BACK to the future...

With obvious more important issues developing around the world I'll merely touch on this briefly...

Lemme start by saying - i'm not mad that Miami won (moreso that Dallas Lost)...I like Shaq - and Wade is incredible...good for them...BUT,

That was one of the absolute most horrendously officiated series in the history of the NBA - all six games were obscene...the final phantom foul on Wade in game 5 is still unbelievable...BUT when he throws a forearm into Dirk to push off and get separation towards the end of game 6 AND DIRK gets called for a foul...I mean seriously - at least in the Super Bowl the officials were a bit more discreet...anyway - I’ve heard a lot - and read even more about various reports, accounts and opinions on the series and I’d say somewhere in the 90% area are baffled...anyway - there were a bunch of "questionable" calls in game 6 BUT the Mavs still blew two separate 14 point leads in the first half - which is inexcusable...I honestly just think the passed to games crushed them...that shot in Game 3 by Gary Payton was the "nail" as they say...BUT, when the chick from NBC came up to interview Wade at halftime the other night and stuck that mic right in his face - I honestly was waiting for a ref to run up and blow a whistle on her and give Flash some free throws... Anyway - shitty series...BUT - D-Wade is the Truth...that's not even up for conversation - he's great...LeBron better step it up 'cause Wade is about to take the entire league over - wait 'til he starts getting those sort of foul calls in the regular season next year...shit...dude was putting up 30 easy without it - he'll average close to 50 next season with 17 to 20 free throws a night...AND, AND - AND he doesn't have to worry about a lot of injuries 'cause dude wears pads - seriously (look it up) he wears pads on his thighs like a running back and a pad on his chest...so I will say this - at least Jordan never had to wear accessories… Anyway – I’m just disappointed that it wasn’t a good series…the reason why people look[ed] at the Mavs v. Spurs and Mavs v. Suns series as being two of the greatest in recent memory is partly because of the lack of controversy…but really it was just great basketball being played and it was exciting – just let ‘em play…Dallas was clearly the “better TEAM” but in the end that’s just not enough in the NBA…Many true fans of the sport were excited about a rebirth of the NBA because of teams like the Mavs, Spurs, and even the Pistons – good, quick, athletic all-around TEAMS were going to be the future of the League…
and now we have what amounts to, as Bill Simmons (the Sports Guy) appropriately wrote: “A tragedy... Nothing against Wade -- after all, it isn't his fault his team sucks and he has to play this way -- but seeing an individual triumph over a team YET AGAIN would erase every positive outcome from the 2005-06 season. Basically, the team with LeBron or Wade will win the next 10-12 titles, and it will come down to which guy made more 20-footers with two guys on him and which guy got the most cheap calls from the most spineless referees. That's not basketball, it's a star system. When my wife was asking why I was so ticked off after Game 5, it wasn't because I had money on the game (I didn't), or because I liked one team more than the other (I don't). If Miami wins, we may as well go back to box haircuts again, because it's going to be 1991 all over again -- the "New and Improved" NBA will have been defeated, and the Old-School NBA will reign supreme.”

Remember - when nobody could really give a damn about the NBA...i mean come on - those were the Ewing years folks...if you lived outside of Boston, San Antonio, L.A., Philly or Detroit you stood a very good chance of not even realizing there WAS an NBA...
“Here's what happens if Miami wins the title: New Jersey will say to themselves, "Hey, maybe this could happen to us with Vince Carter"; Washington will say the same about Arenas; Boston with Pierce; G-State with Richardson; the Lakers with Kobe; New Team X with Iverson. And so on and so on. But that's just the thing ... we went through this last decade. There was only one MJ; the formula couldn't be replicated. Same with Dwyane Wade; only LeBron can match him. And everyone else will fail trying, which means we can look forward to another decade of perimeter scorers going 11 for 32 in big games, teammates standing around while stars dribble at the top of the key waiting to challenge two defenders at once, and refs deciding every big game (like in Game 5) by how they interpret contact when the same guy is recklessly driving to the basket over and over again. Does any of this sound fun to you?”

and just when I thought I was becoming a fan...selah!