The Bitter Truth For All the Haters

With success comes judgement, scrutiny, jealousy, doubt, and overall HATE.  To a Michael Jordan, to a Kobe Bryant & now to a LeBron James, HATE is nothing but FUEL to feed the FIRE.  Notice the love or respect that Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki & Dwyane Wade receive from fans & the media, simply because they are humble individuals that are good at their craft.  Is it human nature for people to put down others that are great at what they do, & is it easier to hate a person when they seem COCKY because they are great at what they do.  Or, does LeBron, Kobe & MJ turn into a cocky athlete because of the hate they received throughout their careers.  Granted, Kobe had some off the court issues that occurred in the summer of 2003 that helped taint his persona & so did Michael Jordan as did, Tiger Woods & now 

Governor Schwarzenegger (weird situation.)  We all know where I'm heading with that, so I digress.  LeBron James on the other hand is a proud father, has a cartoon show & puppet commercials,..... Hmmm.  Why is he hated SO MUCH, "The Decision", REALLY?  He took less money to go to a championship caliber team, to play along side a certified Champion & friend in Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh (as humble & intelligent as they come) for a chance at his 1st Title.  Would you not do the same thing, would you not leave an employer if you know you won't advance or have a chance to succeed?  Or are some people mad because they don't have the backbone to leave their stale & hindered situations, a job, career, marriage or whatever is preventing them from reaching their potential.  With that said, maybe you should take a look at yourself if you HATE a person for being GREAT at something & going after their dreams.  In this case LeBron is one step closer to HIS DREAM, not yours & not mine HIS & I can't HATE anyone for that.

Well, "On to the Next", as Jay-Z would say, the 2 teams in the NBA Finals are the 2 I picked to be there.  Not tooting my horn, maybe I am but it will be the GRAND finale to what I can call the most exciting Playoffs I've seen since 1998.  With the GREAT Dirk Nowitzki at the helm for Dallas brings his Snipers into Miami for Tuesday night FIGHTS with the now PROVEN Big 3 which will turn into a shoot out.  Athleticism plays a big part in the outcome of the series for the Heat & the Mavs shooting will be there deciding factor.  Doubling Dirk was not an option for OKC who lacked defensively throughout the Western Conference Finals.  However, Miami's D with their quickness & length could disrupt the flow of the dependable Maverick offense with Dirk's full trust in Jason Kidd, Jason Terry & Peja Stojakovic (Snipers).  On the other side of the ball I'm sure Shawn Marion will be facing up with LeBron frequently as he did Kevin Durant & did it succesfully.  It is doubtful the success will carry over into the finals dealing with a stronger, more explosive "Prince James" whom will only be a King when he takes a championship ring.  Takes a ring, not have it given to him because Dirk & Jason Terry has been to the Finals before as well & are just as hungry for the title of NBA Champ.

The same applies for Dirk as with LeBron, to be known as one of the BEST to ever play then they must hold up the Larry O'Brien Trophy.  And we will see them matched up occasionally throughout the series as Dirk continues to shoot his way into history.  60-62 from the foul line & averaged 32.2 points against the young OKC Thunder.  That's almost to good to be true, unlike other sports writers I just don't think any human being can stay as consistant as Dirk has since they lost Game 4 in round 1 against the Blazers going 10-1 thereafter.  My wise parents use to tell me NOTHING LAST FOREVER, good or bad.  In this instance the performance of Dirk has been GREAT & there is some intense pressure on him to maintain his shooting brilliance against a higher quality defense. 

My prediction: With this series I think age & athletism with the experience takes the series.  Wade, LeBron, Bosh & company are a younger team but youth in collaboration with athleticism & experience.  Dirk will be Dirk, but not as proficient & he will need help from his Snipers which Erik Spoelstra probably try & defend with a zone.  How will Rick Carlisle (looking like Jim Carrey's older brother) counter that with a team that lacks penertration without J.J. Barea on the court & when he is will go through exactly what the MVP in Derrick Rose couldn't conquer even when I thought he had the Miami wall in the paint defense figured out in Game 5.  Barea being much smaller & lacking in strength compared to Rose who was held to 6.3% from the field when LeBron guarded him late in Games 4 & 5, will struggle in the same manner.  Overall, it will be a hard faught series going back & forth with the edge going to the Miami Heat & they will win in 7 games.

Game 1 of the NBA FINALS Tuesday at 9pm ET on ABC

One more thing, Magic Johnson on ESPN after the OKC Thunder lost had a direct message to Russell Westbrook; & I also would like to give my insight.  To Coach Scott Brooks & Russell Westbrook, you guys played a hell of a series BUT until you'll realize that you (Russell) are not a POINT GUARD & should consider moving to shooting guard & placing James Harden at point you will constantly meet defeat.  The Thunder could then also have a Big 3 with Harden, Durant & Westbrook something to think about during the offseason.

It is what it is....