Why Do People Love To Hate LeBron James?

That is my million dollar question. LeBron is a young, fun, loving, ‘kid at heart” kind of guy who if people really knew the real him and not the him the media has built…it would be hard to hate such a person. He’s even humble..yes I said humble! I can say that because I had the luxury of hanging out with LeBron at one of his birthday parties and he was everything I stated above and more. One thing is for sure tho ..before LeBron James even steps on the floor to play Game 7 tonight it's clear that he has already lost. More specifically, he has lost the right to lose.

Game 3: What They Need To Do..

WHAT THEY NEED TO DO:

SPURS:
Not turn it over 17 times.  Tim Duncan and Tony Parker CAN NOT have the shooting percentage they had in game 2 and expect to win another game in this series. Manu Ginobili. Well… he hasn’t played well for weeks now and was out of control with the ball in Game 2. In Game 2, the Spurs' big three (which is really a big 2 and ¾) shot 10-of-33 from the field. This means that it’s going to take another boost from their supporting cast to beat the Heat 3 more times. Hopefully this boost won’t be squandered as it was in Game 2. Danny Green had an amazing game…that went to waste. "We have three at home, so we're excited about that," Spurs  Tim Duncan said. "But if we play like we did (Sunday), that's not going to matter". Couldn't have said it better Timmy!

HEAT:
Chris Bosh needs to show up to the Game in his Big Man suit. Wade needs to play like he’s the second best player on the team (or as close as possible to it) and Lebron needs to play like the MVP. Not saying that he has played poorly, but he usually exerts his will on his opponents and that hasn't been happening.I hate to put this on Lebron..but his status as MVP and his salary says I have to. In the two games against San Antonio, he's averaging 17.5. That's not very Lebronish.me-time games and a Thanksgiving duel with the Raiders assures the nation we'll see plenty of the Cowboys next season. The opener against the Giants is a pace-setter, and we'll quickly find out if Tony Romo is able to earn his money with an October run against the Broncos, Redskins and Eagles. December will decide if Dallas is playoff material, with stretch games against the Bears, Packers, Redskins and Eagles. Credit to Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs. Oh...and those other guys in Heat uniforms have to step up, too.

WHO WINS?

SPURS!

That’s just how the Heat series’ have gone. Win..lose…win…lose. Plus they are one of the best home teams in the league. Darn..but Miami is the best road team in the league *throws hands in the hair*. I’m sticking with the Spurs! Final answer.
Game 3 is tonight (9 p.m. ET, ABC),

TEXAS 2 Step: Why Miami Heat Will Lose Finals To This Texas Team Too

 

For the third straight year, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat have made their way to the NBA Finals. And for the second time out of those three trips they are facing a team from TEXAS. The (My) Dallas Mavericks took the Heat down in 6 games to go on to win the teams first championship in 2011 (only to be completely blown up by Mark Cuban and a failure ever since) and now they face a Spurs’ team who are models of consistency and fundamentals for one of the NBA’s most clean cut organiztions.

For the first time since 2007, it’s the San Antonio Spurs representing the Western Conference in the championship round, with the same BIG THREE that won a title six years ago and heard plenty of whispers since then that they were too old to do it again.

But guess what! They are still winning. Not are they winning, but they are about to break the hearts of a would-be attempt at greatness. They did it to the Los Angeles Lakers in the mid-2000s, and they did it to the Phoenix Suns (all because Steve Nash broke his nose)….and they did it to James in the Finals in 2007, when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The BIG THREE THEORY:

The Spurs are led by Tim Duncan (37), Tony Parker (31) and Manu Ginobli (35). The Heat are led by the best player in the NBA, LeBron James (28), and his two high-priced sidekicks, Dwayne Wade (31) and Chris Bosh (29).

Popovich won the rights to Duncan in the 1997 lottery, and he discovered Ginobili with the No. 57 pick in 1999 and Parker at No. 28 two years later. On the other hand, viewed as a forgery on the traditional means of team-building, Pat Riley, saved up his money and went and got LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in Miami as free agents. The built team versus the “bought” team.
The Big Threes of the Heat and Spurs are separated by age and culture. Miami's three are peaking, while San Antonio's, according to some, are hanging on. But if these Finals turn out to be memorable, it will happen because the two trios are so evenly matched. For ever advantage that the Heat has…the Spurs has one. But something will have to give. Only one team can win
The outcome of these NBA Finals will give me waaaaay more to blog about if the Heat lose because LeBron and the Heat remain so much more fascinating in failure than with a championship. But if the Heat win they will have reached the back-to-back feat by knocking off the toughest foe possible.

Picture this: a second consecutive NBA championship, a third consecutive visit to the NBA Finals, a fourth MVP trophy. His leap into an altitude inhabited only by players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and, of course, Michael Jordan.

And all King’ James has to do is beat the San Antonio Spurs.

It sounds so simple right? I’m not so sure. We shall see, starting tonight.

Pick: Spurs in 6

NBA Tip-Off: Lebron Gets His Ring

The 2013 NBA season tips off tonight with Heat v Celtics followed by the Dallas Mavericks on the road to the L.A. Lakers (Side note: the Wizards are also playing the Cavaliers but…).

The Heat will receive their rings tonight in front of the very team they beat in order to make it to the NBA Finals last year. Hooray for King James!  This will also be the first time that Ray Allen, who now wears a Heat jersey, will face his former team since leaving them over in the offseason, despite receiving a more lucrative offer from Boston (I wonder why no one burned his jersey?!). That plot line just adds to the rivalry between these two teams. I will be pulling for Boston…only because I don’t feel like hearing Heat fans mouthsJ

 The Heat/Celtic matchup will be followed by a Dallas Maverick/Lakers showdown, that may or may not actually be a showdown. Both teams have a new look as far as personnel go but the Lakers have the more loaded team AKA the better team. Most NBA fans are approaching this game as if the Lakers are the Harlem Globetrotters and the Mavericks are the team that chases them around for the ball.

The Mavericks basically have gutted their 2011 NBA championship team in favor of players with less expensive and shorter contracts. Not only that but they will be without the face of the franchise, Dirk Nowitki and former All-Star Center Chris Kaman. The Lakers, on the other hand, will star Steve Nash and the NBA’s best big man Dwight Howard alongside superstars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Needless to say, that game may not be of much interest for an opening game but I’m sure the Mavs will keep it close..they may pull off the first upset of the seasonJ (yes, I am a Mavs fan).

Boston at Miami, 7:00PM (CST), TNT

Dallas at L.A.,  9:30PM (CST), TNT

Dear OKC, Beware of South Beach

The 2006 NBA Finals is one of those few events that I have avoided discussing in detail for the last 6 years. I considered the 2006 playoff run of the Dallas Mavericks to be one of the most exciting times of my sports life, but then the 8 days from Game 3 to Game 6 brought about the most depressing days of my sports life. The next week was a blur. I sat for days trying to figure out how in the heck did it come to this. They were so focused, so poised, so great in games 1 and 2. What happened?

......Then I took a trip to South Beach and had an epiphany. I had figured it out. The Mavericks were consumed by the topless tanning, thongs and night life taking place on South Beach. There was no way that a group of young men could compose themselves in such an atmosphere. I frequently saw many of the players out on the town here in Dallas and they always seemed to be having the time of their life so I knew that they were probably…no…they were on South Beach acting like a group of sheltered children who had finally been let out to play. Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, Jason Terry, and Devin Harris were (are) all party boys. There was no way they weren’t going to indulge in ALL that South Beach had to offer them. Coach Avery Johnson was so upset with how the team played in game 4 that he had the team pack its bags and move from their downtown hotel in Miami to a hotel in Fort Lauderdale. He figured his players were having too much fun soaking up the appeal & temptation of South Beach and weren't focused enough on the business of basketball. Johnson made them eat, drink and sleep at their Fort Lauderdale hotel and not leave the property. If he knew Miami like I know Miami…that would have been his move before game 4. It was too late….they had already been bit by the South Beach bug and there is no coming back from that.

That brings me to my fair warning to the kidos of OKC Thunder. The Thunder are a lot younger than those 2006 Mavericks were. They are about to spend the next 7 days in a city that is nothing like where they spend most of their year….in OKC. Bricktown doesn’t have anything on South Beach! I see some maturity on the court from Durant. I can probably trust that he will stay focused. Plus Mama Durant looks like she don't play that. However, South Beach does not discriminate. It will take the most laid back guy on the team and bring out a side of him that even his teammates didn’t know he had. James Harden is dating female rapper Trina…who is a hottie from Miami. I’m sure she has some friends lined up to cop them an NBA star. Parties will be popping. Lil Wayne will have one (inspite of how OKC has treated him), then Uncle Luke, Trina will take them to King of Diamonds and OKC will official lose its mind!

Is this wishful thinking on my behalf? Am I hoping that OKC is consumed and distracted by all the beautiful women, the delicious food, the parties, the beach? Yes, somewhatJ

My advice to Scott Brooks is this….take a page out of Avery Johnson’s book but do it today. I know they’re adults and no one should be telling them what to do, but this is business. They have a boss and their boss is going to have to pull on the reins if he wants his young guns to have a chance to leave South Beach with another game left to play in OKC.

You have been warned!

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Choke On This

….Is what was being said in the head of King James on Sunday as he and Wade defeated the Indiana Pacers in  Game 4 on Sunday. This of course in reference to bench warmer Lance Stephenson (who has scored fewer points in his two years in the NBA than Lebron has in his last five playoff games AND received his sixth DNP-CD in the Pacers nine postseason games)  directing the choke gesture to Lebron as he missed a free throw in Miami’s Game 3 loss to the Pacers. I said bad move little one…bad move.

Since joining the Miami Heat, LeBron James has been labeled a narcissist, choker, flopper, overrated, etc etc.. But on most nights he should be called the best basketball player in the world.

During Sunday’s Game 4 win against the Indiana Pacers, James became the first player since Elgin Baylor to go for 40 points (with no 3 pointers and 12-16 from the field), 18 rebounds and 9 assists in a playoff game. He outplayed the entire Pacers team in the 2^nd half. He lead the Heat in points scored, rebounds, assists, steals, and fell one short of leading in blocks.

James scored or assisted on 62 of the Heat's 101 points Sunday.

Lebron plays the role of Jordan, Rodman, Longley, and Paxson, and Wade plays Pippen.

With forward Chris Bosh out indefinitely, the James-Wade tag team saved the Heat.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 28 of Miami’s 30 points in the 3rd quarter (14 each), outscoring the entire Pacers team by 12 points in the quarter. The Heat seemed to be playing with two to Indiana's five.

Miami also got a huge lift down the stretch from Haslem, who has been a non-factor in the series but made four big jumpers in the final six minutes.

 The Heat now head home back with the matchup now coming down to a best-of-three series with two of the games in MIA.

I err on the side of caution…as amazing as James/Wade performances were, the Pacers hung tough, they wouldn’t go away…you wonder if Miami can win it all without an extraordinary performance out of James AND Wade every night. You can’t play 2 on 5 against San Antonio or OKC…. if they make it that far.

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NBA Playoffs: They Did What?!

My, my, my how things can change in just two days! The opening round of the NBA playoffs gave the sport world lots of things to discuss on this Monday morning. Here is what the Beauty of Sports pondered on this morning over my cup of tea.

Rajon Rondo: Rondo wins the “dunce cap” award after he did the one thing no team wants to see from its leader in the postseason: He got himself ejected for something that shouldn’t have happened with 41seconds left in the game! Rondo tried selling that it was his momentum that carried him into the ref, but if we know anything about Stew…. we know he isn’t buying. Rondo finished with 22 points,11 assists. Where are the Celtics going to get that production for Game 2?

Kevin Durant: Lucky shot..next…

Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs gave the young, talented Oklahoma City Thunder all they could handle in their opener Saturday but fell short. With 2:20 to go Dallas held a seven point lead at 94-87. The Mavs have to close games out. Period. Serge Ibaka won’t score 22 again (or maybe he will…there is no inside presence). They need more JET in the 4th. The NBA Champs aren’t gonna go down without a fight. They’ll bite an ear if they have to!