So after millions of dollars spent building up one of the most lethal 1-2-3 punch combinations in the history of the NBA, the Miami Heat have won their championship. King James finally has his crown. When all is said and done you can’t take anything away from LeBron, Wade or Bosh – they all put up outstanding efforts and truly played what can only be defined as “clutch basketball”. So, could this Miami Heat team be the next great dynasty in basketball to rival the Bulls in 1990’s or the Lakers in the 1980’s?
Billy Bean coined the term “Moneyball” for his style of selecting players for his team – picking up underrated players for a great value. I used the term “Moneyball” in basketball to define the complete opposite; teams spending exorbitant amounts of money on players to try and buy themselves a championship.
When the Miami Heat announced the signings of Bosh and James a few years ago there was no denying that this team was out to buy itself a championship. It raised the ire of many, and perturbed true basketball fans across the country (and world). It even prompted an open-letter from James’ former team owner promising that he would buy Cleveland a championship before Miami – which he not only failed at doing, but also further fueled the “Moneyball” furor.
When I compare this most recent championship Miami Heat team to that of the 1990’s Bulls or 1980’s I see a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. The key similarities lie in the one-two punch that each of these teams had: Johnson-Jabar/Worthy, Jordan-Pippen and now James-Wade (I put Bosh on the periphery). Where the difference lies is that the Bulls and Magic of yore were built more so on prospect, then by using the “Moneyball” formulation. This isn’t to say that there were some key pick-ups made by each the Magic and Bulls during their dynastic periods – but, they had credibility because they built their teams on a foundation of solid prospecting.
The Heat do lose some credibility in my eyes, and I think the eyes of others for the reason that they bought their championship instead of building it.
Does this take anything away from the talent of the team? Not at all. This is most likely the most talent rich team in the NBA right now – however, the Heat have turned themselves into antagonists within the same vein as the New York Yankees.
I am sure more championships will come to Miami over the coming years, but whether or not people outside of the die-hard fan base will ever be able to board with the team is another story.
… and that is the last word.
