Can They Stand The HEAT?

When I started this blog I intended to cover a cross section of topics but decided I would lay off basketball related topics. This was done for two reasons. One being that my very good friend has a blog himself and he mostly covers basketball issues and we have been friends for 25+ years we tend to share the same views so it would just be re-hashing what he said more or less, the other reason is that after the conclusion of last year's NBA Finals I decided that I wasn't going to follow the NBA anymore. Settle down Lakers fans, it had more to do with the officiating in the second half/fourth quarter than my genuine dislike for Kobe Bryant. 

Then came the off-season...and what an eventful one it was. Lebron James, some would say the best player in the game, and Chris Bosh decided to team up with Dwyane Wade and play for the Miami Heat. This peaked my interest once again in watching the NBA, if only to see how this new 'super power' in the East would fair against the League. Add that to the fact that once you truly love something, it is kind of hard to do without it so I'm actually following the NBA again.

What has followed since 'The Decision'  has been a full blown media frenzy. From the burning of Lebron James Cavalier jerseys to the present struggles of the Heat team. These recent struggles for the Heat have been dissected, analyzed and solutions offered by just about everybody in the sporting media. There are those that are even glad that the Heat are having problems.

The latest media feeding is centered around the comments made by the Heat's coach Erik Spoelstra comments about some of his players crying in the locker room after their last loss to Chicago Bulls, who some consider to be one of the top four teams in the NBA. This piece of info has been met with both positive and negative reviews and all I am saying is...SERIOUSLY?????

What is really the big deal about this? I get that from a 'team' concept it can be viewed as the coach telling out locker room secrets. What I don't get is the ridicule that the players are getting. We as fans, get mad/annoyed/upset when athletes seem not to care about anything but themselves and their paychecks but now that information has come to light that some players took a loss to heart to the point of tears...we make sport about it. I see nothing wrong with a player/players shedding a few tears after a tough loss, especially when his team has been going through a rough patch. It takes a lot out of a player to go through a losing streak (believe me I know, been on two different teams that didn't win any games for an entire season) and to be losing the same way each time is even more frustrating. (In 3 of the 4 losses, the Heat have had big leads only to let them slip away and have failed to hit a game winning shot).

Interestingly enough, I think that main reason for the 'tears' isn't the losing....but more the 'hate' the Heat are receiving. Before this season LeBron, Wade and to a lesser extent Bosh were some of the most liked players in the NBA. After they decided to team up together, their 'likable image' took some serious hits. I truly believe this has more to do with the way LeBron went about revealing his choice than anything else. As a result of this, LeBron and the Heat by association are the villains of the NBA and this is a new 'role' for these three. A role they never wanted but none the less are in and it has finally taken it's toll and lets be honest here...no matter how much money you make or how good you are at what you do at the end of the day, as a human being liked is something we would rather be than hated.

Throughout this losing streak, and the one they had to start the season come to think of it, the most offered solution has been to replace the coach. Call me silly, but I do not think that is the remedy for this problem. Spoelstra is a very good coach, where he is falling down however is that he has not defined to his 3 (some say 2.5) stars what roles they play in crunch time. All who follow the NBA know that while LeBron is the best all round player in the League, as a closer he isn't in the top three..he isn't even the best at late game heroics on his team but yet somehow the play is designed with him having the ball. Once Spoelstra tells his players what their roles are, I can see the Heat being more successful in these situations.

That being said, I still don't think this incarnation of the Miami Heat has everything needed to win the NBA Championship. They are still missing a reliable point guard (this too is why they are failing in close games but I digress), a legitimate post presence...this does not only apply to the offense but defense as well and lastly, they need a bench...too much of the offense/defense is on the 'Big 2.5' and it is finally getting to them. 

Will they make the playoffs? Of course

Will they go deep into the playoffs? I have them making the Eastern Conference Finals

Will they win a Championship? Yes. The team's foundation is too talented. The Celtics are getting older. Kobe won't be with the Lakers forever (THANK GOD!!!!) It's going to be an open field very soon.

Until they do win though, the question still remains

Can they stand the heat? 

Only time will tell... 

Say Before It's Too Late

They say the only things in life that are certain are change, taxes and death. I'd have to agree with two of those, I mean..if I'm living on the street and jobless..exactly how are they really going to tax me?

As is my routine on mornings, I usually have the television on SportsCenter while I'm getting ready for work. This morning there were two stories that made me pause. They weren't about any sports but about two athletes dying. One was a stabbing incident (read more here) and the other was what appears to be natural causes (read more here). Both are quite tragic and I hope the families are able to make it through this dark time in their lives.

The one that really made me think was the story about the high school kid. (Maybe because as a basketball player that situation is something I've played out in my head. Hitting the game winning shot). Here he is, probably one of his proudest moments and in an instant...that moment was gone. Joy and jubilation was replaced by, what I can only imagine would be panic, concern, fear, sadness.

I know we don't know when our time or our loved ones for that matter is up and I know almost daily we hear 'Live your life to the fullest' or 'Tell your loved ones how you feel..you never know when they won't be here'. Most of my friends would say that I've certainly done the first one (some might say I've lived enough for two people) but the second one...I'd admit not so much. Yes I've told them how I feel. Tried my best to show them how much they mean but maybe not as often as I should. Can't remember the last time I've told a family member I love them. I've known my best friend for 27 years (known him longer than I've known my brothers) and to me he is a brother but it seems 'wrong' to say that to him.

Why is it easy to express feelings for things we own but freeze up when it comes to telling the people in our lives how we feel? 

Then when they are no longer with us, we lament not telling them. 

Why do we only speak of the good things a person has done when they are no longer living?

Have we become so caught up in being individuals that we forget those who are most important?

I really hope not because it is those special people that make life that much more sweeter. That big promotion at work is that more enjoyable when you can come home and share it with those you love, be it wife/gf, mother. That game winning shot is celebrated that much harder when your close friends are the ones that congratulate you.

Take the time to let these people know that they are appreciated. A simple phone call can make their day. 

Never let an opportunity pass.