On LeBron and the Finals

Look, I'm not really a basketball guy, and especially not an NBA guy, but the playoffs generally find me at least catching some of many of the games. I also live in Ohio, so I'm in the midst of all the anti-LeBron venom that spews from these parts. I will say, however, that almost none of the people I associate with seem to be all that upset with him. In my estimation, those people you see on ESPN, being interviewed by Mark Schwartz while scarfing down their food at the Winking Lizard, are not representative of the general feelings of Ohioans. But I suppose if I were being interviewd for a SportsCenter piece, I might play up my feelings just a bit as well. There's your 15 minutes, people, enjoy it.

Now, I'm not saying that I am a LeBron fan in any way. I never have been, nor ever will I be. For starters, I despise all sports teams in Ohio, so disliking him (and the Cavs) was natural for me. Yes, the guy is gifted, but so are Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Deron Williams, Blake Griffin, etc. I don't like those guys, either. I am a fan, and as such I am irrational in my likes and dislikes of certain players for no given reason. It could be because they play for a team that once tormented my favorite squad, or that they went to a college I don't root for, or whatever. LeBron falls on the side of dislike. The Decision didn't change that for me. For the record, I do like Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosh, just not LeBron (or Mike Miller, or Udonis Haslem).

So while I was pulling for the Mavericks, one might assume it was because I don't like LeBron, but that's just not the case. I was pulling for Dallas because I love Mark Cuban as an owner, I think Rick Carlisle got a raw deal with the Pistons and is a better coach than he gets credit for, and I like seeing players finally get that ring.

Look at Jason Kidd in particular. Kidd is 38 years old and is a shell of his former self athletically. He plays very little defense, but he's become a very good 3-point shooter (people forget that teams used to dare him to shoot, leaving him wide-open all the time) and is still one of the best at running a team on the floor. Kidd has been to the Finals twice before and come up empty, but he is a future Hall-of-Famer, and a lot of guys would have retired by now rather than play on at less than the player he once was. That he finally gets a ring (and played a major role in doing so) resonates with me.

In addition to Kidd (who, for the record, I never liked, but always respected), guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, and Jason Terry have long been favorites of mine. Seeing this collection of grizzled veterans and former play-off failures come together and win a ring was a good story. That it came against the Heat, with their pre-season championship celebration, does give it a little extra something as well, I won't lie. When you start talking about winning "not five, not six, not seven" championships before you've even suited up for your first practice, I take a little extra satisfaction when you fail. Being confident is one thing, being over-the-top cocky is another. Win first, then talk.

I'm a realist I think. I fully expect that LeBron and the Heat will win their title, probably multiple titles, and soon. But knowing that for the next 12 months, LeBron will have to hear about it, will have to live with the weight of the world on his shoulders, well, as much as it makes me a bad person, I kinda enjoy that.

You know what really brought up all the venom for me? "I'm taking my talents to South Beach." He couldn't have said "I'm joining the Miami Heat"? Nope. He decided to show his arrogance to the world and when you do that, you'd better be able to back it up. In the biggest moments of games he called the biggest of his life, James didn't want any part of the spotlight. You cannot have it both ways. You can't demand the spotlight off the court and pronounce yourself a King and then shrink away when it's time for you to reign. That's what he did and until he is able to rise to the moment instead of running from it, the Heat will be in trouble.