I hope he doesn't mind me saying this, but I am a better basketball player than my older brother. He would beat me in a cross country race, trivial pursuit, scaling a climbing wall, and many other things, but his "beating me in basketball" ship sailed around the time I was twelve and he was fourteen.
That said, this was not an easy passing of the torch. As I became more skilled, he came tougher and more physical. He was not willing to simply declare me the better basketball player, I had to earn it, and it would come with some bumps and bruises. In fact, as recently as college, he got kicked out of an intramural basketball game for pushing me into the bleachers from behind as I went in for an easy lay-up. A big brother's job is to make sure there are no easy lay-ups. His toughness, ultimately, is what made me the better player. Had he had an older brother, there is a good chance he would be the better player today.
Why do I retell this story? Because this is what gives me hope that Lebron James' decision might actually be great for basketball. James has been lambasted for a number of reasons: selfishness, disloyalty, killing basketball in a small market, and most importantly, altering the competitive balance of the league. Many people have thought that they don't want to follow a league where the players predetermine who will win. But history shows us that only Bill Russell and Michael Jordan were guaranteed champions in their prime. Miami will have to earn it.
The new Miami Heat enter an NBA landscape in which the two best teams (the Lakers and Celtics), are old, tough, smart, and (especially in the case of the Celtics) a little mean. It is their job to make sure there are no easy lay-ups. I fully expect the Heat to cruise through the regular season with eye-popping statistics and unbelievable highlights. But come playoff time, I think we may have some of the most fascinating playoffs series we have seen in awhile. And maybe Miami will go on to win championship after championship, but it won't happen without a few bodies flying into the bleachers. Tell me you're not interested in watching that.
And maybe, just maybe, with all the pressure on Miami to win now, another team gets better and better (Chicago, Oklahoma City?). You see, I might be able to beat my older brother, but I am not the best basketball player in my family. That honor goes to my twin brother.
The way I see it, there are three possible results:
1. The old guard holds their ground for a year or two.
2. The old guard challenges the Heat to become a basketball force unlike anything we've seen before.
3. Somebody we are not even talking about flies under the radar and becomes the team to beat.
Lebron's decision may affect the whole NBA landscape, but now the whole NBA landscape will fight back. No easy lay-ups.
6 comments:
That was an uncalled for flagrant foul in an organized game. I'm glad you're now able to sugarcoat it into a "big brother's job".
I just publicly declared that I was better than you at basketball, so I thought I owed you a little sugarcoating.
i probably would've *lovingly* pushed you into the bleachers too, if i were tim. maybe that's why i only won 1 b-league trophy.
good thoughts, mark.
The best part was the ref didn't know we were brothers, so after I turned and shouted at Tim he kicked him out immediately because of the zero-tolerance for fighting rule.
I will tell you that, I (your mother) for one am not interested in seeing "a few bodies flying into the bleachers".
I'm also thankful I did not see you go flying from Tim's flagrant foul!
I do, however, enjoy reading your blog!
haha.there was clearly a cheap nhl jerseys blossom from the leave in which all had been dried and unhappy seeking...
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