
And after the game, the Miami Heat admitted that they were demoralized by the 19 offensive rebounds that the Bulls' frontline pulled in to help propel the Bulls to their Game 1 victory.
In the four games between Miami and Chicago, the Bulls have grabbed 44 more rebounds for an 11 rebound/game edge. That kind of dominance is not accidental; the Chicago Bulls were built to beat the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, specifically.
Taj Gibson had the biggest plays in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals for the Bulls, including this monsterous dunk on Dwayne Wade.
The Chicago Bulls had the "opportunity" to trade Omer Asik or Taj Gibson for a more offensive shooting guard, but they held on to their advantage. And after Game 1, no doubt Taj Gibson's trade value has gone up.
But with the Bulls retaining their great young frontcourt depth, Chicago held on to the advantage that will get them passed the Miami Heat and into the NBA Finals. And "not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4,..." because combined with their 22-year old NBA Most Valuable Player, the Chicago Bulls will potentially be dominant for as long as the Miami Heat window is open.
Don't believe me? Just watch.
HIGHLIGHTS of THE CHICAGO BULLS vs. MIAMI HEAT, 2011 NBA PLAYOFFS, EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS, GAME 1:
With the Chicago Bulls up 1 - 0 in the best-of-seven series, what do you think will be the series outcome?
BOSTON, MA. Dwayne Wade used to be one of my favorite players. It was because he was a basketball hero.
What he did in the 2006 NBA Finals was incredible. He demonstrated the will to win that only a handful of players with his talent and skill ever demonstrate. And when he won the NBA title, I had a lot of respect for him.
Until tonight that is.
It really started the other night in Game 1 of the Miami Heat/ Boston Celtics series when he ran through Paul Pierce's legal screen, and somehow, Paul Pierce got ejected from the game. I forgave Dwayne Wade because it was truly on the referee to call it properly as an offensive foul and tech on Wade for being the aggressor.
But tonight, Wade pulled a clearly dirty play designed to draw the foul by dragging Rajon Rondo on top of him, but instead, it may have accomplished a whole lot more to gaining an advantage for the Miami Heat. On the play, Rondo tried to brace his fall and ended up dislocating his left elbow.
Rondo dislocated his left elbow on this dirty play by Dwayne Wade, but he would return to give his team a lift in a must-win game for Boston.
It was a gruesome looking play and injury, and Rondo was taken off the floor with assistance for x-rays and treatment. After having the dislocation reset, Rondo chose to return to the game, a must-win for Boston.
The Boston faithful were probably as encouraged as they were skeptical at Rondo's return. With his left arm dangling lifelessly and uselessly at his side, Rondo was playing in a must-win playoff game. What could he possibly do with one arm when the Heat had built a 2 - 0 lead against a fully functional Rondo?
Well, Rondo answered with his presence and gutsy effort, including a big steal and dunk.
Along with a 28 point and 18 rebound effort from Kevin Garnett, Boston is sitting in a safer spot at 2 - 1 in the series. However, the Celtics will need Rondo to have use of both of his arms if they hope to even up the series and beat the heat at home, which they will need to do eventually.
Kevin Garnett dominated Chris Bosh and put up 28 points and 18 rebounds in Boston's Game 3 Victory over the Miami Heat.
In addition, the league needs to put a stop to such plays designed to "draw" foul calls by locking arms and legs with other players. In recent years, the practice has become more prevalent, and it must stop now. It does not add to the enjoyment of the game of basketball, and as we've seen tonight, it can lead to players being injured. And that makes the game less enjoyable for fans who want to see the games decided by the players on the court, not by the sneaky plays that result in injuries that keep players off the court.
Furthermore, the Heat should be penalized for Dwayne Wade's dirty play. How did that play not even garner Wade a personal foul? Wade should be suspended for a minimum of one game and possibly more if Rondo must miss games with his injury.
Even if the NBA fails to do the right thing, what Boston does have going in their favor is the devilish pact that resulted in Lebron and Bosh going to the Miami Heat and Pat Riley winning Executive of the Year.
The devil never keeps his promises, so although the Heat may be up for now with a 2 - 1 lead and Rondo injured, look for the Miami Heat to suffer the karmic repercussions of their deal with the devil.
HIGHLIGHTS OF BOSTON CELTICS vs MIAMI HEAT, 2011 NBA PLAYOFFS, GAME 3:
Boston needs Rondo to play big in order to beat the Heat. Can Rondo recover in time to put his mark on this series?
MIAMI, FL. By virtue of taking his "talents" to South Beach and joining a greater talent in Dwayne Wade, Lebron has his best chance ever to win against the team that ended his career in Cleveland. However, even a series win will not be enough to erase the legacy of his past playoff failures.
The Boston Celtics continued to dominate Lebron (along with his new team, the Heat) during the regular season; will the playoffs be any different?
It was around this time last year that the Boston Celtics played and dominated Lebron's Cleveland Cavaliers to another disappointing early dismissal from the playoffs.
As he left the court following an overall unimpressive performance in the series, he ripped his Cavaliers jersey off with visible disdain before he reached the locker room; it was a moment that will replay in the minds of Cleveland fans as it began to fuel speculation that Lebron had quit in the Boston series.
The early end of the season for Lebron and the Cavs equated to an early start to a summer of speculation about where Lebron would go in free agency. The "Summer of Lebron" saw several franchises, who had gutted their lineups to create financial flexibility in the form of capspace, vy for the attention of the most talented free agent class in a generation, particularly the "No-Ring King", himself.
Lebron basked in the constant attention leading up to the July 1st threshold for the first day of signing. Lebron wanted more time in the limelight, so he extended his personal deadline for making up his mind to July 7th. Then that day came and went with only the statement that Lebron would make his announcement July 9th. Then ESPN began promoting "The Decision" show that would take place in primetime...
Many a Cleveland home was warmed in the winter of 2010 using a Lebron jersey heating system.
Ultimately, his embarassment at the hands of Boston's Big Three may have been the catalyst for his joining fellow Superfriends Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
The production of not only "The Decision" show on ESPN and the subsequent introduction of Miami's free agents at the American Airlines Arena proved to be as shameless and disrespectful of the game as the threesome's alleged conspiracy to join forces following the 2008 Olympic Games.
The attention given to such a talented player who has no team-oriented success in a team sport is astounding. However, to be fair, Lebron and his dickriders made the excuse that he did not have enough help in Cleveland. I think that we can all agree that with Wade and Bosh, Lebron has more than enough help.
After being eliminated from the 2011 NBA Playoffs by the Boston Celtics for the second year in a row, Lebron exclaims, "When I said enough help, I meant I don't have enough Kevin Durants and Dwight Howards on my team!"
And when Lebron faces Boston this time, there are no more excuses. The least he can do is exorcise the demons of last season's playoff failure.
However, it will take much more than that for Lebron to redeem himself in the basketball world. He became Wade's Sidekick to win championships. He mortgaged his legacy and status in the sport in order to claim "multiple championships" (in Lebron's own words).
Anything short of that can only be defined as failure.
Attention, Miami Heat fans. Please don't wet yourself in excitement, for as anyone in Cleveland can tell you, Lebron's promises and predictions are never as good as they sound.
PHILADELPHIA, PA. Trailing by six points with only 1:35 left from being eliminated from the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Sixers were a confident bunch. They were certain that they would be on a plane going back to Miami for another game.
The feisty Philadelphia 76ers fought back to take Game 4 with great defense and huge shots from Turner, Holiday, and Williams.
Their belief has them packing their bags for Miami and preparing for another game with the Miami Superfriends.
The Sixers' comeback was built on a 10-0 run to end the game. Evan Turner, the poised and talented rookie, scored on a runner to cut the lead to four. A long Jrue Holiday three with 0:46 left cut Miami's lead to one, and on the very next trip, Lou Williams confidently rose up at the top of the key, shot over Dwayne Wade, and hit on another huge clutch three for the Sixers to put the home team ahead by two.
With an opportunity to tie or win the game with 8.1 seconds left, the Miami Heat put the ball in the hands of the Choke-King, Lebron James. He took a few dribbles towards his defender, Andre Iguodala, drove to his right, and put up a contested runner that was blocked by Elton Brand.
Lebron "Choke-King" James adds to his legacy of playoff failure with another blocked runner in the closing seconds in Game 4 against the Sixers.
Off the deflection, Turner ended up with the ball and was fouled. The rookie sank his two free throws to seal the win for the Sixers, and he finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds off the bench for Coach Doug Collins.
This continues a Miami Heat trend of struggling to close competitive games, despite having three All-Star options.
Lebron "Choke-King" James has a long history of coming up short as a closer and has been criticized for his lack of killer instinct and closing ability. Having been called upon to take the final shot in several games for the Heat this season, Lebron has not converted a single play to tie or win the game for his team.
Most objective analysts of the game have suggested that Dwayne Wade should be the one with the ball in his hands in the final seconds, and it would be crazy to think that no one in the Miami Heat organization realizes that DWade is the superior closer to Lebron.
Why is Lebron still taking the last shot then? One must guess that Lebron, with his history of being coddled and spoiled by those around him and the sensitivity to public criticism that we have seen since his move to Miami, is demanding to be given the ball in order to disprove those who have labelled him "LeBrick", "Dwayne Wade's Sidekick", and "Choke-King".
However, with every LeBrick that he throws up in the final seconds, he proves the point that he needs Dwayne Wade, he can't get it done in the clutch, and history will recall him as a sidekick, if he is remembered at all.
To be remembered, you have to win Championships. And you have to be the best player on your Championship team...
With the rise of the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose, who is a bonafide closer and NBA MVP leader of a young Championship-caliber team, and other talented young challengers who hunger to be great, Lebron may never sniff the NBA Finals during the prime of his career.
It may just be Lebron's Karma.
Here are highlights of the MIAMI HEAT vs. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS NBA PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND GAME 4:
Look for the Heat to have a tough time closing out the confident and well-coached Sixers on Wednesday night. If the Sixers can steal pivotal Game 5 in Miami, look for the series to possibly go 7 games.
MIAMI, FL. With another victory over the Miami Heat, in another game that they clearly treated like a must win, the Bulls took the Heat's best shot and did what they have done to the Heat twice before, came back and won behind great team defense and leadership from Derrick Rose.
A week and a half since Derrick Rose helped carry the Chicago Bulls back from 18 points down to win against the Miami Heat in Chicago, he cemented his claim to the NBA MVP award with his play and leadership in bringing the Bulls back from a 12 point deficit to another victory over the Heat.
Check out this amazing play where Derrick Rose takes it in with Jordan-like killer instinct and scores on both Dwayne Wade and Dwayne Wade's Sidekick:
Despite the Bulls clawing way back and finally taking the lead from Miami about midway through the 4th quarter, the Miami Heat stayed close mostly because of Dwayne Wade's efforts. Wade had 9 of his 20 points in the fourth to keep the Heat close.
Rose put up 8 points of his own in the final quarter, and the Bulls went into the final possession with a 1 point lead.
It was deja vu for the Heat, who had lost 3 in a row and 4 of their last 5 games. Three of their losses were decided on the final possession of the game, where they were unable to come through with a score.
Lebron got the ball at the top of the key, defended by Joakim Noah. Lebron drove and put up a contested shot that hit high off the backboard. Wade came up with the rebound and put up a short jumper but also missed.
This has been an amazing weekend for the Bulls, who won a great game against Orlando two days ago. And recently, Hollinger put out his statistical analyses that not only supported the Bulls not making a move at the trade deadline (and keeping Omer Asik and Taj Gibson) but also revealing that the Bulls have the best statistical chance of reaching the NBA Finals from the Eastern Conference.
Chicago fans are too down to earth for such things to get their hopes too high, but they are all united in the Derrick Rose for MVP sentiment.
With another victory over Sidekick and the Heat, Rose has the swagger of an MVP.
The evolution of Derrick Rose has been amazing. After a summer where he started for Team USA and helped them to win Gold at the 2010 World Championships, he stated in his usual modest tone that he wanted to be NBA Most Valuable Player.
He has now taken a team that was thought to be about the 4th or 5th best team in the Eastern Conference and has them in sole possession of the 2nd seed in the East behind Boston. And he has managed to do this with Carlos Boozer missing a month at the beginning of the season and Joakim Noah missing nearly two months for surgery, as well.
For all these reasons, most true fans of the game of basketball acknowledge that Derrick Rose is the most deserving of the NBA MVP, and at this point, he has another statistic in his favor against his closest competitor: a three game sweep of the regular season series over the Heat and coming through when his team needed him the most.
NEW YORK CITY, NY. Sidekick clanked shot after shot, and DWade cooled off in the 4th quarter as the New York Knicks pulled away and beat the Miami Heat tonight in front of a raukus crowd of pumped up Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden in NYC.
Amare Stoudemire dunks on Joel Anthony and Sidekick, who just bends over and takes it.
It was a great game for the Knicks, who not only overcame a difficult loss to Miami in their previous meeting at Madison Square Garden and the continued speculation of trading for Carmelo Anthony, but also a hot shooting Dwayne Wade who powered the Miami Heat through the first three quarters on a scorching 14 of 15 shooting from the field.
The New York Knicks' MVP candidate, Amare Stoudemire, kept the Knicks close in spite of Wade's hot shooting, and Danilo Gallinari, Landry Fields, and Raymond Felton stepped up for the Knicks in the fourth quarter to secure the win for the hometown team.
New York was finally able to contain Wade (0 for 7 in the fourth quarter), and Sidekick, as he did in last year's playoffs against the Boston Celtics, joined the "Quitness Protection Program", missing shot after shot in the final quarter when his team needed him. Sidekick finished with 24 points, but only shot 7 for 24 for the game.
This was a huge win for the Knicks, not only to beat an Eastern Conference rival, but the victory clearly shows the potential of a team that could potentially add Carmelo Anthony this summer in free agency, without losing any significant parts.
The invitation to join a team that can already beat, arguably, the most talented team in the NBA, the Miami Heat, could prove too much to resist for Melo, a native New Yorker who won a National Championship at Syracuse University.
The only thing standing in the way of New York's return to the elite of the basketball world? A poor "decision" like Lebron's.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. It seemed that a lot of people were disappointed when Lebron announced his "Decision" this past July, however Derrick Rose was not necessarily one of them.
DRose raised his game higher than any other star in the United Center tonight.
Rumors emerged that DRose did not want Lebron to come to Chicago because he wanted to be "The Man".
Then, DRose stated in an interview before the season that he wanted to be MVP, the Most Valuable Player, in the league.
Well, as of this week, Rose is the frontrunner for the award according to ESPN. And while in Miami, it will always be DWade's team, there is no doubt that Derrick Rose is "The Man" on the Chicago Bulls; and he has delivered in the clutch, when it mattered most.
In many ways, DRose's entry into the NBA mirrors Lebron's: both were super-talented, homegrown products drafted #1 Overall by their local team and heralded as the hometown hero who would save their respective NBA franchise. However, that is where the similarities abruptly end.
After promising to bring a championship to the championship-deprived city of Cleveland, Lebron's decision to leave town to join a stacked team in Miami revealed his complete selfishness and lack of integrity and perserverence. His announcement of "The Decision" in a one-hour special on ESPN was a self-aggrandizing act of pure hubris. While Lebron chose the easy way out to get his championship, the people of Cleveland were witness to nothing but a single NBA Finals appearance and several early playoff exits.
Rose is essentially the anti-lebron; he is a modest, hard-working phenom who relishes the burden of the Jordan legacy, including the effort it takes to be the best. While Lebron and his posse played with the emotions of GMs, cities, and teams' fans, Derrick Rose played the point for the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the World Basketball Championships this past summer.
Then he got in the gym, and in his understated, modest tone, "I've been working on my shooting range." All the way out to 3-point range; he is shooting 3-pointers at 37.9%, higher than Lebron's 35.8% clip for the season. Just as Jordan worked to add new facets to his game, Rose has gone from great to unstoppable.
Lebron quit as Rose and Wade battled for the Legacy of Jordan
On the other hand, when faced with stepping into Jordan's shoes, Lebron ran away as fast as he could to join another Chicago product who found inspiration in the miracles Michael Jordan performed as the face of the Chicago Bulls.
Dwayne Wade, more than any other player on the Heat, embodies the will to win that helped Jordan claim 6 NBA Championships. Wade's incredible performance in the 2006 NBA Finals was one for the ages.
How appropriate that Lebron "not Jordan" James stepped aside to allow two Chicago boys to duel for the Legacy of Michael Jordan.
And in the end, it was Derrick Rose who claimed the win and the mantle of heir to the Jordan Legacy in Chicago. In the victory, Rose put up 34 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks, and most importantly for the young man and the city of Chicago, the win.
The true Legacy of Jordan was to not only say what you are going to do, but to do it.
With the losses piling up and the Miami Heat's inability to beat playoff caliber teams, it seems that everyone in the Miami Heat organization and ESPN have already begun to build the case for why the most overrated team in NBA history will not meet their own expectations of winning the NBA Championship this season. That case will star Coach Spoelstra in the role of scapegoat.
Erik Spoelstra's days as the head coach are numbered.
While greater NBA legends create moments , it may just be Lebron's legacy to be know more for moments like "The Decision", "The Vegas Weekend", "The Mental List Tweet", "The Song", and now, "The Shoulder Bump".
In yet another classic Lebron moment, during the loss against the Dallas Mavericks on November 27th, Coach Erik Spoelstra was frustrated by a breakdown by the Miami Heat on the defensive end, and he called a time out. With plenty of room to walk anywhere else, Lebron walks straight towards Spoelstra. Spoelstra is not really seeing Lebron, but despite seeing Spoelstra, Lebron leans his shoulder into own his coach. You will also see that Lebron also follows through afterwards, clearly indicating that he expected and initiated the contact.
"The Shoulder Bump" is just the latest example of Lebron's lack of maturity and leadership. After losing 3 of their last 4 games, Lebron and the Miami Heat have obviously had to explain why, after only 17 games, they already have nearly as many losses as Michael Jordan's 72-Win Chicago Bulls team and why they will have to go 63 wins and only 2 losses in order to match what the all-time winningest team was able to accomplish.
No, the 2010-11 Miami Heat are no where near the 72-Win Chicago Bulls team. Jordan did the dominating. Jordan did the leading. Jordan wanted the ball in his hands and the responsibility on his shoulders.
Lebron is the anti-hero for a new generation. Lebron wants loyalty, but he has already forgotten the fans that supported him for his first 7 years as a pro. Lebron has already had a game-winning shot busted in his face. Lebron joined a player who is a real, proven leader, Dwayne Wade. And he is grateful to give him the ball at the end of the game. As for the responsibility, Lebron is one of the best passers in the league.
More than a few people predicted that Erik Spoelstra's head coaching seat in Miami would be hot, but few imagined that Miami would struggle as much as they have in the first 17 games of the 82 game regular season. And with the way it seems that Wade, Bosh, and Lebron seem to talk to each other to the exclusion of the coach and the team, "The Shoulder Bump", the team meeting after the loss to Dallas, and the seemingly growing rift between team and coach, Erik Spoelstra is being painted and characterized as the scapegoat.
SHHH! Don't divulge my diabolical plan!
The most recent round of speculation of whether Pat Riley, who currently mans the Miami Heat front office, would dump Coach Spoelstra and return to coaching (as he did in 2005 after dumping then Head Coach Stan Van Gundy) began with a statement made by Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson during an interview. Recent events and the on-court actions of Lebron and other Miami Heat players seem to support the insights of Jackson.
However, Pat Riley made a public statement defending Coach Spoelstra saying that he was not looking to fire his coach. The most logical reason is not that he specifically supports Coach Spoelstra, but that Riley knows that the Miami Heat, with the present set of players, is not complete enough to contend for an NBA Championship with the likes of Boston and Los Angeles. Erik Spoelstra will help him buy time to get the players the team needs, either at the trade deadline or during next off season, and then, Riles may suddenly find that his support for Coach Spoelstra was unwarranted.
YOU MAKE THE CALL! INTENTIONAL OR NOT?
Whether it really was intentional or not, it is yet another shining moment for Lebron James.
Lebron is a LeBiatch.
Dallas, Texas. Another game against a playoff caliber opponent resulted in a loss for the most overrated team in NBA history on Saturday night.
Dallas used a huge run to begin the second half, including a pivotal play where Dirk Nowitzki split the defense provided by Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. With all three All-Stars hanging in the air, Nowitzki completed the layup against both Miami Heat defenders. With the momentum, Dallas would stretch to a lead of 18 points which they would never relinquish.
Tyson Chandler looked like an All-Star against the Miami Heat.
Once again, Miami was beat on the glass as Tyson Chandler grabbed 17 rebounds to go with 14 points and 3 blocks, and the Mavs starting frontline outrebounded Miami 26 to 19. Chris Bosh, who has been criticized throughout his career for being soft, has done nothing to prove otherwise, and with the probable loss of Udonis Haslem for the entire season, the NBA playoff hopes of the Miami Heat rest on the slender shoulders and non-existent testicular fortitude of Bosh.
After falling to a season record of 9 wins and 8 losses, worse than last year's mark of 10 wins and 7 losses at this same point in the season, the Miami Heat players had a team-only meeting lasting approximately 45 minutes. None of the Heat players were willing to speak about anything specific that was said during the meeting.
The loss capped a disappointing week for the Miami Friends (I've dropped the "Super" for obvious reasons), who have lost four of their last 5 games. The team-only meeting was just another sign that the Miami three of Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh are fracturing under the pressure of public scrutiny of, in particular, Lebron's Decision to leave a talented team in Cleveland to form a supposed "super team" in Miami to pursue an NBA Championship. The results seem to support those who believe that Lebron took the easy way out and will not win a title this way.
This was a tough week for Lebron in particular. After Rudy Gay hit a game-winning shot in his face to lift the Memphis Grizzlies, an ad for Jordan brand in response to Lebron's "What Should I Do?" Nike ad went viral on the internet; in the ad, Michael Jordan asks if Lebron was just making excuses.
Michael Jordan lived these words every day of his career. He rewrote the record books through his own hard work and exceeded every basketball player that came before him. His play won him individual accolades.
His leadership fueled team success and carried his Chicago Bulls teams to 6 NBA Championships, winning every NBA Finals Series that he ever played in, and an NBA record, 72 win season.
Lebron James was offered the chance to follow in Jordan's footsteps in the Chicago Bulls campaign to bring the coveted free agent to the Bulls last summer. Even Jordan himself felt that the best situation for Lebron would be Chicago.
Lebron proved that he was not the player or the man that even Jordan believed him to be when he chose to join Dwayne Wade's Miami Heat, and Derrick Rose has lived up to his word after saying that he wanted to be "The Man" in Chicago.
Lebron is not and will never be on the same level as Jordan. What more needs to be said?
Orlando, Florida. The Miami Heat have been having a woeful Thanksgiving week, with losses to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers, but everyone probably knows that with the excessive coverage of Lebron James and the most overrated team in history. And a visit to Eastern Conference contender, the Orlando Magic, was not going to make it better.
Miami's weak frontline recently got weaker with the loss of Udonis Haslem to injury, probably for the entire season. Haslem was truly the only source of toughness in the paint for a Miami Heat team that rebuilt their frontcourt from scratch around Lebron James and Chris Bosh. During Miami's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Haslem went down with a strained left foot and had to be carried off the court; he will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left foot that will probably end his season.
Despite Miami's injury woes, Dwight Howard didn't seem to feel sorry for the Heat big men, as he went for 24 points and 18 rebounds (matching the rebound total for Miami's starting frontline of Bosh, Lebron, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas) in completely dominating Miami's frontcourt. Jameer Nelson, J. J. Redick, and Brandon Bass made huge contributions, as well, in the team driven victory.
Dwight Howard dunks over the Miami friends as the Magic hand the Heat their third straight loss.
Meanwhile, the story for Miami was Dwayne Wade's continuing shooting woes, as he put up 18 points on 6 of 21 shooting. In two games since missing the game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Wade has made only 7 of his 34 shots (20.6%) and has only made 1 of 8 3-pointers (12.5%); the Heat have lost both games.
Orlando was able to avenge a loss to Miami earlier this season in the Heat's home opener on October 29.
MIAMI, FLORIDA. Lebron James put up 35 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. However, Boston left Miami with the only thing that mattered to them, and that was a convincing victory over the most overrated team in NBA history.
Boston beat down Miami for the second time in the early 2010-11 season.
The Boston Big Four dominated the game despite Lebron's nice statline. Ray Allen finished with 35 points and made 7 of 9 from 3-point land, and Kevin Garnett owned the paint to the tune of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 16 assists, and Paul Pierce pitched in with 25 points.
The biggest difference maker was the job the Celtics defense did on Dwayne Wade, holding the Heat star to 8 points on 2 of 12 shooting.
Once again, it was evident by Lebron's statline that he was being asked to shore up the inadequate rebounding of the Miami Heat starting frontcourt of Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony. Better teams have easily taken advantage of this Miami Heat weakness and will continue to do so. If Lebron leads the team in rebounding on a given night, the Heat will have lost.
FINAL THOUGHT: With nearly 8 minutes remaining in the game, the standing-room-only, Miami Heat crowd at the American Airlines Arena began to filter out of the stadium. Did they get to watch Lebron flirt with a triple-double? Did they even care?
So, the much anticipated 2010 NBA Free Agency period (the so called "Summer of Lebron") has come and gone. It was a soap opera beyond imagination which finally ended with the most awkward debacle of an announcement of a bad decision ever made in the history of modern sports.
Lebron decided to take his talents (and for his sake, enough lube) to South Beach to join Dwayne Wade and new Heat teammate, Chris Bosh. And that was when Lebron revealed himself to be a fraud and less than the Chosen One he had claimed to be. The hearts of those who had once supported him were broken, as they have been so many times before in Cleveland. And beyond Cleveland, those who believed that he could step into the Air Jordans of the Greatest of All Time and those who hoped that pride could be restored for a team that plays in the Mecca of Basketball were also disappointed.
However, none of this may compare with the irreparable damage that "the Decision" has done to Lebron's own legacy. The championships that he may have believed would cement his legacy, gotten this way by joining a champion in DWade, will forever cast him as a sidekick. And despite what anyone has said, this incarnation of the Miami Heat have yet to win a single game.
With all the free agent dominoes having fallen and the teams geared up to start the regular season, this usually proves to be the longest month for hardcore hoops fans. Therefore, we wish to bring you the Best Videos of the Summer of Lebron is a LeBiatch. In this edition, we examine the Best Documentary Videos of the summer.
BEST AMATEUR FILM CLIP Lebron James gets booed at Cedar Point by Nikkie0212
Current Number of Views: 401,214
August 9, 2010 About a month after announcing "the Decision", Lebron returns to Cedar Point, the legendary amusement park in northern Ohio. However, despite the solid month of anti Lebron sentiment coming out of the Cleveland Cavaliers fanbase, Lebron must not have been convinced that his decision could have been so poorly received.
On this day, an amateur camera-person captures Lebron James at the basketball hoops getting jeered by park-goers and missing every shot he takes. He must have been having flashbacks to Game 5 of the Boston Celtics playoff series this year where he shot 3 of 14.
BEST DOCUMENTARY Raw Video: Cavs Fans React to LeBron's Decision (Associated Press)
Current Number of Views: 328,158
July 9, 2010 This will be a date that will live in infamy in the minds of Cleveland sports fans as the unthinkable and unimaginable happened in a public act of humiliation that garnered an audience of 9.95 million to TV screens. In a classless display of self-aggrandizement, Lebron took an hour of national TV airtime on ESPN (and the dignity of one Jim Gray, who presided over the charade) to make his long awaited announcement.
Lebron James, a homegrown, hometown basketball phenom from nearby Akron, OH, eventually became the #1 overall selection of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. He was christened The Chosen One because he was believed to be the one to return Cleveland sports to respectability, and during his 7 years playing for the Cavs, James won two MVP awards, lead his team to the best regular season record twice, and made one NBA Finals appearance.
Lebron's decision to join a loaded team in Miami was viewed as not only selfish and quitting, but it was also an act of betrayal greater than any other because he was the local guy who should understand the pain and the plight of the city in terms of sports history. After being likened to Benedict Arnold, Lebron is giving Art Modell a run for his money for the mantel of most hated Cleveland sports demigod.
The following is an Ask Ira question that was posed to Ira Winderman, who writes regularly for NBCSports.com and covers the Miami Heat and the NBA for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. So him being from Miami and all, please excuse that he doesn't know the first thing about basketball.
Q: Ira, I’m not sure people realize how much Wade and James will push each other’s games on the defensive side. Anyone who has watched them compete against each other knows they will continue attempting to one-up each other. Every spectacular block or defensive sequence by James will push Wade to match or beat it on the next defensive sequence. Just because they now play for the same team, doesn’t mean we lose out on them competing to outdo the other. — Shaddy.
Sit down, Ira. I got this one.
Hey, Shaddy! Thanks for the, er, question, or is it just that the man-love between Wade and Lebron is just so contagious down there in South Beach?
Back to your question/comment/flirtation... Yes, there used to be some great tete-a-tetes (that is french for head-to-head) between Wade and Lebron, and Lebron seemed to get the best of many of those contests.
However, since Lebron decided to give up being a man, such competitive displays will certainly be a thing of the past. It should be clear from Lebron's "Decision" that he went to Miami to avoid working hard and carrying any load. He clearly chose to announce his decision to millions of viewers during a primetime, 1 hour special on ESPN so that everyone would know that he was done working for his fame and money and so that no one would ask questions like this one going forward.
Anyway, the answer is yes, Wade and Lebron will gamble too much on defense, and it will be just another reason not to put your money on the Miami Hype. If you don't believe me, check the following video, and without a doubt, there will be more footage to add to the video after this NBA season.
Comedian Mike Polk may become the new voice and megaphone for the masses of disenchanted former-fans of Lebron James. Cleveland and fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers have suffered many painful losses when it comes to the history of sports in the city of Cleveland. However, this latest loss especially hurts not only because of the freshness of it, but also because of the treasonous nature of Lebron James' betrayal of the Northeast Ohio-area where James grew up.
Following a summer of high hopes for several NBA team, an extended courtship of the top NBA free agents, and the emergence of a conspiracy, Cleveland was publicly spurned by their own native son, James, who had been embraced by the city with the moniker, "The Chosen One".
After numerous delays, Lebron announced his choice to join with fellow All Stars and Team USA teammates, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, on the Miami Heat, during an ill-conceived 1-hour special on ESPN called "The Decision". The show's name soon became synonymous with the latest betrayal born by the city of Cleveland.
Following "The Decision", there has been harsh backlash against James'. Prior to the infamous decision, James was a much admired sports figure, not only in Cleveland, but Lebron was respected globally to fans of the sport. However, perception of Lebron James has drastically shifted, and Mike Polk's tribute song is the latest emphatic statement of this.
The perception of Lebron James leaving his city, although not the course of champions of the echelon of Jordan, Bird, and Kobe, would not have been a career-killer if James had gone about it with more public-relations savvy. Shaquille O'Neal moved during his prime, much like Lebron James, from an NBA Finals team in the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers, however O'Neal was the main attraction on the Lakers, who won the NBA Championship with O'Neal because of the eventual development of Kobe Bryant.
However, with Lebron stringing along several NBA franchises, announcing his departure in such a self-aggrandizing and self-promotional forum, and leaving Cleveland to join two other established players, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, on a team that Wade has already won a championship with in Miami, many former Lebron fans feel deceived. There was nothing admirable or heroic about Lebron's actions from "The Decision" onward. By subjugating himself to Wade, he has made the admission that he cannot lead a team to victory, and he has revealed the fraud in the advertisements that taut his supremacy.
Sports super-stardom is driven by image and perception, and Lebron has managed to tarnish his well-polished image with quite possibly the worst PR summer of any great athlete in recent memory. A viral video would not help things for James, however the outrage is real and stands to grow with each game Lebron plays with Wade's team.
Postings like this one all over social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have fueled the popularity of Mike Polk's YouTube performance. The following update was posted to the Facebook group, Lebron is a LeBiatch:
Within a matter of 2 hours, the hit count on the YouTube video rose by nearly 3500 views, and with the viral nature of social media, Lebron James could possibly be the first NBA star to become globally infamous because of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Nike and other brands don't bank on athletes with the image of being a Bitch.
It seems that as time goes by, tiny morsels of facts regarding "The Decision" and the rest of the farce that was NBA Free Agency 2010 emerge that lend more and more credence to the notion that Lebron's decision to join with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami was contrived well in advance of the start of the free agent signing period on July 1, 2010.
On SI.com's Dan Patrick Show, none other than Chris Bosh, the least talented of the Miami Big Three, was asked about Lebron's attempts to lure him to join the Cleveland Cavaliers. Reportedly, Lebron had spoken to Bosh about the possibility of joining the team in a sign and trade; an option that the Cavs would surely have entertained in order to keep James in Cleveland.
“We never had a discussion about Cleveland,” Bosh revealed, Wednesday morning. "We never really had discussions, period."
This simple statement greatly implicate that James had already closed the door on returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that originally drafted him out of high school first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, which finished the 2010 regular season with a 61-21 record and the best record in the league for the second consecutive season, could have arguably had the addition it needed to be title favorites by adding Chris Bosh and keeping James.
The Lebron James public spectacle, and the infamous "Decision", continues to baffle, particularly those who understand the game and business of basketball the best.
Larry Bird, or Larry Legend as he was known even during his playing days with the Boston Celtics during the 1980 and 1990's, is on record having voiced his disapproval of Lebron James' "Decision" to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, which is in line with the sentiment voiced recently by his Hall of Fame contemporaries, Michael Jordan and Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
"I remember back in my days, I'd rather play against Earvin Johnson than play with him. He's a guy I always compared myself to. I'd rather stay in Boston and let him stay in L.A. and just compete every year in the Finals. That's what made me a better player."
Bird's statement follows closely on the heels of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson's statements criticizing Lebron James decision to join the Miami Heat. By doing so, James, the most coveted free-agent of the decade, joined with the next two most talented free-agents in arguably the greatest free-agent class ever in the NBA. Essentially, the joining of James, Wade, and Bosh, though not as epic as a Magic, Bird, and Jordan triumverate, is about the closest thing that has, in fact, come to pass.
The Legends (Bird, Magic, and Jordan), the first-ballot Hall of Famers who were responsible for the international explosion in popularity of the NBA and basketball, have voiced their displeasure with "The Decision" because of what it may mean to the future of NBA. The competition between Bird and Magic defined an era in the NBA, and the dominance of Jordan through the 1990's was a tribute to the will and perseverance of the greatest player of all time.
Old-school fans of the NBA were treated to epic battles between the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen, however the Lebron decision was an admission of surrender and an inexplicable act of submission to another star in Wade.
When asked about Lebron's decision following a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada, Michael Jordan's reply to NBC Sports was this:
"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team, but that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. ... In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."
And in sports, it is that competitive fire that athletes are measured by, and that is why Bird, Magic, and Jordan have the legacy and legend that they do.
Magic Johnson, NBA great and former point guard and leader of the Showtime Lakers of the 1980's, joined a growing number of fans and NBA legends in criticizing the Decision of Lebron James to join forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
The long awaited and anticipated NBA Free Agenct Class of 2010, which saw quite possibly the most talented free agent class of all time become available to NBA teams with adequate cap space to sign them, dragged on for a week passed the first day of signing and ended with a Shyamalanian-twist, some of the most questionable choices by "grown" men, and the worst examples of poor judgment seen in any sport, ever.
Mere days after the debacle that was the ESPN-produced "The Decision", NBA greats have been approached about their opinions about Lebron's Decision.
When asked, Magic Johnson, who won five NBA championships playing for the Lakers after he led Michigan State to an NCAA title victory over Larry Bird and Indiana State in 1979, said it was never a real possibility for him to play with Michael Jordan and Bird.
"We didn't think about it 'cause that's not what we were about," Johnson said at Baruch College in New York, according to Bloomberg News. "From college, I was trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird."
"It was never a question in our mind because nobody has ever done that," Johnson said when looking back to his era.
Johnson's comments come only days after Michael Jordan told reporters at a weekend golf event that he'd rather beat Johnson and Bird than become their teammates.
"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team', " said Jordan, the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships.
"But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."
Of James, Johnson concluded, "I think he will be, one day, a great businessman. The first order of business for LeBron is to win championships. If you build your brand on the court, then that will take care of the off-the-court brand."
It doesn't seem that Johnson feels that James is a great businessman yet, and certainly not with his Decision.
This is my new favorite song! Thank you, Mike Polk! Lebron is a LeBiatch.
