The best NBA season in recent history came to an end when the pure, undaunted knights of the Dallas Mavericks slew the vile dragon that was the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. At least, that was how it seemed.
Now professional basketball is in limbo as analysts have to apocalyptically footnote all predictions with “assuming we have a season next year.” The thrills of this past season have culminated in a cliffhanger – and we don’t know the release date of the much-anticipated sequel.
The 2010-2011 season began last July with the statement euphemized around the world of “I’m taking my talents to South Beach.” LeBron James’ “The Decision” ignited a media and public firestorm around the Miami Heat, a frenzy unseen since the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. It wasn’t the media’s creation either; “The Decision” was ESPN’s highest overnight rating for any non-NFL program in 2010.
The Heat helped draw attention to this year’s season, but the rest of the league stepped up as well and provided captivating glimpses into the future.
Derrick Rose made the leap to elite talent earlier than expected, becoming the youngest player in history to take home the NBA MVP award. Rose highlights the plethora of talented young guards. The lengthy list includes John Wall, Russell Westbrook, Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry, Jeff Teague, Eric Gordon and others.
A number of big men also established their presence this year. Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin and Al Horford especially cemented their places as long-term fixtures for their respective teams.
The playoffs reflected this talent shift, as older teams began to fall to younger ones. It was a changing of the guard year; the dynasties of the past decade showed signs of their demise. The Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics all failed to reach their respective conference finals.
With their elders on the descent, the young cores of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies made deep playoff runs and became top competitors for next year’s Larry O’Brien Trophy.
This year belonged to the Mavericks and the Heat though. Five years after Dwayne Wade and the Heat broke the heart of Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in the 2006 Finals, the rematch was set with good versus evil on the line. It took six historically close games for the Mavericks to take home the franchise’s first championship.
Much will be said and argued about the legacies of the players on both sides.
Jason Kidd and Nowitzki relinquished their hold on leading all active players in playoff games played without winning a championship. Each has now vaulted in the rankings of the best of all time. Nowitzki has broken into the top 20 with the addition of a ring, achieving something Charles Barkley and Karl Malone never did, and is the best European player in league history.
Much more will be said and argued where LeBron James stacks up. The best comparison that has been made so far is to Wilt Chamberlain, with the 2010-2011 Heat playing the part of the 1967-1968 Lakers. Chamberlain enjoyed the life of a celebrity, racked up gaudy stats, was a superhuman athlete, probably relied too much on his jump shot and joined a team with two other stars (Jerry West and Elgin Baylor) in 1967. Sound familiar?
In the 1968 Finals, the Lakers ran into the Boston Celtics near the tail end of the Bill Russell dynasty. The Celtics were an undeniable, veteran team that went on to win the series in six games. After the devastating loss, it took that Lakers team four years to win a championship – the only one for that big three.
Only time will tell if history repeats itself. But, only time will tell what will happen with the lockout, which leaves us with unanswered questions. Will there be a full season next year? Will there be a hard salary cap instituted? Can the Heat pull it together? Which young team will emerge as the strongest? Will the expected relocations of Chris Paul and Dwight Howard alter the NBA landscape again?
Who do we have to blame for this hype and intrigue? I’m taking my blame to South Beach.
Wesley Vaughn is a senior majoring in public relations and political science.
