Flash!

The Miami Heat won the NBA championship last night, and apparently I'm the only human being on earth who is happy about it. I understand Dallas and their "team game", their "contributors", their "chemistry", etc... But Mark Cuban is a nut and everything about Dirk Nowitzki creeps me out.

But Sports Guy argues that this Miami Heat victory will ruin the NBA, because it will cause teams to be based around a superstar and and a not fantastic supporting cast. Every team will believe that they can win a title buy building around one superstar (Carter/Pierce/Arenas) and not putting the right complementary pieces together.

Easy, Bill. First, that's ridiculous. So one team wins the title and suddenly the entire NBA will look and say, "Okay, let's just get ourselves a Dwayne Wade and then we're set!" There aren't exactly a lot of Wade's out there, in fact it's pretty much Wade, Lebron, and Kobe, and then the next level of guys. Detroit knew that it didn't have the individual scoring talent to win a title, so it muscled up, got a good coach, and played good defensive basketball. Teams will do what they have to in order to win; they will use the personnel they have or go out and get better players. But when your team has an absolute A lister like Wade, you can build the team around him and know that if you do it the right way, you can win a championship that way. Duncan/Kobe/Michael/Hakeem/Isaiah all show that, although some of their supporting casts were better.

Secondly, the Heat bench and "role players" aren't the scrubs they are made out to be. Just like Michael didn't win until he got Pippen off and running and a good front line (and he shared the ball), Wade won when he got a great and active front line who got offensive rebounds, knocked down jump shots, and blocked shots. The Heat wouldn't have won Game Six if it wasn't for Mourning's 5 blocked shots. Granted, Wade didn't have to wait as long, but that's all about his GM/Coach spending the money and putting the right pieces together. Antoine (and it pains me to say this) had a great Game Six too, and Jason Williams played well.

It would be great if the NBA could be like the 1980's Celtics/Lakers every year, but Bird, Magic, Kareem, and McHale were unique players. We'll never see anything like them again. I dislike Detroit basketball just like I disliked the 90's Knicks and Heat basketball. But this Heat team is exciting not because of the style of ball that it plays but because the opportunity that we have to see Dwayne Wade play. Yes, the Mavericks were fun to watch, because of Dirk and because of all the guys who could knock down jump shots, but, like early Jordan, I like watching a player who can take over a game by driving to the basket and hitting tough jumpers. And if that player rebounds and passes like Wade does, then how can you not enjoy it? Watching Kobe, Lebron, and Wade fight it it out for 10-15 more years? I'm there.