Ever since LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat back in July the air of expectancy towards this season’s NBA championships has been nothing short of electric.
The regular season commences today with the Miami Heat opposing the Boston Celtics in what should be a dress rehearsal of the Eastern Conference Finals that is unless the Orlando Magic decide to throw a spanner in the works.
This season is probably the most anticipated NBA season since the retirement of `His Airness’ Michael Jordan. To find the reason for that one has to look no further than what happened in the offseason when former Heat Coach Pat Riley landed the biggest haul of free agents namely James and Chris Bosh.
James had been plying his trade at the Cleveland Cavaliers ever since he joined the NBA some seven years ago. It had been seven fruitless years for `King James’ and his merry band of cavalier basketball players and, at the end of every season, one could sense that the `King’ was itching to move on to greener pastures.
This year it finally happened. James announced that he was taking his talents to South Beach, Miami to team up with Wade and Bosh in an attempt to secure the rings by which the greatness of a player in the league is judged.
But, by deciding to make that announcement of where he will be playing this season on the ESPN network, James drew the ire of the media, former NBA basketball greats including Jordan and Charles Barkley, the fans in Cleveland and last but by no means least, Cleveland Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert.
Gilbert was so incensed by James’ decision to leave that he penned an open letter to the Cleveland Cavaliers fans where be spoke of James’ betrayal.
“As you know now, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier,” Gilbert wrote. “This shocking act of disloyalty from our homegrown `Chosen One’ send the exact opposite lesson of what we want our children to learn,” Gilbert wrote adding… “You simply don’t deserve this kind of betrayal.’
As expected Gilbert’s letter provoked a sharp response from none other than American Civil Rights activist, Jesse Jackson, who said Gilbert’s comments on James seemed to suggest that James was a “runaway slave.”
In one fell swoop James, as the saying goes went from hero to zero by “The Decision” which was aired on ESPN. Little mention was made of the fact that the money James got for the one hour programme was donated to charity. James in all sense and purposes was a villain, nothing more.It is in the face of all that has gone before including James’ comments posted on the Twitter website that said he was making mental notes of all that was being written and said about him, that makes tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics such an intriguing one.
Bosh, James and Wade are known as the Three Kings and the question many would like answered is whether the Three Kings can win this season’s championships. But before Miami can think of defeating the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, they must first win the Eastern Conference Finals and that is why tonight’s game is of such importance.
The Boston Celtics, beaten by the Lakers in the 2010 Finals earlier this year, also have three key players in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. They also acquired Shaquille O’Neal, who teamed up with Wade to give Miami its only NBA title and who won three rings with Kobe Bryant for the Los Angles Lakers.
With the above four and throw in the hustling point guard Rajon Rondo who, it seems, can create plays out of nowhere and tonight’s game cannot get any bigger.
The Heat will obviously welcome back Wade who missed a number of preseason games through a strained hamstring but will be without sharpshooter Mike Miller who injured the thumb of his shooting hand.
However it is early days yet. The season is long and all kinds of ups and downs are to be expected.
It will be a season of expectations of winning the NBA title for most teams but only one person will feel personally satisfied if he manages to achieve that feat and that person is Lebron James.
If Miami does manage to win the NBA title then most of what he (James) went through in the offseason would have been worth it.
