EPIC
If you missed last night's Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, you missed a classic. The quality and intensity of the competition reminded me (I am dating myself, here) of Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals between Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls and Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers won that game on a 3 point shot by Lakers forward Sam Perkins in the final seconds, though the Bulls would go on to win the series and the NBA Championship in five games, 4-1. Last night's Conference Final offered an equally compelling opening act.
The Pacers and Heat played 48 minutes of regulation basketball that ended with the score tied. It took all five minutes of overtime to settle the contest. No team held a lead of more than three points in the closing minutes of regulation nor did either team hold a lead of more than four points in over time. The largest lead at any point in the game was seven points.
For those of you who completely avoided all forms of sports media for the past 18 hours, the Heat won the game in a dramatic form that will, no doubt, add to the legend of four time MVP and future Hall of Famer LeBron James. Indiana took a late one point lead following three clutch free throws by Paul George. Miami called its final timeout with 2.2 second remaining to advance the ball to the Indiana half of the court. George over-pursued James while contesting the in-bounds pass at the left elbow. James, like some kind of Superman, took one dribble and released the ball into the basket in less than two seconds, with the shot falling as time expired.
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| The star player of the Heat had ice in his veins in the finals seconds. 1 |
FAN-TASTIC
The combination of split-second decision making, superb athleticism (it's more than 15 feet from the elbow to the bucket), and clutch execution to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat became the talk of the sports world and the Twittersphere. It is why the NBA completely owns the months of May and June in the sports world and television ratings. Of course, there are people who simply hate LeBron James. Those of us who do not hate The King (or are actual fans) are beyond tired of reading the same, empty stale attacks on LeBron, the fuel for which likely date back to "The Decision" in 2010. What little validity the excessively harsh criticism of James had evaporated with his first NBA Championship last June.
Writing a daily sports blog, narrating Internet broadcasts of high school sports, and volunteering as coaching assistant for high school football has immersed me in the sports world. It also can detach me from the fanaticism (hence the word "fan") that hooked me and millions like me on to sports as a child. I read a tweet, by okdeadhead (@okdeadhead), that I found somewhat outlandish, downplaying LeBron's accomplishment. Earlier I read a tweet, from Pat Day (@PatrickDay_3) suggesting, in so many words, that people would still find a way to hate on LeBron.
Anyone who has played or covered organized basketball can appreciate how clutch the ending of last night's game was. But, when semi-professionally immersed in sports, it can be easy to forget what it is like to watch the game purely through a spectator's eyes. I retweeted both tweets, copying one on the other and unwittingly stirred a big pile of Twitter poo. You can follow the exchange between okdeadhead and Pat Day on my feed (@ech1997) (contains strong language; reader discretion is advised).
For only the second time, today's Retweet is an alley-oop:
@PatrickDay_3: "Lebron could of pulled up from 3 and nailed it... Yall would still have something negative to say. It's pretty clear Lebron is not human" (alley...)
(...oop!!!) @okdeadhead: "People. LeBron James was not a hero right there. He had an uncontested, walk up layup. Any human w/ 2 legs & a heartbeat would have made it."
You be the judge, Hat Trick Fam: hot or hype?
1) Image from www.nytimes.com
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