A few years ago, I visited the ruins of a Turkish bathhouse outside Istanbul. The tour guide informed our group that the bathhouse managed to survive the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and various other wars throughout history. As much as I hate tours and sightseeing, I would be lying if I told you that I was not impressed. Despite everything the world had thrown at this stone structure, it still stood strong.
I like to think that my sports-world views remain relatively separate from the black hole that is public perception. Just like that bathhouse, I try to withstand the beating of ever-changing perception and stay the course. Of course I’m subconsciously influenced and changed by the obsessively critical nature of its character. I too compare everything and everyone to an unreachable ideal devoid of flaws. Juxtaposition, then, is an unavoidable and hairy consequence that ultimately leads to conflict. Take the Miami Heat, for example. We hopped aboard the bandwagon with reckless abandon. Jeff Van Gundy proclaimed 72 wins. The Big Three themselves taunted us with whispers of eight championships, and we bought into it all. We had visions – nightmares, some would say – of the greatest team of all time. Magic and Kareem? Please. Bird, Parish and McHale? Try again. Despite the Spurs’ best efforts, they couldn’t quite satisfy the NBA’s dynastic thirst. That, and Tim Duncan isn’t exactly a ratings booster. Despite back-to-back rings for Kobe and the Lakers, our heart of hearts knew that it couldn’t last. The Heat, however, were primed to take up the mantle.
The beginning of the 2010-11 NBA season began with an inauspicious start for the league’s next great team. A 9-8 record, two losses to Boston and Paul Pierce‘s incessant tweeting threw the entire blogosphere (of which I’m a part) into chaos. Was a lack of teammates really to blame for LeBron‘s failure in Cleveland? Was Chris Bosh actually a superstar? With the Heat buying into and even fueling the us-against-the-world mentality, it’s safe to say that the world was winning. Every Miami loss proved that chemistry, coaching, depth and desire were enough to overcome talent. And we loved it because that is what’s approachable. It’s what we teach our kids because the gift of freakish athleticism comes to few and the gift of unalterable egoism comes to many. Every last-second choke furthered the notion that LeBron was scared of the moment. More importantly, it reminded us that they were defeatable humans. Every Bosh no-show chipped away at his shrinking confidence. So much so that he even considered returning to his home planet after spending years on Earth. But of course we ignored his 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during the regular season.
I’m not a Miami guy, so I turned to the experts in South Beach for their take. Surya Fernandez of Hot Hot Hoops had this to say:
“I don’t think the public has changed their minds a whole lot about the Miami Heat over the season,” says Fernandez. “If someone dislikes the Heat, there will always be a counter-argument to any of their success or a chance to gloat at any misstep or loss.”
David Dwork of Peninsula Is Mightier agreed that nothing could sway public perception:
“I don’t think (public perception) changed much,” says Dwork. “Regardless of how well they have been playing, the media as a whole has always seemed to find ways to cast a negative shadow over the Heat.”
When the end of the season rolled around, I thought things might change. Miami closed out with a record of 15-3, including a slaughter of the Boston Celtics. But we made even more excuses, claiming that the Kendrick Perkins trade was the sole reason for the loss. We seemed to overlook that this team is built for the playoffs. As much as they would have preferred the first seed, LeBron didn’t embarrass himself on television for regular season success. Now that they’ve turned up the juice and proven to everyone that talent wins, we still can’t help but resist. Chicago clawed and scraped for every bucket, while Miami scored with greater ease. Analysts everywhere prescribed cures to the ailments of the Bulls, but let’s be honest with ourselves; the Bulls never stood a chance. So when the Heat win Game 1 tonight, don’t act surprised. They’ve been doing it all year
Who wins Game 1 tonight?
Follow Dylan on Twitter at @DylanBotB.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
