They'll Have To wait Another Year To Start That Eight Championship Run

So the Mavericks won the NBA Finals. Good for them. When I had the opportunity to watch them, I really enjoyed their offense. The ball was always moving, whether it was somebody driving to the basket, or using a screen to get free, or passing out of the double-team to an open shooter. A lot of fun to watch.

It's still hard for me to believe Jason Kidd is actually a good shooter now. I remember when he was leading the Nets to the Finals (where they'd get swept) and teams would play off him to try and force him to shoot jumpers. He was that lousy of a shooter. Now he's some kind of deadeye from 3-point range. Let's hear it for working hard.

I really expected LeBron to have a huge game 6. After all the questions about his performances, and the way he's responded at times to all the crap and the questions that have been thrown at him, I thought for sure he was going to dismantle Dallas single-handed. Or come real close, anyway. I figured the Mavericks could still win if he had a huge game (I was thinking like 37 points, 8 boards, 13 assists, roughly), but it'd be tough. Dirk would have to come up huge, and Wade and Bosh would have to be relatively quiet. I figured that was entirely possible for Bosh, but probably not for Wade, so yeah, I expected it to be a struggle for Dallas.

And I suppose it was at times. They were behind early, then built a large lead, only to watch it slip away. Nowitzki shot poorly most of the game, but they pulled it off.

I'm not sorry the Heat fell short. I hope they continue to fall short, though I don't expect they will. I imagine they'll find a way to build a better roster, even if the new CBA lowers the salary cap. I guess my issue was for the better part of a decade we've been told LeBron is the chosen one (he even has it tattooed on his back), that he's King James, and we are all witnesses. This wasn't just p.r. people, this was something he actively encouraged as his image. Then he essentially said, "You know what? I'm really not that great. I can't win here, so I'm going to team up with a couple of friends, one who already got himself a ring." He wrote a check his talent couldn't cash. So even though it really was a decent bit of self-awareness to recognize he did need more help than he received in Cleveland, he still feels like a bit of a fraud.

But honestly, I'm surprised that even if he wasn't scoring, he wasn't setting up his teammates. He seems like such a good passer, and he draws so much attention if he goes towards the basket, I'd think he'd be spoiled for options to pass it to. That's one of the things I like about his game, that he seemed willing to get his teammates involved, if the opportunity was there. He took some flack for it at times, like that Pistons series where he was criticized for passing to an open teammate (Donyell Marshall?) who clanked a potential game-winning 3. So the next game he scored something like the Cavs last 26 points.

But is that really his game, the scoring fiend act? If not, I can't hate a guy for wanting to keep his teammates involved, even if they stink. It was one of the things I liked about Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. He wasn't going to ball-hog just because his teammates were lousy. If he drew a double-team, he was going to find an open man, and trust they'd come through. It wasn't his fault Kevin McHale couldn't consistently surround him with players who could come through. I don't know why he didn't go that route. Even if he didn't want to shoot, all he has to do is drive. it's not as though Dallas could take a chance he won't shoot and leave him unguarded. Someone would be open to pass to.