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May 11, 2011As the Miami Heat leads their series with the Boston Celtics, ESPN reports that the Celtics provided the blueprint for what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh put together in Miami. “Seeing guys make sacrifices to come together and play as one. They set the blueprint and went out there and did it. They won a championship. They competed every year” James said.
“With LeBron losing to Boston in Cleveland in the playoffs, he felt like, ‘I gotta do more, I need to be around more to contend for a championship,’ ” Wade said. “Me feeling the same way going into the summer, saying that I needed more, it was because of Boston. They knocked us out.”
Prior to this season I couldn’t stand Boston. Kevin Garnett’s fake tough guy attitude must have provided the blueprint for Chris Bosh. KG was seemingly always picking on guys the size of Spud Webb. Then there’s the fact that he demanded a trade out of Minnesota, which was then granted by former Celtics legend Kevin McHale. You know the deal is bad when Bill Simmons is getting the better end of it for his Celtics and still can’t figure out how it is possible.
“My NBA guide claims that McHale retired from the Celtics in 1993, but apparently that’s a misprint,” wrote Simmons. “How else could you explain his decision to trade Kevin Garnett to Boston for the Al Jefferson pu pu platter deluxe?” At least in this case you could still root for your GM to get the better end of a trade.
Meanwhile, as the Cavaliers were battling for the Eastern Conference every year I thought there was some moral highground around suffering all those years and then winning the lottery like the Cavaliers had done. My biggest mistake was thinking there was any kind of moral high ground to be had in the NBA.
When it came time to watch the NBA playoffs this season, it shouldn’t be any wonder that I was looking for excuses to not care about rooting against the Heat than I was for teams to beat them. Now that James and Wade have come out saying that the Celtics were their model? Even worse.
Plus, notice something about this new NBA? Has anyone mentioned the fans at all? They’re an afterthought in every scenario. As if the exorbitant amounts of money aren’t enough. These guys don’t care about anything but themselves and what’s good for them personally. The Heat took the Celtics model a step further too. The Celtics were built by general managers with trades. The Heat basically built themselves based on aligned free agency dates and a little bit of mentorship from Pat Riley.
Defenders of the league still start crowing about TV ratings and how amazing the NBA game is in the playoffs this year. On a technicality I guess I can’t disagree with them. These matchups are just as amazing as any set card that Vince McMahon could draw up for Wrestlemania in a given year. Problem is that I am not an NBA fan nearly as much as I am a Cavaliers fan.
I get the feeling that David Stern and company don’t really care though. They figure the more the players move around the more “NBA fans” they can breed instead of fans who are tied to a local team exclusively. The biggest criticisms I have received for my commentary on the NBA playoffs is from NBA fans who just want to see the best matchups all the time. Maybe it is my problem, but I will never be able to think that way.
That’s why I can’t root for the Celtics. The enemy of my enemy just isn’t a satisfactory enough strategy for me this year. I’ll just be waiting it out until I can root for the Cavaliers again.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
33 Comments
Agreed. I’ll probably root for the Bulls, but if they fail then I am a huge Mavs fan. Either way, this sucks.
I think these playoffs have been some of the best ever, but that’s just as much because of the play of the “small-market” teams like Memphis and OKC as it is for the “superteams” like the Heat and Celtics. Also, I like how with the Lakers getting swept, the Spurs losing in round one, and the Celtics going down, its sort of represented a changing of the guard in the NBA. Finally, I 100% agree with you about not being able to root for Boston. Simply rooting for whoever is playing the Heat isn’t really a fun cheering strategy, and makes Clevelanders look bitter (though of course if anybody has a right to be bitter, we do). I would never root for the Heat, but I still can’t bring myself to root for Boston and their obnoxious, entitled fans.
I have no qualms rooting for the Celtics if only to expose something the Bulls and or Mavs/Thunder/Grizz can use in subsequent rounds.
I hate the Bulls as well, but will root for them over Miami. The good thing is that all 3 remaining teams in the West are easy to root for over Miami.
NBA execs need to look at the current NFL situation to see what they’re going to look like in 2 months. Only difference is that people actually care about the NFL and want to see it resolved. At least the NFL/owners feign caring about its fan base and showing an effort to try and resolve the lockout (at least a little bit); NBA execs (yes, you, David Stern) rule from a high throne and don’t seem to care about jeopardizing a large part of their local markets.
One slight lockout will drive the NBA’s presence in American sports closer to that of the NHL. I, for one, will be glad when it happens.
So you won’t be able to root for the Bulls in the next round either, right?
Let’s all jump on the Dirk bandwagon now, right before the wheels fall off (or maybe they fall off from the extra weight …).
not that i’m bitter or anything. ha.
It has sickened me to root for Pierce and his constant bitching and Garnett and his fake tough guy act, but they are most definitely the lesser of two evils. Of course in typical Cleveland fashion, when we want those Celtics clowns to actually win, they’re going to lose, due in no small part to Wade’s WWE-style takedown of Rondo that crippled him.
addendum: I am a huge NBA fan and huge Cavs fan, but if you’re more a fan of the Cavs than the NBA, I can totally see why these playoffs would suck.
Interesting take, Craig. I’ll have to sheepishly admit that I was pulling for Rondo to have a miraculous recovery to beat Miami the other night. However, in a moment of self consciousness I ended up scolded myself for thinking that way.
It is certainly weird, because one year ago I never would have even considered wishing victory on Boston at all. Now I see it as the lesser of two evils.
And this is exactly why I can’t watch these playoffs.
Also, watching the Indians pull out miracle win after miracle win every night is INFINITELY more gratifying then cheering for someone else’s team to lose. It’s also very convenient that the time slots cover each other, so I can effectively pretend the NBA doesn’t really exist.
My hatred for the Celtics went out the window last July. Maybe it shouldnt have, but it did. Ive been rooting for them all year to take out Miami. I wanted to see LeBron switch teams and get the same old result, lose to Boston.
Oh well, there are 2 teams left in the tournament that are a combined 5-0 against Miami this season (Chicago and Dallas) so we shall see what happens. However, I do grudgingly admit that Miami is clearly the favorite at this point. When LeBron asserts himself like he did in games 2 and 4, (or games 1 and 3 last year) you aint gonna beat them.
The enemy of my enemy is still the Celtics…and since they occupy the same city as the Red Sox I hate them.
Didn’t the NBA lose millions of dollars due to half the league having bad teams? I remember reading it somewhere, just can’t remember. So defenders can crow all they want, the league is losing money and the lockout is coming. Only problem is fans do not care about basketball like they do about football.
Nah i’m still going w/ “the enemy of my enemy” deal. I hope the Celts come back somehow although it’s obvious they’re toast. I just don’t want to see #6’s douchbaggery get rewarded, especially this year. And I’m starting to understand why SCott Raab doesn’t care what the nat’l media thinks about us being “bitter.” Who cares what those clowns think? They’ll bag on Cleveland regardless..
These NBA playoffs have been very entertaining, but we are forgetting all the entertainment has come from the Western conference where you actually have to have a record well over .500 to get into the playoffs. The Chi/Ind series was somewhat competive game to game but that didn’t translate into enough wins for Ind to make it a series. Orl/Atl series wasn’t anything great. The Mia/Philly series was awful.
I really hope I’m wrong with the following statement: The Bulls will win 1 game against Miami in the conference finals. I know the Bulls beat them in the regular season, but who do the Bulls have that can score besides Rose. Deng, maybe? The Heat have great perimeter defenders who should be able to keep Rose out of the lane most of the time. Boozer has been non-existent. Gibson only scores on dunks or when the game is already in hand.
If the Heat win the championship it will be an awful day and I will most likely break stuff around my house, so let’s hope Chicago or Dallas or whoever they play can knock them off.
I decided at the start of the playoffs that I’d follow the winner of the Mavs/Trailblazers series. Both fan bases are due a championship IMO. Mavs have been entertaining so far.
I dont think Dallas will win the title, but if they did it would be a GREAT story. They won 57 games this year and NOBODY considered them a serious contender heading into the postseason. It would be great to see them break through and finally win one after all those playoff failures. I still cant believe that they destroyed the Lakers like they did.
The argument from NBA toadies that the playoffs are “better” this year also grates. (Not saying that is your argument, Craig).
Why are they better? Because Cleveland’s not involved? If the Cavs were up 3-1 on the Celtics and were finally on the brink of breaking their playoff voodoo against Boston that wouldn’t be a compelling story?
And the more I see Bosh struggle as the No. 3 in Miami makes me shudder to think how he would have held up as the No. 2 in Cleveland if he would have come here.
I’m not enjoying the playoffs this year, but I flip them on now and then. Agreed that it’s hard to root for the Celtics, but I do love watching Rondo play point guard like a maestro, even w/ one arm.
I am a Cleveland fan first. Then a Cavs fan. Then an NBA fan. I can’t fathom how any Cleveland Cavalier fan wouldnt root for Boston this one time.
@Chris M
I like your name; I have the same one but i like your take even better.
Celtics who? Heat what?
As a Cleveland fan first and an NBA fan last my attention has been completely focused on the Indians and not the most corrupt, pathetic, whining, fake league in professional sports.
Why would any Cleveland sports fan be saying GO CELTICS right now when they could use the same breath to say GO TRIBE?
AIR IS A FINITE RESOURCE. CHRISTOPHER IS CORRECT THAT WE SHOULD USE IT WISELY.
/rollTribe
“With LeBron losing to Boston in Cleveland in the playoffs, he felt like, ‘I gotta do more, I need to be around more to contend for a championship,’ ” Wade said. “Me feeling the same way going into the summer, saying that I needed more, it was because of Boston. They knocked us out.”
that quote REALLY pisses me off. needs more to contend?? WTF?! lebron was already on a team that had the best record IN THE NBA 2 straight years. his team was already a perennial pre-season and pre-playoffs favorite to win it all. he was already in an NBA finals. he thinks thats not contending?! give me a break. his choice to go to miami was not about “contending.” it was all about playing with his friends, and not having to deal with all the pressure of the #1 guy yet hopefully reaping the benefits that a #1 guy would get. in other words, he wanted the easy road to contend.
@22 Mike
Totally with you on that one. Wade was stuck on a 40 win team that couldnt get out of the first round. The Cavs won 66 and 61 games in 2009 and 2010, huge difference. And, in my opinion, Miami this year is no better than Cleveland was last year. Of course Wade and LeBron are a great duo, but from top to bottom that roster isnt any better than ours was.
Plus, we were up on Boston 2-1 before Quitness threw in the towel. Ill always believe that we would have won that series if Prince James hadn’t taken his foot off the gas.
I agree with you, I think LeBron saw teaming up with Wade as the fastest and easiest way to rack up a bunch of titles. Jordans got 6, Kobe has 5, the self proclaimed “King” has none.
@Nate_$ – “The Heat have great perimeter defenders”
who are these great perimeter defenders that will stop Rose? Wade/LeBron tend to not guard Rose because he is much quicker than them (he has the advantage of being smaller) and they don’t want to get unnecessary fouls. so, Chalmers?
“I get the feeling that David Stern and company don’t really care though. They figure the more the players move around the more “NBA fans” they can breed instead of fans who are tied to a local team exclusively.”
Stern never cared. Until the 1980’s the NBA was local and virtually invisible. Nobody around here spoke about the great Celtic teams in the ’60s. Dare you to find anyone who watched Lenny’s Sonics win their championship. Stern built the product by creating a national fan, first by exploiting the natural drama of Bird v. Magic, east coast v. west, and the unspoken racial dynamics of that match-up. When that ended he morphed the marketing to larger than life dramas everyone could follow, Jordan v. Bad Boys, Garnett screaming and Superman Shaq. Local is antithetical Stern’s marketing directives, he’s all about the global interest. The idea is to create a narrative that people in Topeka and Osaka with no teams will feel compelled to watch.
Can’t watch these playoffs because the facade that players play, maybe just a little, for their local fans was proudly dispelled by our own guy for the global audience the league seeks. I understand why his marketing guys thought The Decision was a fine idea – I’m a global icon, so let’s make it global, right? Maybe I’ll watch the playoffs next year, when I’m again ready to pretend “my” players are almost ready to represent “my team” on the big stage.
@24
I didn’t say stop Rose. I said keep him out of the lane. Rose is going to get his, but they can alternate Wade and LeBron on him. I can’t think of a defender in the league that can keep up with Rose. He is one of the quickest players with the ball in the league. With that being said, LeBron can push him and around and keep him out of the lane with his size, strength, and ball denial. Wade has always been a good on ball defender. When Rose does get to the lane he has Joel Anthony waiting to drop him on his a$$ 6 times. After that old man Howard will be there for 6 more. The Heat play good team defense and when your team defense only has to focus on one player it makes it much easier.
Like I said in the other post. I hope I’m wrong about this and Miami loses, but after watching almost every playoff game it doesn’t look good.
As long as the Heat and Celtics beat on each other mercilessly and expose the weak points in the other’s game, it really doesn’t matter who wins, except that the winner demolishes whoever wins the other series. Go Mavs/Thunder
Here’s a perfect reason to stop watching the NBA..how many teams have won the title in the past 30 years? SEVEN…..if you’re not following the Lakers, Spurs, Rockets, Heat, Bulls, Pistons, or Celtics; don’t waste your money, you have no chance..I’m convinced that Detroit and Houston will magically get a top 3 pick in the lottery next week……the other leagues in the same time span..MLB-16, NFL-15, NHL-14…….NBA IS A JOKE
The Celtics are certainly the lesser of two evils. Last summer, it became much easier for me to cheer for the teams that I once hated.
I understand the people who don’t want to watch anymore, but to those who still watch and claim that they can’t cheer for the Celtics: How do you match sports if you are neutral to the outcome? I can’t do it. Being totally neutral about a game kind of defeats the purpose of the game.
DWade should of spent a game on the bench for sweeping the leg
I tried to still hate the Celtics at the beginning of this season, but I realized that I don’t care about them and so I don’t hate them. I’m also a Cavs fan more than an NBA fan, but that’s precisely why I don’t have strong Celtics feelings. The Cavs are the only the 29 teams in the NBA that I really have strong care about. And I thank the Tribe for distracting me from realizing that there are actually 30.
The Mavs-Lakers series made me glad we’re not paying Ron Artest for 4 more years.
Really, Craig, you could have just put the picture you used for a caption except taking up the full screen, then gone to the comments section.