The shame of the NBA Finals - tarek's Blog

tarek's Blog

The shame of the NBA Finals

Posted on June 11, 2012 at 03:06 AM.

So I'm on the cusp of giving up my obsession and 25 year love affair with the NBA, mostly in part to the constant cracks that seem to be showing everywhere I turn.

Now we wait to crown a new champion, and I ask myself, what does this championship series mean to the people/fans in Seattle, or Cleveland?

To me, the shame is in the fact that it was evident, weeks and weeks ago, that the most lucrative series for the business of the NBA was a Thunder Vs Heat finals. We watched two epic, old school, proud teams like the Spurs and Celtics give their hearts and souls to the game. Leave everything and then some on the table. And through it all, the NBA got exactly what they wanted. The Finals that will rate the highest, and will bring in the most money.

This comes on the cusp of a New Orleans suspect lottery win, with prospective buyers in attendance. Blatantly handing them a franchise player and marketable star to begin their ownership in good stride.

I recall the days of the lockout, when the players and owners collectively dismissed any loyalty towards the fans and followers of their sport, with the knowledge they we fans would be back. That we loved this sport so much that it wouldn't matter how tarnished the situation was, that we would be back. Because we hoped. We prayed. We expected better.

Anyways, I want opinions. I want suggestions. I want help. Am I doomed as a fan to follow a sport which treats itself more like a corporate money making entity that a true, even, fair, product?

Either way, I expect the Heat will win this championship. I expect Lebron James and company to receive praise and adulation from sportswriters and the basketball community. To be absolved of the past, to be reborn as champions, and usher in a new era of basketball, where players decide only loyalty to themselves, to their brand, to their peers. And we, the fans, are just those who beg them for the entertainment they give us, for the heroic deeds they allow us to witness.

I, for one, am getting sick of this. I, for one, have begun to seek something more fulfilling. A sport of true champions, a sport of true fairness.

And I don't know how people can overlook the fact that we are on the cusp of making Eddy Curry an NBA champion. What a f--ing shame.

Comments

# 1 BlitzFV @ Jun 11

I totally agree with you. I never really looked at it from your perspective though I think I was more caught up in the fact that I do NOT want the Heat to win any championships the way they went about things. It kind of erks me that Lebron is going to go down as one of the greatest players of all time but the way he's presented himself throughout the years is a shame. I myself am a huge laker kobe fan. Kobe is going to go down as one of the best and most of all he's been loyal to his team and most of all the teammates he's been presented with. That goes a long way with me rather than someone putting themselves on stacked team to get themselves a championship. Wade got his ring and he was such a well respected player until Lebron showed up in Miami, now most of the blame is put on Wade rather than Lebron because Lebron is perfect right? I don't know as you can tell I'm not a huge lebron fan...I know he is a very skilled player but I just think he doesn't deserve to be in the same category as some of the NBA legends.

# 2 tarek @ Jun 11

Hey BlitzFV,

You make some good points too. With Kobe, he hasn't been a model citizen or even the best team mate. This has come out many times in the past. Through the Colorado legal situation and the situation with Shaq. But through it all you never doubted Kobe's commitment, his work ethic, and his total and utter obsession with being the BEST. He would kill himself on the basketball court to win, to be the best. He doesn't care who loves him, who hates him. He is comfortable with himself and who he is both as a basketball player and as a man. I can completely respect that.
The other thing that irks me about the Miami Heat and the way they came together is the superficiality of it all. There was not only no loyalty, but seemingly no sense of history or legacy. Whether it was through ignorance or indifference, those players, as brilliant as they are, will now always be seen differently. Lebron had a chance to win a championship in Cleveland, and become an icon. He could have won gone to New York, and created history. But he went to Miami. And I don't mean to take away from any true Miami Heat fans, but you cannot tell me that the city of Miami lives for the Heat. It's just something to do, like going out for dinner, or going out clubbing.
I figure that many famous athletes and celebs go to Miami throughout the year. Or have holiday homes there. It's well known and you constantly read about spottings and events featuring athletes and players in Miami. It's like the east coast Vegas of sorts. So why would Lebron and Co. think they would be seen differently. It would be more like a 'Yeah, they're awesome. We'll win a few championships. We're the best. And we'll move on to whatever else when it's over.'
For me, it's just disappointing. Maybe I expect more. Maybe it's just a reflection of a world that demands and expects loyalty and you to conform, whilst increasingly treating you less like an individual and more like a number, or an 'asset'.
I better stop cause this is a rant that I can go on with all night.