It’s a sentiment that probably won’t ring true with the white-clad fans who packed American Airlines Arena this post-season, but the Miami Heat losing the NBA Finals was a good thing. It was good for the game, good for sports in general and good for the long-term psyche of The Big Three.
Especially in a culture where self-absorbed, entitled athletes clutter the landscape.
We live in a world where in time, we learn that nothing good comes easy. It’s a valuable lesson we’re told early in life and in all reality, the acceptance of that outlook is what gives us the grit, drive, passion and heart needed to negotiate this rugged terrain called “life” and everything it throws our way.
Like most sports fans (and honest, unbiased Heat supporters), I felt “The Decision” was idiotic, uncomfortable, selfish and strange. LeBron James in a presidential, prime time, State of the Union-like address where the lame, “taking my talents to South Beach” line was birthed. Nothing about it flowed at the whole thing left sports fans feeling dirty, embarrassed to have even tuned in.
Furthermore, why was the pride of Akron and then-current Cleveland Cavalier coming to us live from a Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich, Connecticut instead of somewhere in Ohio or Florida?
The money going to charity was nothing more than a scapegoat. James could’ve written a check for twice that amount without blink. Simply put, this was a purely narcissistic act. Nothing more, nothing less.
As embarrassing and ego-fueled as LeBron TV, equally as pointless was the The Big Three’s coming out party – which played out more like a late 80s a Poison concert than a franchise introducing two new players .
When the cheers died down, Dwyane Wade took the mic and talked about this union being a “dream come true”, while he and his new teammates sat in their freshly pressed, sweat-free, stark white jerseys (re: workout clothes) moments after parading around on a smoke-filled stage with nothing more to say than, “we’re here”. Even scarier, fans turned out in droves and ate it up.
“Yes We Did”? No you didn’t. All that ego stroking and back patting should’ve been saved for a mid-June championship parade – not a pre-season hype fest.
When the smoke cleared almost a year later, you saw a team that had the talent, but lacked hunger – the kiss of death in sports and is something all Miami fans have seen too many times this past decade.
Cliches become cliche and are overused for a reason; because there’s some usually some truth in there. In this case, cliche as it will sound, Dallas simply wanted it more. They were hungrier.
Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry spent the past five years living with the 2006 collapse. Every time Wade’s million dollar smile pops up on ESPN, guarantee that these two long-time Mavs (and the entire Dallas organization) winced.
To be up 2-0 and minutes from creating an insurmountable three game lead in a best of four series? You don’t get ever get over that. Ever.
But occasionally there is a light and if you’re lucky, the sports gods smile down upon you, throwing you a bone and letting you finally get yours. In this case, sweeping the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, who have been a perennial thorn in your side and when reaching the main stage, a shot at redemption against the one who broke your heart half a decade ago.
The fact that LBJ and Chris Bosh had been added to create a Dream Team mystique only made it that much sweeter. Seriously, it’s been a while since Hollywood penned a script with this storybook an ending.
Dallas learned their lesson last time around. Even Mark Cuban learned his, lurking in the background, becoming a wallflower and letting his team’s play do the talking. The Mavericks were on a mission and it was fueled by the pain that comes from losing.
As much as Miami losing was good for sports (and the general order of the world), it sucks for the Heat fan and a city hungry for a winner.
Like any Miamian, I was thrilled when professional basketball came to South Florida. I was in ninth grade and had neighbors with season tickets, who often took my brother and I along for the ride. Indoor sports was a new thing for kids who had only seen the Orange Bowl and Mark Light Stadium. Air conditioning, chairbacks and an array of food options; sign this then-lazy teenager up.
I still have an album with photos from a game against Detroit. In some pictures players looked like ants, courtesy of our nosebleed seats – in others, blurry shots from above the locker room entrance as Glen Rice, Rony Seikaly and Rory Sparrow hustled to the showers after another loss.
I still recall taking the Metrorail to a game against the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls after Pat Riley pulled off another masterful trade. I think Miami only suited up eight players that night and I’m sure Rex Chapman couldn’t miss a three (OK, he missed one; 9-of-10) as the Heat pulled off the unthinkable 113-104 upset.
I remember arguments in high school about Harold “Baby Jordan” Miner being the next MJ and still have VHS tapes from the 1998 series against New York, where P.J. Brown looked straight out of the WWE and Jeff Van Gundy resembled an ankle-biting poodle or a rag on the end of a mop, being pushed around the bottom of that pile, cleaning up the sweaty Arena floor.
Even though I’d rather the Canes bring home one football titles than the Heat winning the next five, I still rejoiced when Miami got its first ring in 2006. Shaquille O’Neal bringing a lifelike presence to the city, promising a ring and delivering, while Wade went from Boy Wonder to superhero overnight.
Down 2-0 and looking like game three was in the bag, Wade rose like a phoenix from the ashes that June evening five years back and from there the Heat rattled off three more for a title.
Everything that was right about 2006 feels wrong in 2011. Dallas deserved that storybook ending, while Miami needed this horrific chapter so their story can eventually be told. Heat loyalty aside, Wade and James needed some humble pie year one of this new relationship.
Winning it all year one? That’s like telling your boss to shove it, buying one lottery ticket on the way home and collecting a nine-figure prize.
A good story needs some suffering and there was none of that for the Heat this year. From the rock-n-roll introduction to cameras catching Wade and James mocking Nowitski’s cough, there was an air of arrogance. A sense that this thing was in the bag from the get-go.
Even late in Game Six, down double digits, there still didn’t seem to be any urgency. It wasn’t until it was over-over, with the final seconds ticking off, that Wade and James seemed to realize that their inevitable and unthinkable happened.
Had Rocky Balboa taken out the champ in the first installment, there would have been no series and nobody would’ve cared. It was Balboa’s redemption and climb to the top that made for a compelling story.
This new-look Heat squad had the arrogance of the Balboa we saw in “Rocky III”. The one with the big house, fancy cars and inflated ego. The one who danced around the ring with ‘Thunderlips’ and didn’t take Clubber Lang seriously … until Clubber whooped that ass.
Lang was hungry and on his way up. He wanted Balboa’s title and was ready to take out anything that stood in the way of him getting it. Conversely, Balboa was comfortable and with a false sense of invincibility, living in a world of ‘yes men’ and having forgotten how he got to the top in the first place.
At the time, Lang prevailing felt like the worst thing that could’ve happened to Balboa. That said, it was precisely his fall which eventually made him great again.
Former foe, champ and longtime friend Apollo Creed picked him up, dusted him off and brought him back to his roots, stripping the training sessions to the core. He let Balboa pity himself and bottom out and one all that was flushed out, the rebuilding process began.
Again, cliche as it will sound, Balboa found that “eye of the tiger” only after he lost everything and had to start anew. It was a legitimate hunger; one that couldn’t have been fabricated.
Some might disagree, but truth be told, this squad wasn’t hungry. Sure, it wanted to win – but never truly embraced a, “losing is not an option” mentality. Heat enthusiasts with their blinders on too tightly, remove them for a moment and look at the fourth quarter; Dallas owned it.
Game Two, the Mavs outscored the Heat 24-18, erasing a fifteen-point fourth quarter deficit. Miami took Game Three when a Nowitzki game-tying shot was off the mark, but again collapsed in the fourth, getting outscored 21-14 in Game Four.
In a series-defining Game Five, the Heat were outscored 28-24 in the fourth, but the real story is the game’s final minutes.
After being down seven early in the final quarter, Miami led 100-97 with 3:38 to play and was swiftly outscored 15-3 down the stretch.
A legitimately hungry team with a chance to go home up one with two to play? You put that game away. Period.
You have to assume deep down that this Heat squad took on the mentality of a fan base that also felt bulletproof. Even after losing two in a row and down 3-2, the belief seemed universal that Miami would just “show up” and win two at home.
Instead Dallas again took over, got redemption, earned a coveted ring and drank overpriced champagne until sun up inside Club LIV on South Beach while Wade, James, their teammates and an entire city of Miami were the ones who woke up with the hangover.
The lesson to be learned; nothing good comes easy.
Miami is at least one more year away from claiming a title and attempting to start a dynasty. Here’s hoping that every minute of that journey is painful and haunted by this Finals face plant.
In the name of winning, pain is a good thing. Let it motivate you from this day forward, Heat.
Spot on, sir. Spot on.
As classless and arrogant as the Heat were all season, I'm convinced that team never deserves to win another game let alone a championship.. The world is a better place when guys like LeBron fail.
Please let's stick to the Canes and not these two. Please!
Kevin – Respect your point.
I was actually building to a bigger point here, but the piece was already wordy, so I pulled back and will address later … but it really is about expectations and the proper motivation.
Relating the Canes to the Heat — just adding a few "better" pieces to the puzzle won't ensure more wins or the ultimate success. Al Golden can right this ship, but it will take blood, sweat and tears to do so.
Watching the Heat, at times it seemed these guys EXPECTED to win because of the names on the roster. They seemed to discount opponents because of who they were. (Seriously, mocking Dirk – who turned out to be the Finals' MVP? That was dumb.)
Miami Football needs to look itself in the mirror and these current guys have to find their motivation. They have to get hungry. They need to figure out what makes them tick and then they have to work their asses off CONSISTENTLY to reach their goal.
The Heat didn't and they paid a price. Hopefully Golden and staff can point that out to their kids who look up to guys like LeBron and D-Wade as both were a real letdown in the Finals.
Good thoughts. I was mostly kidding. I understand it's Miami sports. I've just never been a heat fan and disliked Lebron since early in his career so I had to say something. lol.
But anyways, love the blog and all that you guys do!
The world is a better place when guys like Labron fail? Actually, the world is a better place when people like you get a life.
Aww, is poor Anonymous mad this his boy "Labron" didn't show up in the Mavs series?
Don't hate just because your guy mailed it in and showed no heart.
No one said the world is a better place because LeBron failed. The article stated that it takes more than talent and big names to win a title. It takes heart and the Heat didn't show any.
Maybe if LeBron and Dwyane spent more time stepping up and less time mocking the eventual MVP for the local cameras they would've forced a game seven and would be champs today.
They choked and based on how James has carried himself this past year, you can't say much to defend him or his out of control ego.
Oooh, telling the writer of this article to get a life. You really showed him!!!
LeBron loving loser. Ha ha!
what they should have learned is that it is okay to br brash and arrogant; if you have the shoulders and stones to hold up to it…sometimes it is best to put 2 middle fingers up and and say here is what i do either get with me or get out of the way… being a fan favorite or politcally correct doesn't cement your place in history…go ask ray ray, or e. reed., mike barrow, irvin, sapp, and of course the list goes on…. ask them if thety cared about being like or appreciated…people only remember winners..
i hear more still hear more about miami piling on points while winning championships than i do about notre dame or any of the "classy" schools.. although we speak proudly of our crew others see it as a negative; but no one can ever deny how great they where/are…and how much work was put in to be able to be sooooooo brash.
it did nothing but inspire me as a kid growing up in south florida 'strapping up' just like them and trash talking the whole time telling you how bad i'm gonna slap your momma for letting her play against me!!! lol….
^^^ perhaps you should double check who you are responding to. I think the comment was referring to the one above (III47III) and not the article. Get with the program. Please no more Labron talk. It's over and done with. Nothing to see here.
as a fan of Miami sports i NEVER like to see my teams lose for the sake of some old school morals.(not trying to bash the way i was raised) I respectfully disagree. LeBrons decision was completely over the top. agreed, but that celebration was for the fans! and being from Miami i KNOW how fickle our fan base is in almost every sport. there is a win now mentality in all sports especially in Miami. Not to forget this team still made the finals and were two blown 10+ point leads from sweeping this series. good for overall sports? maybe. Good for Miami? not really.
In regards to seeing a sense of entitlement. Players from this city already feel like they are entitled to something. It's up to coaches to instill hard work into there players. Motivation is something that only the great minds of our sports have. Ryan Hill came out and spewed the truth about a rivalry bowl game. That's having a terrible mentor and coach. we cant lecture a city as glamorous as Miami. people walk, talk and strut there s@#$ as if they are the hottest around. This is the Miami of today. I just hope Coach Golden really has a grasp on these kids mentally as he does physically. Now that Shannons dirty laundry was revealed i feel like there was 4 years in the toilet,there was more bad then there was good. However i never doubted him or turned my back on him, I backed him up as our leader and head cane.
still love this blog keep doing what you guys are doing!
good for overall sports? maybe. Good for Miami? not really.
Good for Heat fans, no … but good for the long-term of the Heat's Big Three — who seemed at times to let ego get in the way, could be the best thing to happen to them.
Seriously, seeing James / Wade joking around about Nowitzki's 'cough' after a loss — absolutely foolish. BIG talk from James about Game Five being the biggest of his career and not backing it up.
There was an air of invincibility with those two, right down to the final minutes of Game Six where there STILL was no urgency. It was as if they believed they could WILL themselves to win because of the names on the back of their jerseys.
You said it, they BLEW two 10+ point leads. What does that tell you? Hoobanging and dancing after taking a commanding lead in GAME TWO? Last I checked you needed four wins to get a title.
Tremendous good can come out of suffering and both James and Wade will have to let this feeling sit with them until next June.
In the end, maybe winning this year would've proved that it was too easy and it'd have hurt the long-term for this team. Maybe losing will force them to grow up a bit, causing them to win SEVERAL titles. We don't know, but this is the way it played out so all you can do is hope that both guys learn and grow in positive ways as a result.
In regards to seeing a sense of entitlement. Players from this city already feel like they are entitled to something. It's up to coaches to instill hard work into there players. Motivation is something that only the great minds of our sports have.
Erik Spolestra and Al Golden have completely different jobs. Spolestra is dealing with professionals who make tens of millions of of dollars while Golden – and all college coaches – are recruiting unpaid teenagers at a pivotal time in their lives, going from boys to men.
Regarding Golden, a safe bet he has a grasp on these kid mentally. Especially if he cites Bill Parcells as a mentor and seems to be cut out of that same mold.
When you look at Randy Shannon, his management style was to play favorites and to treat / reward / punish all kids the same. Any good manager knows you need to tailor your style to the individual.
Golden seems much more like a JJ — who used psychology to motivate, discipline and reward.
Looking back, Shannon was obviously too damaged and had too many walls up from his upbringing to be a true leader of men. His standoffish, hard-ass approach turned guys off, to the point where they mocked him.
Golden looks like he'll turn it around in time, but now after hearing what we've heard about RS, we know that there needs to be some housecleaning and good recruiting classes before Golden has HIS type of kids, creating HIS team.
He'll do what he can with what's left, but it will take some time to undo what Randy did.
After reading the title of this piece, I have to admit, I didn't want to agree. When I was done reading, it was impossible not to.
I have been a Miami Heat season ticket holder for almost a decade now and a diehard since this franchise came to town. When this season started I told myself that a deep playoff run would be a great stepping stone for next year. Then before I knew it, this team was in the finals.
Watching LeBron and Wade celebrate after the Boston series, I became a little concerned with their focus. They were treating that series win like a NBA title.
I give the team credit for regrouping against Chicago, but Dallas was a completely different monster with veteran players and to your point, no one on that court was hungrier than Dirk or The Jet. Those two guys were on a mission while Wade and LeBron often played like the series was in the bag.
I am beyond disappointed with this loss, but I agree with you that it will create a true hunger in those two which we never saw this year.
Next time when up double digits late in the fourth quarter of game two, they'll learn to put a team away instead of again celebrating prematurely.
I still believe this team will win multiple titles, especially after giving this one away.
Just like the 1987 Canes were on a mission after choking away the 1986 title, the 2012 Heat will be better for having lost the 2011 championship.
Great article and insight. Possibly the best piece I've seen on the finals yet. Keep up the strong work!
Mark Hartford
Key Biscayne, FL