So Miami took Game 1 in the 2011 Best of 7 NBA Finals via a pretty convincing 92-84 win over Dallas just yesterday. The game began what I have personally dubbed as the Vindication versus Redemption Series: if the Heat bring home the Larry O'Brien trophy, the coming together of the three big names in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh will have been proven the right move to make, and would further the cause of high-value NBA Superstars to discuss amongst themselves where they would want to play. On the other hand, if the Mavericks take home the title, they would avenge an NBA Finals meltdown that occured five years ago against, who else, the Miami Heat.
But there is another theme that could also be plastered on to this series. This series shows us the year 21st century versions of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson going at it to determine who gets their first trophy. The two players I'm talking about, of course, are Dirk Nowitzki and James himself. True that Dirk and LBJ have not really been labeled as rivals since their college years (Dirk was in Germany and James never went to college) and prior to this series, I never really really thought about comparing the two to the 1980's rivals of the storied Boston-LA championship bouts.
Take a closer look, though, at the makeup of the two players and what makes them the great players that they are, and you see the similarities with the game of the two legends.
First there is LeBron and Magic. Yeah, LeBron is pretty much hated right now, especially after the distasteful way he announced his Decision "to take his talents to South Beach." But like it or not, Bron Bron is an elite player, probably at the top of the class. Especially with Kobe slowly declining into memory and Shaq already becoming one, and with the Derrick Roses, Dwight Howards, and other elite players just not measuring up to what "The King" has done and is capable of doing. He can practically average a triple double if he really wants to. He looks for teammates, rebounds, and leads the drive that is the entertaining game of the Miami Heat. Yes, he tomahawks a whole lot more than Magic (come to think of it, I can't remember ever seeing a clip of Magic dunking the ball) and probably uses his bulk more than anything else, but LeBron's game is just so much like Magic's. The keen eye for the open teammate, willingness to carry a team when needed and the charisma that he exudes (at least before The Decision) make LeBron the Magic of the 21st century. Not to diss Scottie Pippen, who likened James to no less than his Airness himself Michael Jordan, but if you look at the skill set and what he brings to the team, James is closer to Magic in my estimation (I saw an article showing that Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Isiah Thomas have come out contesting Pippen's comparison of James to MJ but haven't read it yet. I wonder how they would react to this supposition?)
Then you have Dirk, who has actually been compared to No. 33 already. Bird himself, now serving as an executive for the Indiana Pacers, has gone public saying that he is humbled by the idea that Dirk is being compared to him. Again take a look at what Dirk does and you see the obvious comparison to Bird. Long-distance shooter who can rebound pretty well and pass the ball as well. On top of that is the hard-nosed and focused approach that both players apply when getting into games. Hard-nosed and Dirk? Yeah, he's proven that he can't be labeled as soft any longer. And focused too! He didn't even bother to meet the boos of the Miami fans during the introductions of the starters as he was too busy putting in some more practice shots before the game. Again, there are the differences (in height, position played, nationality, etc...) but what Dirk brings to Dallas is similar to what Bird brought to Boston.
Now it isn't really that perceivable but one might even go as far as saying that the two teams' starting units and some key players off the bench of Miami and Dallas have similarities to the LA and Boston teams of the 80's. Apologies first go to the LA and Boston teams who have competed very hard the past three years to renew the same rivalry. Let's take a look at it:
MIAMI: Dwyane Wade (James Worthy - though it's a stretch), Chris Bosh (Kareem), Udonis Haslem (AC Green), Mike Bibby (Byron Scott), Joel Anthony (Kurt Rambis)
DALLAS: Tyson Chandler (Robert Parish), Shawn Marion (Kevin McHale), Jason Kidd (Dennis Johnson), Jason Terry (Danny Ainge)
The positions aren't quite right, and one is pretty much a stretch (Wade and Worthy), but there is something in how the 80's teams and these two teams are composed. The comparison a perfect fit, though, as LA also had Mychal Thompson as an able pivotman behind Jabbar, and Boston had a young Reggie Lewis, who would later inherit the leadership of the Celtics.
At any rate, this series has so many angles through which it can be seen. Having the second coming of Bird and Magic is just one of them. Now if the 21st century Lakers are truly on the decline and Dallas can keep on churning in good seasons after this one, maybe - just maybe, this will be a rivalry that can compete with the LA-Boston one of the 80's as well.
SHOT FROM MIDCOURT:
In the Philippines, when one is sweating in the armpits, it's called jabbar. I don't know if it has any real connection but it just auspiciously sort of alludes to the legendary move by Kareem, where he exposes his armpit when he executes the impossible to block Sky Hook.
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