Not a bad time for Miami to win its first game in Dallas in 4 years. Admittedly, that’s only a 6 game losing streak, but if Pat Riley has to manufacture motivation, this is far preferable to cranking the Doobie Brothers. While Shaq’s claim that Dwyane Wade (36 points) is “the best ever” is just so much silly hype, full credit to the big fella for using such a great shared achievement as another opportunity to slight Kobe Bryant.
The Miami Herald’s Greg Cote asks, “How do you place this Heat championship in the context of the Dolphins’ two Super Bowl wins, UM’s five national titles in football, and the Marlins’ two World Series wins?”
Though I’m not a Miami resident, I would guess this title will resonate with more people than the Marlins’ wins, but perhaps not as many as the Dolphins’ championships. I guess the Too Live Crew winning the Pazz & Jop poll doesn’t count. Calling the Heat, “a mixture of vindication, validation and abomination,” CBS Sportsline’s Greg Doyel damns Miami with faint praise.
Crazy Jason Williams has a ring. Crazy Jason Williams, who was once famously benched for being too erratic, is the starting point guard for an NBA champion. Unbelievable.
Selfish Antoine Walker has a ring. Selfish Antoine Walker, who was booed out of Boston, is a starting forward for an NBA champion. Unbelievable.
Moody Gary Payton has a ring. Moody Gary Payton, who was once suspended for being a jerk, is getting vital fourth-quarter minutes for an NBA champion. Unbelievable.
The Heat aren’t the best NBA champions in years. Name a past NBA champion the Heat would beat. Tim Duncan’s Spurs? Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers? Michael Jordan’s Bulls? This Heat team wouldn’t have beaten any of them. Forget Miami’s place in history in terms of ability. In those terms Miami doesn’t have a place in NBA history, unless it’s as the worst NBA champion in years.
Did 2 live crew really win the jazz and pop?
I’m biased (from Miami) but I really found that article to be full of crap. Last year Miami had Detroit beat had Wade not been hurt. A combo of Wade and Shaq was probably good enough to beat those Rockets teams and I think would have given the Spurs a run. I think they are configured more like the Bulls, where it didn’t matter if Greg Ostertag played a better center then WIll PErdue – Jordan negated all that.
You can’t just go through a team 1-8, put check boxes by the better player at each position and judge a team that way.
Besides, is Posey not a better all around team player then Stackhouse despite the numbers differential. Haslem was more clutch then Howard in the 4th quarter throughout the series. Payton made better decisions then Devin Harris down the stretch. The Mavs had the names but the Heat had guys who executed their roles in the clutch all series.
Seemed to me that it came down to Wade and Pat Riley. That’s pretty much it.
I think you have to go back to high-period Jordan to find an equally dominant Finals performance by an individual. Even then…I mean, Chicago had a system. Wade was the Miami offense.
And I don’t think that team even gets to the Finals w/o Riley. He did a great job of marshalling prickly vets on the decline (have to include Shaq in that group now) and a bunch of erratic young guys. And he knew he had to let Wade do whatever he could to score.
I only agree w/the Sportsline thing in that this is a one-off championship for this team. The Heat need to make some changes if they want to repeat. But it’s still a great achievement.
I dunno. The NBA is mostly crap right now. The core of the Heat can probably win another championship. God, parity sucks.
Say you swapped out wade for bryant? And assume Bryant and Shaq were ok with each other (not in the Strahan way)? Is the result the same? Do the Heat win in 6? How about if you swap Wade for Lebron?
My answer is that Wade is the only player in the league who could have done what he did. But I am curious about other people’s responses.
I am also curious to see if Dr. Smith really lived in a one bedroom with no fold out couches.
interesting question, Josh. Kobe never had to win a ring playing alongside a 34 year old Shaq.
I hate to give credit where it is due in this instance, but Pat Riley’s finally gone further in his post-Knicks career than either Van Gundy. He did it by beating what I thought to be the far superior Pistons, and then coming out of an 0-2 hole in the Finals. And to echo Greg Doyle, he put rings on the fingers of J-Will and ‘Toine, which in the overall scheme of things is far wilder than the Glove or ‘Zo finally getting one.
The Jordan comparisons for Wade are warranted, and while it is fair to say Miami were considerably deeper than any of MJ’s early Bulls teams, no. 23 didn’t win a title in his 3rd year in the league, either.
Apropos to nothing: Kobe Bryant should be playing small forward and if they ever switch his position, he’ll win the next 3 titles on his own. One-on-five, man. I would pay to see that shit. But he’s obsessed with out-Jordaning Jordan and he was a shooting guard (and Kobe is a mediocre outside shooter and often dribbles the ball off his foot…he’d play so much better if he were closer to the basket!!) so nevermind.
One more point — I don’t believe the Heat has no chance to get back to the Finals. Obviously getting this far takes a great deal of luck so the odds are against it but no team in the East looks that great. Detroit will be back but who knows whether whatever the heck ailed them in the playoffs will return. Can Flip get it done with this group? The Nets won’t win unless they get bigger and deeper and even then you wonder whether the chemistry between the big 3 will be good enough. The Cavs have an awful team around Lebron with some long term bloated contracts. I don’t think they can fix it in a year. Chicago and Milwaukee have nice young teams but I doubt they can get deep without adding a superstar.
Miami won’t come back with the same team. Sure, Payton will be gone and maybe Zo. But they could get guys like Bobby Jackson, Lorenzen Wright and Grant Hill (if he’s bought out) for the MLE and field a sonewhat different and interesting team.
Out west, SA will be strong but they looked thin and wornout this season. Phoenix could be unstopable if Amare is healthy but that’s a big If.
Obviously the odds are against it but the chance for a repeat is better then the pundits are projecting.
One last comment — The West was overrated. I’m not so sure that much of a difference exists between the NJ team Miami beat in 6 and the Dallas team.
I disagree GC – comparisons of any NBA up and comers to players from the 80’s to late 90’s are completely unwarranted. The only thing the same about the NBA now and then are 2 hoops at opposite ends of the court, and I don’t even think they’re regulation.
…if the Bulls draft Tsquared, expect another dynasty.
Notorius,
I don’t see how you could have watched these playoffs and not be anything but enthusiastic about the near future of the NBA.