It's Great to be Alive: Thoughts on This League and Its Champions

 

"When are people going to talk about the purity of our game and what these guys accomplished?" - Rick Carlisle in his postgame press conference Sunday night.

These were words that we all needed to hear.

I'm sad to see this season end.  It was better than any that I can remember.  This is a great time for the league.  The level of superstar talent is higher than it's been in a long time.  Newcomers like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Blake Griffin gave us even more reasons to be excited about the direction of the NBA.  Frankly, it's not enough to just watch your favorite team anymore.  In fact, if you're not watching the Clippers at least once per week, you're missing out.  That's a great thing.  These stars brought the excitement, filling up our computers and televisions with incredible highlights every single day, and creating a buzz that hasn't been seen and felt since the early-mid 90s.

When people weren't talking about these individual superstars, they were discussing the super teams.  The Lakers and their quest for a three-peat.  The Celtics staring down father time and looking to avenge their game 7 loss a season ago.  The newly formed trio in Miami, who had brashly staked their claim as the next big thing.  The Oklahoma City Thunder, who were determined to prove that their success a season ago had not been a fluke.  In February, we added the New York Knicks to this list.  Throw in the aftermath of the craziest free agency summer in history and the major trades that went down before and at the deadline, and this was a season that was big on drama, with more running plotlines than a marathon of Dexter.  Sorry if that line was corny.  I'm trying to be a writer.

An incredible regular season was capped off by a postseason of epic proportions, complete with new storylines all its own.  We anointed Memphis, waved goodbye to San Antonio and Boston, finally laminated the Thunder's pass to the club of the NBA's elite, and found new ways to love and hate LeBron James and the Heat.  I'm already having withdrawals.  It was phenomenal.  Every second of it.

And yet, it seems that we somehow missed out on the best story of all, even though it was happening right in front of us.  We were so preoccupied talking about the collapse of the Lakers, the closing of the Celtics' proverbial window,  the Thunder's youth and unreadiness, and how much we hated or didn't hate the Heat, that somehow we missed the beauty of what was happening with these Dallas Mavericks.  If you haven't taken the time to appreciate what you've seen from them over the past two months, take a minute to reflect on it today and soak in all the coverage.

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I'm not just talking about Dirk.  Don't get me wrong, that's the best part of the story, which is why it's the part people have been talking about.  But, that's just the beginning.  What about the part where Jason Kidd, who I maintain is the best point guard of my life up to this point, finally reached the top of the mountain at the age of 38?  What about the part where Shawn Marion, who had become an afterthought in this league, reminded us all of why we used to be so captivated by him in Phoenix?  The Matrix was back in this postseason, taking the lead in limiting both Kevin Durant and LeBron James.  There was Peja's unlikely contributions in rounds 2 and 3.  There was DeShawn Stevenson being exactly what Eddie Jordan had described him as in Washington - a warrior.  There was Tyson Chandler being reasonably healthy, starting in 74 games this season, and being the impactful player that we had seen glimpses of in New Orleans and Chicago.  There was JJ Barea, the tiny Puerto Rican, proving his worth on the biggest stage.  And of course, we can't talk about Dirk without mentioning the Jet, his lone remaining teammate from the 2006 team that lost in the finals.

If you grew up watching this league, one of these stories has to resonate with you on a deep level.  For me, it's Kidd.  I couldn't help but be emotional for him last night.

So, why weren't we rooting for this all along?  Why was the nation not focusing its collective attention on this quest for redemption?  Why was that less important than simply seeing the Lakers and Heat lose?  Why, instead of focusing on the team that was playing better basketball than anyone, were we choosing to focus on the teams who were collapsing?

Because, by and large, nobody gave them a chance.  Nobody saw this coming.  And, now that I'm typing it, I have to think that maybe that's the best part of the story.  Hell, a lot of us (myself included) didn't even give them a chance to get out of round 1.  And, of all the crazy storylines that were featured in this postseason, I appreciate this one the most.  Anything can happen in the playoffs when you've got a talent pool this deep.  It's all about who is playing the best at the right time.  The victor will be the team who can make the adjustments and the big plays when it matters the most.  These sound like cliches, but they rang loud and true in this postseason.

And, I need to make one more thing clear.  The reason none of us gave them a chance is not because they're style isn't flashy.  To say that cheapens the greatness of this league and its fans.  None of us gave them a chance because we've seen them fail so many times before.  Again, redemption.  That's what this was about.

In an age where we write and rewrite the legacy of players and teams on a daily basis, credit has to go to Mark Cuban for never losing faith in Dirk Nowitzki, something Dirk acknowledged many times last night.  The narrative of Dirk's career before this postseason had been a false one.  He was never soft, nor was he a choke artist.  The truth is that there's a lot of chance involved in who gets these rings and who doesn't.  I don't believe that the Mavericks are definitively better than the Heat this year, just like I don't believe the Heat were definitely better than them in 2006, just like I don't believe the Lakers were definitively better than the Celtics last season.  Dirk has improved his game a great deal since 2006, but the notion that he was lacking something internally in 2006 and 2007 is simply false.  The time just wasn't right.

I'll offer you the same explanation for the Miami Heat in the hopes that you'll refrain from bashing them, and instead choose to embrace the greatness of this Mavericks run.  The Heat are not evil, nor do they represent everything that is "wrong" with the NBA.  If they are guilty of anything, it's putting too much pressure on themselves right from the start.  That's something I applaud in superstars.  This team grew tremendously throughout this season, and I have no doubt that this disappointment will fuel them to push themselves harder than ever before.  Bash and label LeBron James however you will, but if you're doing that you probably did the same to Dirk Nowitzki, and you hopefully realize now how foolish that was.

So, congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks for finally finding redemption, and thanks to them for closing out what was my favorite NBA postseason ever.  It was an outcome I wasn't hoping for, and certainly not one I expected.  That makes me even more grateful for it.  This game is beautiful.

"So if what you have is working for you, or you think that it can stand a reasonable chance, and whatever's broken seems fixable and nothing's beyond repair,

If you still think about each other and smile before you remember how screwed up it's gotten or maybe dream of a time less rotten,

Remember, it ain't too late to take a deep breath and throw yourself into it with everything you got

It's great to be alive."

-Patterson Hood, the Drive-By Truckers.

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