Jun 18, 2012

The Big 3: Saving the NBA One Day at a Time

There's a rumor circulating that this off-season we could see Deron Williams, Eric Gordon, and Dwight Howard end up playing together next year. According to some rumor mill, the Hornets might be looking to move the number one pick (Anthony Davis), Al-Farouq Aminu, and Jason Smith for Howard, and will have enough room to re-sign Gordon, and bring in Williams on top of that. Already seeing a profit from the Chris Paul deal, this rumor could mean such incredible things for the NBA if it's true.

The only problem is it isn't true. The other problem on top of that, is that you didn't have a problem with those three players joining forces to play together, so why do you have a problem with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh playing together, in their second finals in as many seasons, on the cusp of winning their first (of not one, not two...) championship?

As crappy of an example as I used (they're the top potentially available players this off-season), isn't it good for the NBA to see good players who aren't winning alone team up to win together? Even if deep down inside you're hating the Heat and their Big 3, that sure isn't what the ratings say. The Heat/Celtics Eastern Conference Finals drew the highest preliminary rating for an NBA playoff game on cable since records started being kept in 2003! And don't tell me it's because of the "historied" Celtics, they weren't drawing ratings like this when they were beating up on LeBron's Cavs a couple of years ago.

The Finals ratings so far have been even better, being the highest they've been since 2004. Whether it's because you love to hate the Heat, or you're just compelled by them, it's inarguable that Miami's Big Three, and everyone else's for that matter, joining forces is GREAT for the league. You could make the argument that the Celtics formed their own Big 3 (Pierce, Garnett, Allen, duh) first and that teams have been trying to emulate that formula, but it seems since LBJ, Wade, and Bosh joined forces it's become what every team's trying to do, or what the NBA is trying to portray their teams as having.

The Knicks went out and signed Amar'e Stoudemire, first they paired him with Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups and that was a Big 3, then they amnestied Billups to sign Tyson Chandler, which became it's very own Big 3. Stoudemire and Melo go down and Jeremy Lin wins seven-straight games and it's Lin, Melo, STAT...until Lin goes down again and Chandler reassumes his spot.

The Thunder have their Big 3 (Harden, Westbrook, Durant), so do the Spurs (Parker, Ginobili, Duncan), the Lakers (Gasol, Bynum, Kobe), people even still talk about the Celtics Big 3 when you can argue Rajon Rondo's been the teams best player for the last three seasons.

The ratings are higher than ever for the NBA, and part of it is because the Heat, and other teams stacked with several all-star caliber players, turned the league into must watch television. Whether you have to tune in to see them lose, or you appreciate their defense, maybe you actually appreciate watching the best player in the league on a nightly basis, you're watching, and truth be told, you're loving what you're seeing.

Even if it's not Miami, even if it's the Knicks and the Bulls, or the Mavs and the Thunder, or the Lakers and the Grizzlies, you're intrigued because these good teams are piecing together talent, and stringing together high-profile players through free agency and trades because they have to keep up with the Heat.

Whether Miami accumulated its players through the draft, trades, free agency, it doesn't make a difference in a league where every team is playing with the same salary cap. In fact, it's almost more impressive to me that these guys wanted to win so badly (at least LeBron and Bosh) that they took a pay-cut (and a lime-light cut) to play together.

People always talk about how arrogant, how cocky, how Hollywood they are, what's Hollywood about sacrificing personal accolades to accomplish team success? Is LeBron really that bad of a person for leaving a team that he gave seven unbelievable seasons to without getting any legitimate personnel help? Bosh made the playoffs twice in seven seasons with Toronto, you knew he was out. And D-Wade, good for you, you did a better job than any other team with cap space playing the role of recruiter, and bringing your already championship-winning team the best player of our generation and a Bosh.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen LeBron win a championship without having to team with two other Olympic caliber players. Even if it wasn't with the Knicks, the last thing I wanted to see was him go to another team with BOTH Wade and Bosh. But he did, and you know what, they haven't exactly taken the league by storm like the 1995-96 Bulls. They are, however, one of the better teams in a pretty competitive league the last couple of seasons, and have worked as hard as any team to get as far as they've gotten, especially since they're a very, very thin roster after you get past the aforementioned Big 3.

I get that LeBron went from good to evil when he embarrassed the city of Cleveland on national television and chose the "easy" way out, he should rot in hell, I know. His unmatched arrogance (he's actually the first athlete to have an ego) combined with his overrated skill-set and lack of clutch play make him as easy of a player to root against as I've ever seen.

Either that or his unmatched intensity on both ends of the court, combined with some players who won't leave their games at home in big spots, makes the NBA the most exciting it's been since Michael Jordan was on his quest for his first ring. He absolutely choked last season in the finals, we saw, but right now he's outplaying the league's scoring champ on both ends, and doing everything he can to win a ring for not just himself, but his teammates. Just face it, you hate the Heat and say they're bad for basketball, but really, you're still salty that LeBron chose to be a better teammate than be a savior for a team. To me this is just unacceptable from basketball fans and journalists alike.

We saw seven years of LeBron trying to be a martyr, and as good as it was because it fully displayed how incredible he was playing with a bunch of zeroes, it's better now to see him bringing it on a bigger stage, with someone who could play Pippen to his Jordan. We may get upset when he has a bad night and Wade picks up his slack, but that's what makes this sport great.

Look around the league; if Durant's not winning games for OKC, Westbrook or Harden are. If it's not Pierce and Garnett, it's Rondo. The Spurs get a huge night out of Parker and 10 points or less even out of Duncan, and they can afford to do it because they're a team helping each other out. Why aren't LeBron or the rest of the Heat entitled to this luxury known as teammates?

While I know you're going to keep rooting against them, I also know you're going to be tuning in. So all I can say is, enjoy this, because one day when you get over LeBron spurning you, your team, or whatever dream you had in mind for the two highly anticipated years leading up to his decision, you'll be thankful that LeBron and his Big 3 teammates made the NBA as exciting as it's been in a number of years. Whether they're taking on Durant, Westbrook and Harden, or by some chance Williams, Gordon and Howard, these superstar match-ups and superstar rivalries make for better basketball.

Thank you Miami, and if you win, I sure as hell aren't mad at you.

No comments: