Game 1 goes to the Heat

Ugh. As much as I love basketball I might have to skip the rest of this series. Because it's starting to become clear that it is as we feared; The Heat have figured it out. They've figured out how to best utilize Wade and James on the court together. They've figured out they can play stingy, stifling defense. And Lebron has figured out that he is now the best closer in the game.

To make matters worse Dirk had to go and tear something in his non-shooting index finger. Like I said before, he'd have to score 40 plus for the Mavs to have a chance. Last night proved that.

I keep searching for possible story lines that don't end with the Heat being crowned World Champions. A Lebron steroid scandal would be a nice touch but I think the most realistic one would be the Mavs going down 0-2 and then roaring all the way back to win four straight and avenge their 06 loss. For Dirk and Jason Terry anyways. But even that one isn't TOO realistic.

I could have respected Lebron doing what he's doing now if he was still with the Cavs. At least I think I could have. I still would have hated him, but at least I could have appreciated the work he put in. But for me personally, it just isn't as impressive because he's playing alongside Dwyane Wade. People are always trying to make the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen comparison. Don't get me wrong, Pippen was a great player. He used his great length and athleticism to his advantage offensively, and was one of the best wing defenders this game has ever seen. But this is a guy who never scored more than 2000 points in a season. It was clear that you could not win a championship with him as your primary scorer. Phil Jackson knew that perfectly well, that Pippen fit perfectly as a secondary scorer. Lebron and D-Wade do not have that dynamic. People need to remember that Dwyane Wade is arguably the second best player on the planet. He's just as capable as Lebron of closing out a game, and for most of his career has been more so.

My point is that Lebron isn't going about this Championship run the traditional way. The Heat Big 3 say they're following the blueprint set by the 07 Celtics. No. Nothing like this has ever been done before. This is Michael playing with Magic in their primes. Wilt teaming up with Russel. Shaq and Olajuwon.

Does that take away from what Lebron's doing right now? I'm not sure. I think it just might thought. All I do know is I'd be far more impressed if he showed these same abilities while leading his own team to the Finals.