How The HEAT Made The NBA Better
For years now, long-time fans, former players, and coaches have been complaining about how the NBA has become a love-in between players on different teams, and they were right. Where has the obvious dislike of the players on opposing teams gone?
Slowly, over the past twenty years, fans have begun to noticeably cheer the introduction of the star players on opposing teams as they enter their team’s court. Players openly hug and joke with their many friends playing for the other team. Something needed to be done.
The NBA had changed, and not entirely for the better, but fortunately a handful of players brought rivalry and disdain for one’s opponents back to the game and during this year’s playoffs, they took it a step further. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh stepped up and gave us a villain to root against and helped drive interest in the NBA to new highs.
For most of us the change started when three star players from different teams in the same conference decided to join the same team … a feat most star players from previous eras found inconceivable.
While Wade and Bosh mostly just upset the fans in the cities they visited during free agency as they shot a documentary, James took it to new heights with his televised “Decision” and literally made millions of people mad at him. Then the championship-style celebration before the season had even started cemented the HEAT as this past season’s villains.
James seems to be oblivious to the fact that many fans and players find his pre- and post-game antics annoying and worse, or maybe as indicated by his post game comments after losing the championship to the Mavericks, he really just doesn’t care what other people think? Whatever the case, in this year’s finals James brought out responses from the Mavericks’ Jason Terry and DeShawn Stevenson that are rarely heard and they added to the color and the passion of the series.
Yes, all those unnecessary comments and antics were good for the game. ABC thanks you, the rest of the media thanks you, and fans everywhere benefitted.
{AUTHOR_BOX}James did not create this improved adversarial environment during the playoffs all on his own. Wade made a significant contribution as well.
While many people will attribute some of Wade’s less mature actions during the Finals to James’ influence, Wade single-handedly created a potential long-term angry relationship with the fans in Boston. It would hard to blame any fan in Boston for believing that Wade deliberately rolled into Rondo causing the injury that let Miami roll over the Celtics in five games. Deliberate or not (and it probably wasn’t), Wade shouldn’t be expecting a warm reception in Boston anytime soon.
Unexpectedly, the Lakers helped out in this process, as well. The Lakers losing their composure and self-restraint as the Mavericks swept them in Game Four of the second round will long be remembered in Dallas. Another pair of teams that have solid reasons not to like each other is good for the league.
No one is looking for a return to the worst of the good old days. We don’t need bench clearing brawls or fights in the stands. However, having teams and players to cheer against is good for the league. A return to rivalries between players instead of hugs and kisses is good for the game.
Wade, James, and Bosh embraced the role of villain this season and in the process helped create a great NBA season and playoffs. We should really be thanking them, but it would be a shame to see all of their hard work go to waste. Heading into what could become a strike tarnished season, we will need our villains even more.
Send me your comments or questions about the NBA Finals, the draft, the Toronto Raptors, or anything else in the NBA to my weekly NBA chat and check back on Thursday at noon ET for a response.
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