The Chicago Bulls did Wednesday what the Miami Heat’s opponents had failed to do for their last 27 games, they won, and in my opinion the world is a better place for it. Are the Miami Heat the best team in the NBA? The answer is an indisputable yes. Is Lebron James the best player in the NBA and now one of the best players of all time. This answer is also an indisputable yes. The reason for my belief is had they won 34 games in a row, we all would have been subjected to countless invalid comparisons to most likely every team and player in NBA history. Let’s be realistic, when the Lakers went on their streak in 1971-72, the NBA was a much different place. Most important to point out is that there were only 17 teams in the NBA at that time, does this alone discredit the Heat’s accomplishments? Of course not, but it does serve to put them into prospective. The NBA is in a down cycle right now. The talent pool is watered down resulting in numerous teams that, for Miami, are no form of obstacle. The number of true superstars is very low, I mean real game-changers, franchise-builders, the kind of guys that can and will carry a team to victory when called on to do so. Who are they? James, Durant… now who? Kobe, although fighting father time off with a bat, IS getting older, Wade is a second fiddle, Rose has been out for 12 seasons straight now, or at least it seems like it, Dwight is who I always knew he was, more trouble than he’s worth, and Carmelo is a scorer and nothing else. Sure there’s Chris Paul, Russel Westbrook, James Harden and other guys playing at a high caliber, but are they superstars? No.
We should also never forget the colluding that James-Wade-Bosh did during the 2010 offseason to ensure that they would be teammates, that must be taken into consideration when comparing them to other teams. Never has a team been more player manufactured, it’s hard to allow that and then put them against the 1986 Celtics or the 1996 Bulls. Now that we’re finished with the negatives, a few positives. No matter the competition, if you win 27 games in a row, you are doing something very right. Lebron James is an absolute freak and a future hall of famer. It’s also interesting to note that Miami is able to win so frequently with very little size and rebounding. The only way they can win is forcing you to play their style and their opponents are helpless but do so. That’s not to say that there weren’t more than a few games during their streak that were a little bit suspect, which brings us to Lebron’s quote after their first loss in 27 games.
“I believe and I know that a lot of my fouls are not basketball plays. First of all, Kirk Hinrich in the first quarter basically grabbed me with two hands and brought me to the ground. The last one, Taj Gibson was able to collar me around my shoulder and bring me to the ground. Those are not defensive & those are not basketball plays.”
Wow. This guy is going to complain about fouls? There has never been a star in the NBA more unaware of himself and of the fans perception of him. If Lebron James were to have more fouls called in his favor, everyone would have to walk off the court while he shoots free throws for 48 straight minutes. He is such a good player but he makes it so impossible to not despise him. It’s the same thing as when Shaq used to whine about the refs, you immediately wonder to yourself, did this guy just say what I think he said? NBA reporters, analysts and commentators are all saying the same thing now that they did then. “This player is so big and so strong that they are so hard to officiate.” No, they aren’t. They foul a lot. Fouls are called for them a lot.
Cetlics GM Danny Ainge was recently interviewed and asked about Lebron’s dislike of his recent officiating, to which Ainge said, “I think that it’s almost embarrassing that Lebron would complain about officiating.” Now we all know there is no love lost between the Celtics and the Heat and Ainge may not possess the most unbiased opinion but that does not make it untrue. The most impressive streak of the year is not the Miami Heat’s 27 game unbeaten streak. The most impressive streak of the year is Lebron’s 5 game foul free streak. That is insane. Insanely impossible. It is impossible for a player that plays with his level of aggression and physicality on offense and defense to go a single game without fouling let alone 5. It’s hard to look at that stat and say he isn’t playing with a separate set of rules. Lebron James fouls, travels, turns the ball over very often, just like every other player, let’s stop pretending he doesn’t.
Now the streak isn’t all about Lebron, there’s Dwyawyayeane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen and some good role players that have all contributed to their team’s dominance this season. But… Let’s be honest it’s always all about Lebron. It’s probably good for them that they were able to have their streak extinguished before the playoffs started and they began their title defense. Hadn’t it happened, it would have been a major distraction. However, not enough of a distraction that they wouldn’t have been able to win it all this year and oh yes NBA fans, they are going to win it all again.
