Looking at the coverage 24 hours after the Mavericks twisted the dagger and the Miami Heat bled out, it’s not surprising to see LeBron James be the recipient of vitriol. It was surprising to see how much of it there was. People were calling him a failure and saying that his legacy was tarnished, labeling him a loser and other things far worst.

The fact is that the guy is 26 years old, has two MVP trophies, and three finals appearances. And no rings. I’m sure that’s frustrating, and people will be critical. But he’s still an asset in every sense of the word. So why is he the nation’s whipping boy right now? I was just going to make the “haters gonna hate” argument and turn in my piece early, but since my editor probably wouldn’t pay me for that, I offer a more comprehensive analysis of why he’s being criticized and which accusations are unfair and untrue.

But mostly: Haters gonna hate.

5. He Has Never Had the Killer Instinct
The guy hasn’t had the fangs that Jordan, Kobe, or Bird had. He’s more on par with Shaq as someone who was the best at their level for so long that they got caught off guard when they had to work to be the best. LeBron is more physically gifted than any player in the league save for maybe Dwight Howard, but he doesn’t seem to have the compulsion that separates the legends from the greats.

It’s a weird thing to say when I’m arguing someone’s defense. Only I’m not arguing on behalf of LeBron, I’m arguing against the backlash. What causes a backlash is a change or perceived change. Nothing has changed with LeBron. He’s still acting like a goofy teenager. But to turn on him because he isn’t a great seems a little misguided. People loved the guy when he was goofing off his first three seasons. However, now they’re pissed he can’t get his house in order enough to spend time in the gym to work on high post moves and steps towards the basket. I’m not saying that his lack of teeth is a good thing, but considering he never had them, its illogical to call him out on it now.

4. He Had a Decent Playoffs by His Standards, and a Great One by Anyone Else’s
He fell off in the finals, but over the course of the playoffs, BronBron put up 23.7 PPG, 6.4 Rebounds, and 5.9 assists. To put it in perspective, Dirk Nowitzki, the darling of the playoffs, put up 27.7, 8.1, and 2.5. The lines are pretty close to equal. I would have to be insane to make the argument that these two were equally impressive in the playoffs. Dirk turned on and off like a light switch, shooting approximately 6,322% from the free throw line and owning the game when he needed to. LeBron only owned games when he could. Dirk led, and LeBron didn’t. But to argue that King James played poorly in the playoffs just isn’t true. He didn’t improve, and he didn’t lead, but he played well enough to make the argument that didn’t play well a fallacy.

3. The Stats Don’t Tell the Story
Often times, a great player will step up their game with a new team to become legendary. However, much more often, a star will join a better team and see his numbers fall, regardless if the team succeeds or fails. The reason for this is clear: A team only gets X possessions per game, so if more talent on a team will dilute the number of possessions any player has, putting a lower ceiling on their numbers.

It’s pretty clear that this is the case in Miami. On Cleveland, LeBron was the alpha and omega of that team. When it came time for the playoffs, if he didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done. Consequently, he was tracking among the league’s best in scoring. Well, LeBron doesn’t have to do it all himself now. Wade scores and Bosh gets boards. Just because LeBron doesn’t get as many rebounds doesn’t mean he’s not as good a player as he was. It makes more sense to simply look at the performance of the team upon his arrival…more on that in the next point.

2. He Helped the Heat Become the Nation’s Second-Best Team
The over/under from myriad sportswriters on Heat championships immediately after “The Decision” was probably around 2 or 2.5. How quickly we forget. His first year in, he was part of a young, new team that were two wins away from being champions. Call this a failure if you must, but most players should be so lucky. This is not a now or never situation. Second place is frankly higher than I would thought they would be. With that much talent and pressure from not only the playoff environment, but the haters out there, I would view this season as a success. Of course, if you’re good enough to get there, you’re good enough to be disappointed when you lose, but that’s a fan’s mentality. The LeBron detractors aren’t fans, so that doesn’t apply. They are focusing on the fact that he (they) lost to one team, rather than admitting they finished better than 30 others.

1. He’s Not That Bad of a Guy
People are really hating Lebron right now. Sadly, the hate for LeBron specifically and the Heat in general is about 3x as prevalent as the love for the Mavs. Which is unfortunate because it diminishes what the Mavericks did. (Full disclosure: I’m from Dallas and an enormous Mavs fan.

As some of the points above indicate, the backlash isn’t really about statistics or even reality, but rather just hate. People hate Lebron because they want to hate him. Which I suppose is as good a reason as any, but the fact is, I don’t really think he deserves it. He’s had the misfortune of making a few very high-profile mistakes recently, but none were made out of anger or malice. He’s a big dumb kid. I’m pissed that he hasn’t grown up faster and become as special as he’s capable of being, but I don’t hate him for it.

The decisions he’s made are misguided at best and stupid at worst, but he’s not a bad guy. “The Decision” was (I assume) the result of bad handlers and probably some pressure from ESPN. The “Welcome Party” I’m comfortable laying on the Heat. Hell, his decision to play for the Heat was just the result of a 25 year-old kid wanting to play with his friends in South Beach. I don’t think it was a good decision, but I’d say the punishment as meted out by the court of public opinion far outweighs the crime.

Recently, there’s been a lot of hate on the Heat, culminating in last night’s Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Some of it was deserved, and some simply piled on because expectations were so high. Well, they have a few months to lick their wounds, get back to gelling and prove to the skeptics that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Or even 82 nights. Case in point: They made the NBA Finals and were two wins away from being crowned kings. Not bad. But many seem to need reminding as to why these guys aren’t a flash in the pan, or, even worse, a failed experiment. Take a look.

9. They Are Young
Wade is 29 years young and LeBron just 26. There’s not a whole lot of need for analysis here. Wade is at the peak of his career and LeBron is (hopefully) approaching his. Meanwhile, the Lakers age, the Mavericks age, and the Celtics really age. The young talent of the Heat just got hit with a jarring dose of experience. They principals should find this dovetailing nicely with the apex of their physical development.

In short: they’re young and good.

8. They’re in the East
East isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as the West. Consequently, Miami will have a pretty easy go of advancing in the playoffs than if they had to make the run in the more difficult and taxing west. That’s right, I’m talking about a never-developed Magic squad, the geriatric Celtics, and the quite-legit Bulls. While the best team usually wins the championship, you have to take into consideration one team’s more leisurely stroll into the Finals.
 
7. The Lakers Are Getting Worse, The Heat Are Getting Better
Of course, there’s no denying that the Lakers weren’t the contenders that knocked off Miami, but they were certainly the team most feared going into the playoffs. There’s a handful of reasons I toss around the complex scientific phrases ”getting worse,” and “getting better,” but none are particularly earth-shattering, but rather just stray observations. Gausol fell apart. Kobe’s getting older, but no less clutch. Kobe’s expectations of a banner team from the Lakers next season are probably a closely guarded secret. Miami’s fast, Lakers are tall. Well, “fast” seemed to give the Mavs more fits than “tall,” so don’t expect the Lakeshow to stick with last years strategy.

Meanwhile, while Miami didn’t get as far they would have liked, they gave the eventual champs perhaps one of the greatest Finals matchups in recent memory.

6. Chalmers Is Exhibiting “Big Shot” Potential
Don’t make me go into specifics. It would be like asking me to illustrate when and where I received all 73 of my gnat bites when I went camping last month. I don’t know details about him and don’t feel I need to. The guy is an offensive pest in the most complimentary sense of the term. He stepped up in the Finals, hitting half-court buzzer beaters and enough open threes to have Mavs fans scream “who does this guy think he is?” He’s not gonna star on the Heat, but his play is reminiscent of Robert Horry, who probably has more of a positive corollary of team success to his involvement than any other player in basketball history.

5. Dwayne Wade Is Still The Fastest Slasher in the League
Dwyane Wade has a few shortcomings. He pulls dives and acting jobs that would make an Italian soccer player blush. His durability ranks about halfway between Kobe’s and Tracy McGrady’s. The dude gets injured more than you would like. And he kind of acts like a big, dumb kid sometimes, and the only person that could keep him in check is another big dumb kid in LeBron James. However, he’s the fastest player down the court and perhaps the fastest one from the arc to the rim. He will be next year, and while he didn’t have many chances to prove how clutch he has been, he has demonstrated that he’s the type of superstar that raises his game in the playoffs.

4. Dwyane Wade Will Realize, Beyond Any Doubt, That He’s The Leader of This Team
Chalk the first year up to growing pains. Made all the more impressive by the fact that Chris and Dwyane and LeBron took their squad all the way to Game 6 of the NBA Finals. I would hazard a guess that most teams would consider Miami’s run more than just “character-building.”

Early in the season, BronBron explicitly said that the Heat would remain D. Wade’s team. Well, it should be pretty clear that James wasn’t just offering up lip service. LeBron hasn’t shown himself capable to be the leader of this team. While this may sound like more of a negative than a positive, the fact remains that it was the case all year, so it’s best to just make your piece with it, barring a serious behavioral departure by the King. So both parties will hone their roles both on the court and off. Both players are too nice to seriously threaten each other.

3. Erik Spoelstra Is 41
I don’t bring up his age to talk about durability or the distant future but rather to simply illustrate that the guy is really young, so don’t expect him to be firing on all cylinders just yet, especially with the myriad problems inherent to housing three superstars on a court. Now, I’m not saying he’s the best coach for this team: frankly, I think he’s far from it. But, that question is moot. As it will stand next season, Spolestra will be the coach and he will enter the season older, humbler, and wiser than he was yesterday. Which is good, because he got drastically outcoached in the Finals. To be fair though, Carlisle was coaching circles around everyone for the playoffs.

2. Just…LeBron
He certainly didn’t blow anyone away with his performance over these playoffs; rather, he just looked “reliable” and “tough.” Not the hallmarks of the Basketball Messiah. However, the old adage goes that if you see two sprinters that run the same times, though one has poor form and one has good form, you take the one with bad form, because once you train him the good form, he’ll be even faster. LeBron hasn’t shown perfect form. I’m not guaranteeing that he’ll reinvent himself a la Kobe with the post moves, but between the hell he took last summer and the hell he’s going to take starting about two hours ago, expect the pressure on him to force him to put some teeth into his game.

1. Their Problems Are Solvable
Is the ceiling on Bosh’s success too low? Would he serve the Heat better as a player for hire with another team, benefiting both Bosh and ownership better than if they’re taking one of the NBA’s top talents and shoved him into a position that was destined for no more than an 14-10-6 every night. Solid numbers, but Bosh would be able to soar much higher with a weaker team. I’m not saying it would be the C. Bosh show, but right now his two biggest opponents are perhaps the blue-chip players on his team.

LeBron James

Last night they were at it again, this time mocking Dirk Nowitzki prior to Game 5 after he claimed to be playing with a 101-degree fever during Dallas’ 86-83 victory in Game 4.

So how did Dirk respond to this jab from the Heat’s “Big Two”?  Exactly how you would expect him to.  Twenty-nine points, six rebounds, three assists and a crucial Game 5 victory.

Hey LeBron and Wade.  Tell me how Dirk’s ass tastes!

P.S. We’ve got to get Shaq into a studio to record that song immediately!

Hat Tip – [Ball Don't Lie]

It appears as though the Miami Heat figured that their third and fourth wins during their NBA Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks would be easier to get than their first and second victories.  At least that is what we are led to believe after seeing this ad on Craigslist, which is looking for some “energetic, outgoing individuals” to sell championship merchandise during the Miami Heat’s victory parade. They even have a few dates in mind, although, I guess you can scrap June 11th off that list.

If LeBron James’ fourth quarter disappearing act continues, the next Craigslist ad the Heat publish will be asking for energetic, outgoing individuals who are interested in helping them deliver all that useless Miami Heat championship gear to Africa.

Here is a look at the Craigslist ad, which you can find here.

Hat Tip – [Off The Bench]

Dirk Nowitzki

That is our round-up of last night’s action on the hard court.  Scrumptious Soda also has a round-up of their own.  Here it is.

Hat Tip – [The Score]

The scene for the NBA Finals series between the Heat and the Mavs may have shifted from South Beach, Florida to Dallas, Texas, but the presence of courtside douchebags remained in full force, thanks to comedian (at least he likes to call himself that) George Lopez.

Thankfully, that Mavs fan hiding behind George’s nose was able to offset the high levels of douchebaggery in the area with this great photobomb.

Ray Allen scored 50% of his team’s points in the first half with 27 points as the halftime score was 54-48 Boston.  He was 7/8 from behind the 3-point arc, tying his own record for most threes in a game.  All he needed was 1 more in the second half to eclipse that record.  He was 11-20 from the field on the night overall and scored a game-leading 32 points.

The Celtics now must return to Boston to defend their home court.  Due to a quirky change in scheduling, the Finals is going with a 2-3-2 format, giving Boston 3 straight games at home before having to return to L.A.  If they can get performances like last night’s from Ray Allen, and a few Rondo triple-doubles sprinkled in, they may have a chance to pull off the miracle win.  For now, Allen earns “The Stat Line of the Night” with his impressive record-setting night.

And I thought JaMarcus Russell had a bling problem.  Oh wait…he does!

The man they call D-fish has made a career out of big 3-point shooting in the NBA finals.  The only players who have hit more threes than him in finals history are Robert Horry and some guy named Michael Jordan.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Canadian basketball star, not only can he deliver on the court, but his performance behind the scenes with a mic in his hand may now have some wondering what his greatest talent really is.

Prior to showing the clip, Nash admits to David Letterman that he believed it would be the Cavs taking on the Lakers.  No worries there Steve.  You aren’t alone.  Nike had been on the same track for the entire playoffs as well, evident in their Kobe vs. LeBron ads.

Staying calm in front of the camera, Nash takes up several interviews with a wide array of individuals, including Robert Horry (yes, the same Robert Horry that bodychecked him in the playoffs a couple years ago), and Jeff Van Gundy.  His questions are great, but none better than when he asks Jeff whether his brother Stan, coach of the Magic, ever got laid in high school.  We are still waiting on that answer.

Nash also tried to get courtside, but it seems as though getting by security at an NBA game is a bit more difficult than doing so at the French Open.  Guess it can be hard for a smaller white guy to convince someone he is a basketball player.

Regardless of such barriers, Nash was still able to provide some great laughs.  Now that he has been to the Finals, the only thing remaining is playing in one.

Hat Tip Video – [Extra Mustard]