The quintessential American sports story: Hooray for the Underdog!

“There goes my hero, watch him as he goes!”

Among the many nebulous x-factors in the game of basketball there is perhaps no greater x-factor than injuries. Injuries effect so much to even a single game. They can completely dislodge any amount of momentum from a team and turn it around into instant motivation for the opposition. Injuries can have massive psychological effects on a player, shredding their confidence for the rest of the game and, most obvious of all, they take away a player’s physical mobility and ability to play. Injuries excite conversation, creating another plot line to a game or series of their own; “will he be able to play through it?”, “how will this effect his mechanics?,” “with this injury can we now count them out of the series?” While sometimes an injury is our way to rationalize the outcome of a series, other times injuries add to the glory of the player. Let it also be said that the glory of playing through an injury and winning FAR outweighs the glory taken away from a team that defeats an injury ridden team (i.e. the glory due the ‘11 Mavs vs. the tainted glory of the ‘07 Spurs).. Thus, in the wake of this past NBA Finals, the glory due Dirk Nowitzki will (justifiably) far outweigh the glory taken away from the Mavs on account of Wade’s hip injury in game 5. But before getting to game 5, Dirk Nowitzki’s finger injury was the front and center plot line after game 1. 

The Fates

Mike Wilbon

How worried were people really about Dirk’s torn (non-shooting hand) finger ligament? At that time, I really had no idea.ESPN commentator and columnist, Mike Wilbon, alludes to the winds of fate when writing on Dirk Nowitzki’s torn ligament calling it “The fickle finger of Dirk Nowitzki’s fate.” Sure it was the seemingly unimportant index finger of his non-shooting hand but we have seen players completely fade away account of even the smallest of injuries. Counter-wise, we have seen players with seemingly game ending injuries that not only have played through it but have taken over the game anyways (e.g. Rajon Rondo, Baron Davis, and MJ). Regarding Dirk however, sports analysts that I esteem highly were inconclusive on what effect they believed this injury would have on Dirk.. Hindsight 20/20, sure, it didn’t matter. But at the time was it really that obvious? Wade’s slow knees, were declared a possible “problem” for arguably the whole season, not to mention a great liability come playoff time after an entire season of wear-and-tare, but they were evidently regarded as an obvious non-issue during this finals. Dirk’s finger on the other hand wasn’t given the clear benefit of the doubt that Wade’s knees were. Indeed, some commentators guessed correctly that it would have “no impact whatsoever.” It was well noted that there is much more to Dirk’s play than his shooting such as having quick hands for pulling down rebounds, moving through screens, making the quick move for a steal or loose ball, and consequently, the finger is a legitimate cause for concern. Game 2 however, put our fears to rest.   

 

Dirk Nowitzki winning with that "injured" left hand.

What was happening was the quintessential American sports story: the hero of the underdogs winning against the villains. Not only was the hero winning, he was playing despite his injury. Later, the Heat live up to their “villain” status with the “King” and his partner (or his commander D-Wade but how can a “king” have a commander?) mocking said underdog hero. Dirk leads an amazing comeback victory with a game winning lay up with his “injured” left hand; then a clutch lay up mirrored on the other side of the elbow finishing with his right. The finger that before caused so much debate is now a far gone question. The crucial momentum is beginning to swing from the seemingly indestructible foe, the Miami Heat. The “King”, Mr. South beach, Mr. James, is beginning to show signs of weakness and the Mavericks are now not so much an underdog after all. However, the Heat still had much going in their favor; winning game 1, winning 1 out of 2 in Dallas before going home for the next 3 games where they had been enjoying great success in the playoffs thus far and perhaps their best piece of luck after all, a fever of 101 degrees. 

Cooling off the flu with a cold towel.

Although by no means a nail in the coffin for our beloved underdogs, the Dirk’s fever became an instant confidence booster for the the Heat even in the wake of an incredible performance by the hero. Dirk essentially becomes the “Dark Knight:” he doesn’t have to be flashy, he doesn’t have to be what “Gotham wants,” he just has to be “what Gotham needs.” The hero shoots a terrible percentage (6-19), gets some help from “Alfred” (i.e. Terry the “Jet”) but takes over the fourth quarter and rides off into the sunset. Now, the Batman is an incomplete hero without his villain; “the Joker.” Seemingly cool and composed, the villains commit the most classic of villain mistakes; they dare to mock the hero who is beating them; perhaps this is became karma’s tipping point (after beginning here). As Batman’s Joker acutely points out that he needs the Joker to be the hero, Dirk’s hero status became solidified by his opposition. 

Floppers keep floppin'

The finals MVP trophy sitting on Dirk’s shelf is made that much more glorious in light of these challenges; his sickness and his opposition. As Tiger Woods’ 2008 U.S. Open became en-grafted into the annals of the greatest Opens of all time, as Jordan’s clutch game 5 performance of the ‘97 finals was made sweeter by the flu, Dirk Nowitzki’s game 4 performance not only guaranteed him a finals MVP trophy but permanently made him an underdog hero. The villains are on one side, Dirk is on the other.

-Professor P-Funk

Springtime for LeBron

The offseason gameplan for the Most Vilified Player in sports

The Real Deal (RD)- Welcome to the first feature post on our new website. This column is a feature we’ll run regularly called “Triple Trouble” where the editors of the site hold a running discussion on an important topic in sports.

Where would we start, but with the climax to one of the best NBA Finals and regular seasons in recent memory? Rhetorical question; guys, here’s the real question, “What Should I Do?”

Make that, what should LeBron do from here to move on and improve himself?

Paul of the Wild (PW)- Skip Bayless suggested Pat Riley get him a sports psychologist.  I was not aware such a thing even existed.  Honestly, this could be a good idea.  Something was not right with him in the second half of the Finals.  The same thing seemed to happen to him in the Cavs’ last playoff game last year.  He seemed completely passive, lost, and disinterested.  It’s pretty hard for me to believe that he just didn’t care.  But could there be something to all of the recent talk of him being too arrogant to get down and dirty?  I recently heard on a radio program someone comparing him to a kid who wants to be a rock star, but doesn’t enjoy playing a guitar.  This seems to be a good analogy to LeBron James.  A lot of the time, he doesn’t look like he is having fun, or enjoying playing basketball.  I think he wants to be an all time great.  But he doesn’t seem to relish the challenge of getting there.  There was no mention in his post game comments until days after that mentioned working harder.  He did not shoulder much of the blame and barely did he mention his shortcomings.  It was all about him going back to his life, and everyone rooting for him to fail going back to their lives and problems.

RD- These are good points. Obviously winning is important to him, as he joined forces with two other NBA stars to win, but that’s the easy way to winning, at least in the post-Jordan mythology and ethos of the NBA. Jordan worked his butt off in Chicago to become better. LeBron seems almost too confident in his abilities and not realizing that he can continue to improve and become greater. Wade’s at his prime or has already peaked. Bosh has likely peaked as well, at least physically. But LeBron has to take this offseason to actually work at basketball. There’s been much made by Bill Simmons and others of his “good at everything”, all-around game, but what does he do that is special? What is his “go to move”? It goes beyond that; the problem with LeBron’s role is that it’s the same role Wade already has. LeBron really does need to complement Wade (point adamantly made by Mike Wilbon), instead of simply stepping out of the limelight; it’s not so much that he can’t do it physically, it’s that he is confused exactly what that role is on the team. If the Heat sort that out this off season and LeBron comes back to complement Wade inside or outside, look out. Also, it’s hard to believe that Pat Riley threw this team together towards the latter half of the summer, only after (at least, so we’re led to believe) LeBron made his Decision. With an entire off-season to build the team around the Big Three, LeBron should have improved teammates to tag along in his quest for The One Ring.

Professor P-Funk (PF)- LeBron’s ability to make players around him better seems to have been left in Cleveland. Sure, the stat sheet still shows that LeBron still generated a healthy supply of assists (7.0 a game) but, according to him, the stats don’t matter (side note, hats off to LeBron here on the beat down of the retard reporter!). I will supply “the better question” for Lebron: instead of being concerned about “choking in the third quarter,” is it possible for him to be motivated to work on his basketball if, assuming Mr. Wild is right on this one, that he cares more about “going back to his life”? When thinking about what LeBron’s motives for “taking his talents to South Beach” might be (beyond great chances of a championship) I thought about something very similar to your “rock star” analogy. Our first hint to what LeBron might be thinking was that he is going to “South Beach”; not to Miami, not to the Heat. Put that together with the story that LeBron has been constructing a house in South Beach for the past few years with a freaking casino in it, his motives begin to move in an extra-basketball direction. No, I do not think that this gives evidence that LeBron has been making a 4-year long diabolical plan to screw over Cleveland. What it does in fact show is where his priorities are. LeBron wants to be the rock star without playing the guitar; in a word, LeBron wants to have the lifestyle of a rock star, perhaps disproportionately. His house has a casino in it (he should invite Jordan over), and apparently a Starbucks too, but where is the basketball court? Simply put, could this be a mirror of LeBron’s priorities? Is being the preeminent party guy more important to LeBron than basketball (and, when push comes to shove, even a ring?). Again, his choice of words is telling; he decided to go to “South Beach” and not to “the Miami Heat.”

RD- Jordan would kick his @%$ at cards. He’s better off inviting Barkley. Shoot, sorry Sir Charles, I didn’t mean that. Also good for him that he hasn’t pulled an O.J. and gone crazy in Vegas.

PW- Let’s not forgot that Florida has no state income tax.  Another reason for LeBron’s talents residing in South Beach perhaps?  

PF- A good point but we don’t see people jumping over with excitement to land in Charlotte or Memphis, places with low or no state income taxes. On the other hand people have been going out of their way to land with the Lakers and the Celtics; both are teams in states with very high income taxes (Massachusetts more-so than California).

RD- I think this should be motivation enough. To justify this moronic bash in the middle of summer, you have to live up to the hype. By “normal” standards, maybe even by LeBron’s standards, this was not a failure of a season. But with The Decision and this debacle as a backdrop, absolutely he failed.

PW- For a guy so talented and dominant at times, he is a poor leader.  In Game 6, with Dwayne Wade hurt, LeBron disappeared.  He looked to others in his moment to take over.  The offensive beast who completely took over the Bulls the previous series was gone.  LeBron can lead a team to victory when he wants to.  His performance against the Pistons in ’09, where he scored 25 points in a row, is evidence of that.  But there was no sign of that man in the Finals.  So the most work that needs to be done this off season is for LeBron to get his head straight, plain and simple.  He has the talent.  The Heat have enough pieces beside him to win.  It’s his for the taking.  He just needs to figure out how to rise to the challenge as he did in ’09 against the Pistons.  

RD- I think this speaks to the point that with two alpha-dogs, this is a question that needs answering. What you saw in the playoffs was Wade asserting his role as the clutch scorer. It’s something that the two of them will have to work out between them; if Wade’s legs fall apart a la Penny Hardaway in a few years, the torch needs to be passed already to LeBron, otherwise there’s going to be this underlying tension over who takes the last shot. This isn’t to make an excuse for LeBron’s failure to show up, but it would explain why he seemed more timid. Still, Bosh amazingly didn’t pump fake on the shot that won Game Three. If Chris Bosh is taking the last shot for you, LeBron James sure better be.

PF- Perhaps the Gettysburg between the these two alpha-dogs was Wade’s 8-second long chewing out of LeBron in Game 4. Simmons goes as far as to suggest that this became the turning point in the psychology of LeBron. If Simmons is right in asserting that this became the point when LeBron became too passive (cried to mommy, played with an “*#&$-you Dwayne Wade!” mentality, whatever) the question about LeBron peaking or going to new levels has everything to do with his motivation. The question is not about if he is young enough to change (he is), or if he has the skill set to accomplish new heights (wait, that’s in question?), its about whether or not he cares enough to get better. LeBron is at a crossroads where he seriously could be perfectly fine with just sitting back and letting Wade dominate the team while he goes off and throws the party that everyone wants to be at.

RD- Brother against brother? OK, the Civil War isn’t the clearest analogy; but I see what you’re getting at. I just think this tension has been there for a while but obviously they shelved it during the regular season.

PW-  Question: If the Heat deliver the same performance next year, does this relationship morph into an even more tense, potential Civil War scenario?  Do the Big Three break up?

RD- I shudder to think of that scenario, I shudder with joy.  

PW- I also find it interesting that Dwayne Wade is the clear cut leader of this team, in cheap humor and in basketball, or at least he is supposed to be.  Was he during the season, or projected to be by the pre-season?  I’m not so sure.  But universally it seems to be Wade’s team now.  How much of that fact can be attributed to LeBron’s Finals performance?  If LeBron comes through in Games 5 and 6, and the Heat win, is Wade still the rock of the team?  Do you guys understand what I’m trying to get at?  

RD- Sure, yeah I don’t think it was clear by the pre-season, and during the season. I really do think the Heat weren’t that worried about the question. This is something they really only had to contend with during the playoffs, as during the season they mostly lost to good teams, including your Bulls A LOT. And by the way, I was a Dwyane Wade fan until the Dirk thing.

PW- Another intriguing question for this offseason: CAN LeBron improve?  Have we overestimated what he can do?  The biggest reason I even entertain the possibility of this 26 year old being close to the end of his potential while still in his “prime,” is because THIS HAPPENED LAST YEAR.  I just now have realized how eerily similar these Finals are to the elimination Eastern Conference Finals as far as LeBron James’ play.  Triple double in a crucial game, yet losing?  Check.  Disappearance, apathy, inability to close? check.  And let’s not forgot, getting raked over the coals by Skip Bayless for his team’s defeat.  Check.  
I am a little more critical of LeBron than most people, I must say, fair or not.  But so far, these two elimination playoff series and the way he has played, have put serious doubts in my mind as to if he has the leadership ability to win a championship.  (maybe leadership could be wrong word here; so far, he lacks the clutch, killer instinct, finisher mode, etc.)  

RD- Mr. Wild, I think he absolutely can improve. The improvements, however, may not equal a triple-double a game, or five jaw-dropping dunks a game, or whatever. Maybe his improvement is simply getting his psyche right and then again, finding out how he can best help his team win. That implies he must be a rock star within the context of his band. The Beatles really are a good comparison to this Miami Heat team: Wade as McCartney, James as Lennon, Chris Bosh as George Harrison (OK, a bit of a stretch, it’s doubtful Bosh will ever do anything in basketball as awesome as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”) and the remaining starters/bench have a talent level and fame level similar to Ringo. LeBron isn’t trying to break up the band; thank goodness there’s no Yoko Ono here. But he’s in the stage of being unsure exactly how to complement the real leader of the band (McCartney/Wade) while showcasing his individual talent. That’s where the rock-star analogy works.

PW- Great analogies.  The only problem is that in the last 2 games of the Finals, it seemed like Lennon played with the band for the concert, but then on the last song, he decided he would rather watch the concert without playing his solo, singing, or really participating at all.

RD- Ouch. I guess on the plus side, LeBron doesn’t have a Yoko Ono in his life...THAT WE KNOW OF!

So what is the big goal for Miami to improve in the offeseason? Is it LeBron doing what we just hashed out? Is it Bosh emerging? Finding better role players? We won’t know what the salary cap situation is for a while but what do the Heat need to do to get better?

PW- Better role players would help, definitely.  Mike Bibby had one of the worst statistical playoff performances ever.  The Heat are playing 4 on 5 offensively when Joel Anthony plays.  A completely healthy Haslem and Miller would be nice, and who knows, could have been the edge in the Finals.  Chalmers is solid.  But with a changed cap likely looming, the Heat are going to need to improve on what they have now.  They were a couple of unbelievable meltdowns away from winning this year.  So I say the main improvement will be with getting LeBron focused, motivated, and in sync with Wade.  

PF- I do agree that they could use a better supporting cast but Haslem and Chalmers DID play well. But, putting aside the question of role players, this fact cannot be reiterated enough: the Miami Heat almost completely reassembled their team and yet won two games in the NBA Finals. Although I concede to Mr. Deal that their season was a failure under the standard they set for themselves (LeBron’s outrageous prediction, parading the “Big Three” on stage, and the huge pre-season party bash at LeBron’s) it was not however a failure under plain old basketball terms. Winning two games in the Finals with your three best players coming back next season can only warrant optimism. Are they the favorite? Perhaps not . The Bulls and Celtics were injured when the Heat faced them and the Bulls too had new players to get used to their surroundings; both teams will be ready to play better next season. But I for one did not believe that it would be likely for the Heat to make the Finals in the first place and the fact they DID is an accomplishment in of itself. LeBron himself said that they don’t have to win a title this season to be successful, and they didn’t, yet they still WERE indeed successful. In summery, their mere appearance to the Finals, their two wins there, and playing every game close, proves that, yes, they are indeed just fine for next season. How can they be better? By something Allen Iverson didn’t appreciate; by the players making each other better by practice.

-The Real Deal

-Professor P-Funk

-Paul of the Wild