It still hasn’t gotten old.
Every day I wake up and I ask myself, “Am I still living in a world where the Boston Celtics choked away a 13 point lead in the second half of Game 7 to lose to the Lakers?” And then I’ll hop on my BlackBerry and confirm: indeed, I am living in such a world. And such a world is a beautiful place.
……
This off-season has seen seismic shifts in the power hierarchy of the NBA. Amar’e Staudemire left for the bright lights (and #8 seed) of New York. Carlos Boozer went to Chicago (who quietly built themselves a very solid squad in the wake of losing the LeBronathon). And Darko Milicic signed a contract that will pay him to suck at his profession and make more money in one year than I’ll probably make in six lifetimes.
The big news came from “South Beach”, where Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade looked at each other and said, “You know what? 80 degree weather in December, stupid amounts of models, playing basketball together, when we’re in the physical primes of our lives… it’s something that sounds fun.”
LeBron definitely threw away his chance to be considered the greatest of all time. And, he definitely broke one of the foundational cruxes that makes the NBA so great: one man can dominate a game like in no other sport; and alpha males don’t join forces–they try to beat each other. And on top of that, this is all happening in Miami–easily the biggest bandwagon sports town in America. It’s hard for me to think of a lesser deserving fanbase in sports to be able to watch this team 41 nights a year.
But, As a 23 year old, I guess I understand. If two of my friends and I were three of the top six or seven players in the NBA, and we had a chance to play basketball together in a town featuring a bottomless pit of groupies and 80 degree days in December… it’s hard for me to pretend I would care about anybody’s opinion on my legacy. It’s not a fun realization, but it’s true: I doubt LeBron is losing any sleep over how people like you and me view his legacy.
Next: The NBA’s Newest Rivalry
I understand the hate for the Heat. And I will certainly be cheering against them all season, because they are a threat to the Lakers. (I’ve accepted the fact that there is no way they don’t win 60+ games next year with LeBron, relieved of the pressures of having to ball every night for his team to have a chance, sleep-walking his way to a 20-14-10 stat-line by season’s end).
While it’s okay for the Lakers Nation to hate the Heat, I think every one of us should be thankful for their existence.
That’s right: thankful.
…..
Three years ago, after the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers by 268 points in the decisive Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals, much was made about Kobe’s legacy.
He will never win anything without Shaq.
He will never be a guy who makes his teammates better.
He will go down as the best side-kick in the history of the NBA.
Kobe will never compare to Michael Jordan.
… and on and on and on.
I’m sure every Lakers fan in the country heard something along those lines. And when my friends were ribbing me about Kobe’s failures, I remember saying, “His career isn’t over yet. He just turned 30. The Lakers sun is still rising, not setting, like the Celtics.”
Next: Two Years and Two Titles Later…
Now, here we are, two summers later. Kobe Bryant has added two championships and two NBA Final MVP awards to his trophy case.
And yet, much is still made of the decisive Game 7 in which Kobe went 8-24. (Followers of me on Twitter will note the many lamentations I had during this performance). They look at that and say, “He’ll never be Jordan.”
Nobody notes that Kobe Bryant, in the last three years: Run to the NBA Finals, Olympic Gold Medalist, Championship run, followed by another championship run. Kobe missed 5 games in that span. Five. He’s also playing with a broken index finger (the trigger finger) that may never be the same again, as well as basically playing on one knee. Because Kobe is such a warrior, people tend to take this for granted.
(A quick aside, this summer, while mowing, I sliced my right hand’s index finger open (yes, on a mower, save the jokes about my idiocy, I’m well aware) and it required 13 stitches and a splint, much like Kobe Bryant wore all season. That thing affected my BEER PONG shot and turned my God-awful basketball jump shot into probably the worst jump shot since the NBA was made up of primarily white guys who were chain smoking Marlboro Reds. Words cannot describe how it affected my handling/shooting. People really don’t understand the difficulty Kobe is fighting through when wearing something like that).
Kobe had a bad Game 7, but when the Lakers needed buckets and free throws to close the Celtics out–there was Mr. Bryant. Handling his business like usual. After the game, he admitted to feeling the bone-crushing pressure that had been placed on him during the Finals, a moment of honesty that reminds you the guy is indeed human.
Next: No Longer King of His Team…
This summer, LeBron James looked at the NBA. He saw Kobe and his five crowns, he saw the Thunder’s sun rising in the distance, he saw the Celtics, Magic, Bulls, and Heat all getting better. He looked at his roster (a roster that had been compiled to ‘win-now’, a mentality LeBron forced on the Cavs through his ridiculous contract set-ups and refusal to commit any part of his future to Cleveland) and decided he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t lead a team to an NBA title by himself. So he fled to Miami to play second fiddle to Wade.
While basketball fans across the country bemoaned LeBron’s decision, Kobe Bryant licked his lips in anticipation, because Kobe knows the opportunity that’s being presented to him now.
Let’s say the Miami Heat make it to the NBA Finals and play the Lakers. No guarantee, but there’s a good chance these two teams will lock horns in the next year to three years.
Michael Jordan never played against the likes of the 3-headed monster now lurking in Miami. For all his great accomplishments (and there are many), Kobe will finally be given an opportunity to do something that Michael Jordan never did. And he will relish it.
Say Kobe and the Lakers beat the Heat next year, and a fully rested and rejuvenated Kobe not only locks down Dwyane Wade, but also spear-heads an efficiently ruthless attack through the heart of the 3-headed monster? What will that do to his legacy?
This is all meaningless conjecture, but still, critics of Kobe Bryant, and people always desperate to compare him to Jordan are making the same mistake they made two years ago: writing Kobe’s legacy as if it’s already complete and something you can write with finality about.
Next: Beating the Heat
So, yes, Lakers Nation, hate the Heat. Their bandwagon fan base, Chris Bosh’s constant pining for relevancy, Dwyane Wade’s smug “Hey, Jordan may have not asked to play with Magic and Bird, but he’d have surely let them come serve in his court” smile, along with the pompous LeBron James… they will be an easy team to hate, I assure you. And I will be right there with you, cheering for an implosion of epic proportions.
But, be grateful for them and the opportunity they provided for the legacy of the greatest player to ever don the Forum Blue and Gold.
Because, right now, that player is leaned back in the throne room and rubbing his hands together, giddy for the opportunity.