On Tuesday night, the Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks and became only the third team in NBA Finals history to come back from a 0-2 deficit to win a 7-game series 4-2. But, given the competitive nature of each game and the attendant controversies this incited, this Heat comeback was arguably the most exciting and suspenseful in NBA Finals history. Despite the spectacular play on the court, however, the real drama of this championship featured individuals sitting in the stands and watching on TV thousands of miles away.
And, for the frat-boy cheerleading and puerile temper tantrums he displayed throughout the series, the consensus star in this off-court drama was Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. But this comes as no surprise to NBA fans. After all, in the three years since this billionaire geek bought the team, he’s been fined over a million dollars for conduct unbecoming an adult – to say nothing of an NBA owner. In fact, Cuban – who has the brains of computer whiz and the temperament of a street thug – has been fined for everything from running onto the court to brawl with players from opposing teams to whining about a conspiracy between the NBA Commissioner David Stern (who he verbally assaulted in the stands after losing game 5) and referees to prevent his team from becoming NBA champs. (Incidentally, Stern fined Cuban $250,000 for this latest outburst.)
Nonetheless, the most interesting off-court drama involved the sublime dynamics amongst Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley and team leader Shaquille O’Neal on the one hand and Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and team leader Kobe Bryant on the other. Because, after they won 3 consecutive NBA Championships (in 2000, 2001 and 2002) as teammates, the Lakers traded Shaq to Miami to indulge Kobe’s petulant and oversized ego. And from that fateful day, all NBA fans have wondered which of these franchise players would be the first to lead his team to a championship without the other. And, to be sure, each player has coveted this bragging right to seal his legacy. Therefore, this championship not only gives Shaq one more ring than Kobe has but also vindicates his stature in this rather interpersonal respect.
And, as if Shaq winning this singular acclaim did not syringe him with enough resentment, it must have only added insult to Kobe’s bruised ego when sports analysts began heralding Shaq’s boy-wonder teammate Dwayne Wade as the next Michael Jordan. After all, like a ball-playing Napoleon, this is a coronation Kobe gave himself many years ago….
As for the Coaches, both are certified winners and had already established enviable legacies before this season began: Riley for coaching the Lakers to 5 championships in the 1980s; and Jackson for coaching the Chicago Bulls to 6 championships in the 1990s (and the Lakers to the 3 championships cited above). Nevertheless, both coaches have been irked by critics who claim that, but for once-in-a-lifetime superstar teammates like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabaar (for Riley in the 1980s), Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (for Jackson in the 1990s) and Kobe and Shaq (for Jackson again 2000-2003), neither one of them would have been able to coach those teams to NBA championships.
Therefore, it must come as sweet vindication for Riley to have won this championship – with Shaq in his professional dotage and a young Wade who – although on the verge of superstardom – himself admits he’s no Michael Jordan. Indeed, even Riley’s critics must concede that his coaching was more indispensable than Wade’s MVP performance to the Miami Heat winning this series. And, in case they doubted his role this time, after their win on Tuesday Riley shouted “Fifteen Strong! Fifteen Strong” – signifying the 15 players he had just coached to an improbable NBA championship.
NOTE: If all of that isn’t intriguing enough for you, factor into these dynamics reports that Mark Cuban has offered disgraced newsman Dan Rather (see yesterday’s post) a pivotal position in his growing HDNet media empire.
2006 NBA Finals, Miami+Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban
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