Tales of the NBA Finals and its forgotten match-up

First appeared on June 14th, 2011
in The Lebanon Reporter

Congratulations Dallas Mavericks. You won what was the most exciting NBA Finals in recent memory. And spare us the “I’m going to Disneyworld” bit, we all know you ‘re headed back to Big D where owner Mark Cuban has likely contracted to host a yearlong Championship celebration complete with Fire Eating Cheerleaders and Barnstorming Chimpanzees.
Champagne showers aside, these Finals were about match ups. But as intriguing as they were, the greatest match-up wasn’t Udon versus Dirk or LeBron versus the Jet (and while we’re on match-ups a quick note for Erik Spoelstra-Mario Chalmers cannot guard J.J. Barea), rather this was about a larger match-up.
A match-up that no coach has control over. One that is timeless and will perhaps never be decided. We are of course talking about Fans of the NBA verus Fans of Real Basketball.
Fans of the NBA love the Miami Heat for their “Big 3”. Fans of Real Basketball loathe them for attempting to buy their way to a championship. Fans of the NBA were smitten by the glitz and pageantry of the “Big 3’s” pre-season celebration. Fans of Real Basketball would rather them have built some real chemistry by going to a gym and working out instead of going all Meg Ryan on us and faking chemistry all year by shaking hands and hugging after each win.
Fans of the NBA love LeBron for his highlight dunks and Dwayne Wade for his ability to contort his body and still finish shots. Fans of Real Basketball love Brian Cardinal for sacrificing his body and not complaining about spotty playing time. They also respect the way Jason Kidd used his brain to shave 10 years off his age.
Fans of the NBA relish the notion of two Superstars joining forces with another All Star to pursue a championship. Fans of Real Basketball love guys like J.J. Barea and Shawn Marion; players who were unheralded coming out of high school and were forced to pay their dues en route to earning everything they have to this point.
Don’t get me wrong. Both groups love basketball in one form or another. However Fans of the NBA wanted LeBron and Dwayne Wade to continue hoisting 3’s when their team was down double digits with less than 3 minutes left. Fans of real basketball wanted to see the Heat get the ball to the rim and play better defensively so that the game would have been closer and thusly more exciting.
Fans of the NBA loved the first half’s bench clearing “skirmish” brought on by an encounter between Udonis Haslem and Deshawn Stevenson. Fans of Real Basketball were too busy retching their nachos over the disgustingly bad foul shooting to even notice. Fans of the NBA loved the fact the referees could go to the monitor to try and sort out the “skirmish”. Fans of Real Basketball would rather them have let emotions brew to cultivate drama and transform the play of the respective teams.
In the end Fans of the NBA are left to wonder how the “Big 3” couldn’t get it done while Fans of Real Basketball understand Dallas is simply proof championships are best earned, not bought. Fans of Real Basketball appreciate the fact the Mavericks have labored for 5 long years just for a chance to get this point (For Kidd it’s been 17). Fans of Real Basketball also recognize Rick Carlisle was thrown on the scrap heap by two different franchises before finding someone who believed in him again. Unfortunately Fans of the NBA are too busy mourning the Heat to notice the real pageantry.


© 2011 Eric Walker Williams