June 22nd, 2006 by Jimmy Bones
NBA Playoffs End With a Thud
Two weeks ago, the NBA was basking in the glory of a magnificent playoff season. Talk of a revival in the popularity of the NBA was everywhere. New mainstream stars like Lebron James and Dwyane Wade had arrived, veteran players like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki were emerging as true superstars and the games were as exciting as had been seen in years. Funny how things can change over such a short period of time.
The Dallas-Miami series represented everything wrong with the NBA. From the absurd refereeing to Mark Cuban’s insane antics, any momentum the NBA had gained in the earlier rounds went up in smoke. Add in the most unlikable NBA champion since, well, last year I guess and you have a disaster for the league.Refereeing in the NBA is a joke. It’s the only league where it’s accepted that the refs will favour the home team. It seems nearly every series has one game where fans and media are left scratching their heads at the one-sidedness of the officiating. Yet nothing ever changes. Its time for David Stern to take action and get refs who will call the game fairly for all players. It’d be nice to see a game where contact on a drive by Jason Terry is called the same as contact on a drive by Dwyane Wade or a game where the home team doesn’t end up with 10 more free throws than the visitors. Unbiased officiating, what a concept.
The state of officiating is one avenue where most fans can agree with Mark Cuban. Most people agree that Cuban is good for the game and a solid owner, but this week he went too far and his act is getting tired. Owners shouldn’t come rushing out onto the court unless its to celebrate (and even that is questionable). To come out and berate officials and the commissioner (no matter what he said) is pathetic. Cuban needs to retire his entire attention grabbing routine. He should take a lesson from another younger owner, Daniel Snyder, and let the attention be focused where it’s deserved, his players.
Speaking of players, is there any wonder why the casual fan doesn’t get behind the Miami Heat. Yes, they do have Dwyane Wade, one of the best young athletes in the world, both in terms of skills and likeable personality, but the rest of that roster is downright unlikable. From Pat Riley’s hostile takeover of the coaching job to Alonzo Mourning’s quitting on two teams to get traded to Miami, there just isn’t a team the casual observer can support. Wade is a special player and one who will be competing for championships for years to come, let’s hope the next incarnation of the Heat isn’t full of players who force the fans to cheer against him.
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