You do that "watching" thing, if that's what shakes your chimes.

Me? Imma gunna HATE.

Sorry, but if the various sports leagues are gonna pump up the volume about what these guys are doing off the court, and they're all gonna tell us, hourly, about their lives and purchases and opinions, then hey - I get to rate them on that too.

See, it has to be a mix now. How they play as individuals... and as teammates. Where did they come from? i.e. Where and how did they grow up, and what have they overcome, and where have they played and how did they play - and then leave - there? How do they talk, and how do they live? It's no longer just the fact that they just play for the Boston Celtics or that they have amazing talent.

Truth is, people have always watched and enjoyed "talent." But never have they rooted just for talent.  People often rooted for players or teams because of where they had come from originally, or their life story, or team loyalty, or some stylistic tic. I disliked Gretzky through about the last 15 seasons he played, both because I was tired of his team winning - but also because I despised his sugary-sweet corporate pablum messages. That's what comes when he, and the league, decided to push them in our faces as pitchmen, as well as players. But was he the greatest player ever? Yeah. 

And LeBron has done this to himself. He's a man, not a child. It's not just "Cleveland." He's hated because in certain key ways we judge other people, he's not been "decent," he's shown himself to be an appalling man. Same as Kobe. Sadly - in my books - so too have large sections of the NBA, which seems more intent on turning itself into the world's largest suckfest, rather than on improving the game. And yes, global football is not far behind. (Yes, hockey has some as well. See: Sean Avery.)

The world is full of guys who have talent. Some of them make it big. But on the rinks and diamonds and courts I knew, we were allowed to disdain the guys who whined, pouted, preened. The guys with pain thresholds around hangnails. The guys with the big egos. The guys with no courage. 

Those things, character things, counted.

We were allowed to do everything in our power to beat them, and when we did, that was one for us - the people who had more courage and determination and teamwork than did those individuals.

So yeah, I'm happier rooting for a Steve Nash or a Kareem or a Tim Duncan than I am a Kobe or a LeBron. 

And in fact, fuck LeBron. 

Let's let him get smashed up a bit, hard-pressed, overwhelmed, and see how he does. It's the usual test we apply to humans.

Because last I checked (and I have this noted down here somewhere), the great lesson of life is not, in fact, that pure talent is the most important thing.

Sally Jenkins is saying lay off LeBron--he's being unselfish--in this column, the main point of which I partly agree with:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/lebron-james-isnt-a-hog-does-that-make-him-a-bad-boss/2011/06/08/AGy6fMMH_story.html

What merits some criticism of his play is not that he didn't shoot more.  He made a lot of outstanding passes.  The problem was his passivity in too predictably and too often clearly not looking for a shot.  He did look disengaged as a potential scorer.  I think it's a positive thing for Miami that he doesn't seem to feel the need to take over games from a scoring standpoint late, but can he do that while also playing in a more aggressive way to keep defenses more honest?  It seems strange to say that about James but Stevenson all but said after game 3 that guarding James was too easy late because he wasn't looking for his shot, *only* to pass in the fourth.  That's what I thought he meant when he said LeBron "checked out" offensively.

I still think that, more than a huge upset, it would be a minor miracle if the Mavs can somehow win this series.  Fortunately they don't seem to be paying attention to the analysts, virtually all of whom seem to have written them off after the first couple of games (among other doubters: I thought Miami would win in 5, if not 4.).  And they are even with Barea being unable to finish despite getting to the basket regularly, despite Terry not really having gotten going, despite Haywood being out. 

Carlisle is doing an exceptional job, I think--he is imaginative, calm, and quick to make adjustments when things aren't working.  His body language and demeanor convey grit, tenacity, and steadfastness and resourcefulness under pressure and his team is playing that way.   

As were the Bulls this season overall, so, too, are the Mavs a little engine that is.  Did anyone, anyone at all, pick the Mavs to win it all before the season started?  Before the season I was just as dismissive of them as a serious playoff threat as the CW reflected: they weren't tough enough, strong enough defensively, poised enough under pressure.

These are the best NBA playoffs I can recall in over 40 years now of watching the NBA--the most competitive, the most interesting, the most unpredictable.  It's been wide open who was going to play for the crown right from the start.  Should be a hell of a game tonight.

It is time to get your bets down. Las Vegas has Miami as a 4 1/2 point favorite and the over and under line at 187. Friday they had  the points at 5 1/2. Lots of money must have been going down on Dallas plus the points to force the bookies to change the spread a full point and give those that bet on Dallas at +5.5 to now take Miami at -4.5 and have a chance to win both sides if Miami were to win by 5.
 I'll take Dallas plus the points and also the over 187.

I pick the Miami Heat to win the NBA Championship in 2012.  They have their work cut out for them in the off-season, which I imagine will be a long one.  L. James, in particular, has a lot of work to doto master his craft.  I imagine Spoelstra, if he doesn't already, will begin to feel a bit of job insecurity soon.  It's a tough biz.  But Pat Riley is nobody's fool.  He'll get it all sorted by this time next year.