This is what I thought on Sunday as the Mavs ran out the clock on secured their first NBA title.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I have always been taught to be humble and show respect in my daily life, but not this time.  I called Dallas winning the whole thing against the Heat.  Even though they were the underdogs, I called it.  Mwahahahaha.

Take that, LeBron James!  I know you’re getting a ton of criticisms right now against you and you probably don’t care what I have to say, but heed my words: talk is cheap. And your talk is useless.  5,6,7 championships?  Try NONE!  A ha ha ha ha.

My advice to you, Lebron, now that I have calmed down, is this: you need to take this offseason to cool down and get ready for the tomatoes to fly. You have sparked quite a wave of hatred against you this past season, and I think it’s important that you take this time to get back to what really matters: your game.  Focus less on what you will say at a press conference and focus more on your jump shot. Don’t make any more claims, or any more assertions.

Can I just take a moment to say how happy I am that Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki now have a ring?  So happy for both of them, they really deserved it.  Also Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, you guys are straight up ballers, no lie.

Back to the matter at hand: James.  You are alone.  Cleveland doesn’t like you,  Miami doesn’t really like you (Wade will always be the favorite child), and now I’m sure even most of those who praised you have found something to criticize you for. Again, my advice: take this time to humble yourself.  Don’t make a commercial.  Don’t schedule a press conference.  Certainly don’t go up on a stage and make poses.  Just go the gym and shoot around, please.  Maybe then this storm will die out.

Photo: Reuters

JIM RUBERA
(Rubera writes for The Spop)

Well that was fun.  LeBron really did this to himself.  He had the NBA and its fans in the palm of his hand for his first 6 years.  People loved him.  They admired him.  They shook off his antics because he was charismatic, an incredible performer, and apparently loyal to his home town.

Now he might be the most hated athlete in existence.  The most telling stat is in the ratings.  Last night’s game was watched by 22% more people than last year’s game six.  For those with short memories, last year’s finals featured the Lakers and Celtics…the two most storied and popular franchises in the league.  This year more people tuned in for one reason.  To watch the Heat lose.

The eye test doesn’t lie either.  If you stayed up to watch the Dallas celebration on the court you noticed that the arena was more than half full.  That means two things to me.  One, that Heat ticket holders are spineless glory whores that sold their tickets to more Dallas fans than they should have because they couldn’t win the title on that particular night.  Two, that not only all the Dallas fans stayed for the celebration (obviously), but…a lot of Heat fans too.  I don’t know about you, but if somebody won the title on my team’s home court I would elbow my buddy and say “Let’s get the hell out of here.  I’m not watching this.”  Miamians stuck around to see the beautiful people.  They have no real allegiance.

Which leads to the saddest point of all for Lebron.  He has no real fan base.  He has nobody that will back him up when things go bad.  America hates him.  Cleveland HATES him.  And his own fans just want to be seen on tv with shades and designer t-shirts.  It’s sad because, like I said before, he used to be a good guy.  I used to be a huge fan.  I used to get in arguments with my friends that he might be bigger and better than Michael.  And I doubt I was the only one.  Wow were we wrong.  And all he had to do was just make better decisions and keep people in mind other than himself.

Call Dan Gilbert before you go public with your rightful choice to play for Miami.  Apologize to him and thank him for everything he’s done for you.  Offer to sponsor a new part of the Cav’s arena dedicated to the fans with some gadgets and games as a gesture of your appreciation to the organization.

Take a page out of Tiger’s book and make a commercial that’s humble.  That shows humility.  That shows the Cleveland fans during the good times and maybe a tear or a hung head from you as the picture fades out.  Think Nike wouldn’t go for that?  Don’t make a commercial that is a 90 second testament to how badass and righteous you are where you use the word “I” thirty times.  (Yeah, go count)

Don’t fan the flames at press conferences or in front of your locker when things are going poorly.  Yes, we DO want you to lose.  You don’t have to act like a martyr because of it.

Don’t let sports writers get in your head in the 4th quarter.  You’re better than that.  You made these moves.  Back them up.  It only makes it worse when you shy away from the moment and pass the ball like it’s a bowl of squash on Thanksgiving.

And for the love of God, don’t compensate for your failure by reminding people that you’re going back to your mansion in Miami and that we have to get up and go to work and worry about money.

Someday maybe he’ll learn, but until then he’s doomed to face the reality that he has created.  What he doesn’t realize is that people could still be rooting for him in Miami.  He could have still been one of the good guys if he had just gotten over himself and tried to be a person instead of a comic book character.

We are all witnesses to the power of self destruction.

Photo: Getty

SCOTT JACOBS

- Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on overcoming the odds, being king of the comeback, and prevailing in a series few expected them to win.  Mark Cuban who has owned the Mavs since 2000, and has watched their resurgence from NBA afterthought to perennial 50 game winner to now NBA champion, has kept his mouth shut this whole playoffs.  His team did the talking for him — on the court — where they proved themselves to be the NBA’s deepest and most clutch group.

- It felt like a changing of the guard when the Mavs crushed the Lakers en route to a shocking four game sweep in the second round.  It turned out to be the passing of the torch.  To win the championship you often have to get through the champs, and Dallas did so in convincing fashion.  They were prepared and undaunted this whole playoff run, and they are without a doubt, deserving NBA champs.

- This was the Western Conference’s third seed? Wonder how many people will remember that?

- Dirk started out the game 1-12, but unlike LeBron kept hoisting them up.  Michael Wilbon claimed that he was actually hurting the Mavs at halftime, but once again, as has been his custom so often during these 2011 playoffs, Nowitzki came up huge when it mattered most.  His numbers, 9-27, were well, to put it bluntly, awful.  But as we all know, it’s not what you put up, it’s how you put it up (and when). Dirk had 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter “closing time” to officially ice the Heat, and get his revenge for 2006.

- Chris Bosh was bashed relentlessly this whole season for being inconsistent, soft, not good enough, over-rated, and not ready for prime-time.  Well, I think we can put those claims to bed.  Bosh was the best of the Big Three on Sunday Night, making almost all the shots he took, and he was aggressive, driving to the cup, and unafraid to make his presence felt.  But it was after the game when he broke down sobbing on his way to the locker room that I gained the most respect for Bosh.  He was genuinely emotional out there, and he’ll take a beating for it — but I respect him for showing just how much this season and falling short meant.

- “There’s no hiding,” Bosh said after the game. He went through so much this off-season and then regular and post-season after being relatively anonymous in Toronto for the first 7 years of his career.  He may not be the best player in the league, but he gives everything he has, and he puts his heart and soul into every game. Not much more you can ask of the guy.  That’s a winner in my book, and I’m convinced he’ll eventually get his.

- Not a winner: LeBron James.  On a scale of 1-10 of absolutely moronic comments, LeBron’s post game remarks about America going to “reality” after this was remarkably dumb.

- I’ll let the media shred him to bits for the next four months for it. He is going to be hated even more though after these remarks. Attacking middle class America? Not exactly the way to gain back a legion of devoted followers.

- Wade wasn’t great either in game 6. But he wasn’t making excuses. It is worth pointing out that during Miami’s huge 14-0 run  to take a 1 point lead in the 2nd, that LeBron was on the bench the entire time with Wade running the show.  As soon as LeBron  came onto the court, the lead disappeared, and the Mavs went into the locker-room at half with a 2 point lead. Just saying.

- Jason Terry was a killer when it counted.  He was well aware of how much 2006 hurt, and he avenged that bitter series loss with a pair of sensational games to close out the Heat. He’s brash, loud, and some might even say obnoxious — but he can talk all he wants if he backs it up. Terry did that and more this series, hitting massive 3 after massive 3, driving a stake into Miami’s comeback attempts time after time after time.  Terry had 15 points or more in Dallas’ final 4 games, 3 of which were Mavs wins.  The first 2 games: 12 points both games.

- Weird celebration for Dallas. It’s almost like they didn’t know what to do since none of them have ever won a ring. Nowitzki almost immediately looked for the exits, there was no dog-pile, or screaming, or really anything all that demonstrative.  It was plain, boring, and pretty much the opposite of what Miami would have done.  It was business-like. Just like the Mavericks.

- The Mavs looked older during their celebration than during the series.  That was one creaky way to blow off steam for so many year’s of failure.

- The Mavericks were the better team (talent wise) in 2006.  The Heat were the better team in 2011. Neither team won the title. Talent means squat without substance.

- Miami completely imploded down the stretch with horrendous unforced turnovers, and they were late to every loose ball, but what was really stunning was their woes from the foul line.  Miami missed 13 free throws (so much for the idea of them being free), and they lost by 10. I’m sorry, but if you’re trying to win a championship, especially if you’re looking to win a game 6 against a team looking for their first championship you cannot blow that many freebies.  More surprising were the guys that were clanking ‘em: Wade, LeBron, Mario Chalmers, and even Bosh missed a few.

- Dallas went into the fourth quarter protecting a 9 point fourth quarter lead.  Even with some wiggle room, they still won the fourth quarter, outscoring the Heat 24-23 to clinch the title.

- Nowitzki, Terry, and Barea: 63 points ; LeBron, Wade, and Bosh: 57

- J.J. Barea and Mario Chalmers provided some unexpected offensive pop in the clincher. Barea was enormous hitting clutch 3s and running Miami’s once air-tight defense ragged to the tune of 15 points.  He was huge.  Chalmers made some ill-advised decisons, including a critical late game turnover when he was blocked by Jason Kidd, but give the guy credit: he showed he’s not afraid to back down from nothing or no one.  Chalmers will never be a star in this league, but he plays with heart, and whether it’s on the Heat or somewhere else in 2011-12, Chalmers will make his impact felt on this league.

- Without a doubt Miami’s most glaring deficiency is at the center position.  After a brilliant game 1, Joel Anthony went M.I.A. the rest of the series, and that’s not a good combination when you can’t score.  Anthony, for all of intensive purposes is a gamer, a hard worker, and an overachiver, but Miami needs a real center so that Bosh doesn’t find himself guarding guys like Tyson Chandler in end of game situations.

- Sayonara Mike Bibby. Hope giving up the $6.5 million was worth it.

- The Heat have already been installed as favorites for the 2011-12 NBA title.  That didn’t take long.  The Lakers are second, with the newly minted champion Mavs slotting in at 5th. Didn’t take long for Dallas to get disrespected again did it?

- Caron Butler didn’t even play half the season, and he was Dallas’ second leading scorer in the regular season.

- Mark Cuban says that the parade, expected to take place sometime next week, will be funded entirely out of his own pockets. Classy move.

- Did anyone else catch Cubes when he said, “s&*%” on ESPN following the win in a post-game sitdown with Hannah Storm?  He doesn’t talk the whole post-season, and then he finally opens up his yap, and that’s what comes out? Good grief!  FCC, your response?

- Has any owner been more instrumental in turning a franchise around?  The Mavs were completely irrelevant in the NBA fabric before Cuban took over.  With Cuban taking the reigns at the start of the century, the Mavs have been NBA contenders every year since.  Further proof that an owner committed to winning can make it happen no matter the franchise (I’m talking to you Donald Sterling).

- I’m genuinely happy for Shawn Marion who finally won his first championship after being part of so many good Suns teams that just came short.  Marion was such a big part of Phoenix’s conference finalist teams of 2005 and 2006, but always came up just short.  Then he was dealt for Shaq, ended up in Miami, then Toronto, and finally Dallas, where he re-emerged in the Finals as a quality scorer, no matter how awkward his shot continues to be.

- There’s no way he runs a basketball camp right?  I couldn’t imagine parents letting their kids get taught how to shoot that way!

- Dallas winning this championship is the best possible outcome the NBA could have asked for.  The NBA flourished on a year of Heat hate, drawing even casual fans in to watch LeBron in his failed quest for a ring.  Now the league gets another year of it, with LeBron sure to be the focal point of the 2011-12 season.

- Proof: Game 6 drew a record rating for ABC. 15.0 to be exact, meaning that 15% of households were tuned in to watch the Mavs-Heat finale.  The rating was up 35% from 2006’s game 6, when the Heat beat Dallas on the road to win their first and only title (And this was the worst game of the series by far, even though the first half was insane).

- That said, the NBA and the Players Association would be really stupid to let all the good will and excitement generated from a compelling season go down the drain with a lockout.

- Translation: get a deal done, avoid the court-room, and the lawyers. The only soap opera I want to see is one on the court.

Photo: Getty

SCOTT JACOBS

They say that revenge is a glass best served cold.  On Sunday Night in game 6, with a chance to lockup their first ever NBA title against the same franchise that partied on their court some five years ago, the Dallas Mavericks finally extinguished the last flickering flame Miami had: icing the Heat and their trifecta of super-scrutinized stars with stunning authority to win the 2011 NBA Finals 4 games to 2.

Dirk Nowitzki took the idea a little too literally, opening the game a frozen 1-12, but great teams know how to pick themselves up, even when their star is falling down.  Jason Terry, loud, brash, and very much outspoken throughout this Finals series came up with 27 huge points, never backing down from a big time shot, and almost single handedly putting his foot on the throat of the Heat.  J.J. Barea once again carved Miami up, sending the Heat’s once formidable defense scrambling every which way as he torched them for killer threes and backbreaking layups.

Nowitzki ever cold in the first half, heated up (pun intended) in the second half, and with a championship in plain sight, seized the moment.  His stats weren’t gaudy, but despite finishing 9-27 from the field, it was the Big German’s 5-6 end of game flurry that preserved his newfound status as one of the league’s best closers: something that was very much arguable going into this post-season.  O yeah, it also helped net Dallas their first title in franchise history: something Miami denied them back in 2006.

It set off a celebration, 31 years in the making, for the Mavs, who were jumping up and down on the sidelines, looking giddy like kids at a candy store.  Mark Cuban said after the game that most of the Mavs bench players were wearing black warmup gear, because well, that’s the color you wear to a funeral.  And a funeral it was for Miami – the most talked about, dissected, and maybe most hated team since the inception of the digital age.

In a series that was remarkably tight, filled with comebacks, and played till the last drop, game 6 was really anything but.  The Mavs fell behind early, as could be expected given the adrenaline pumping through AmericanAirlines Center, but they withstood Miami’s early push (including a hot start from LeBron James), before catching fire.

With a 12 point lead on the road in the second quarter and a stunned crowd not knowing what just hit them, Dallas appeared to have finally broken the Heat.  But then came one last run.  One last go at it for all the haters, for all the questioners, for all the doubters.  With LeBron on the bench Miami went on a 14-0 run, led by of all people Eddie House to not just take the lead, but to send the Heat faithful into a frenzy of renewed hope and optimism.

Then it happened. The fight. Or the scuffle, or whatever you’d like to call it.  Up by 2 with all the momentum on their side, the Heat appeared to finally have their swagger back when Udonis Haslem decided to take a detour with his arm raised up as he crossed paths with a few Mavs during a timeout.  Pushing ensued, Miami’s bench flooded the court, and that was it.  That was Miami’s season right there.  After a lengthy stoppage in play the officials assessed both Haslem and Mario Chalmers technicals, Dallas regained their footing, and the desperate Heat found themselves playing catchup the rest of the night.

It was indeed the Heat, America’s punching bag for the last 9 months, who finally ran out of fight, because they used the little fight they had left on a play that had nothing to do with the game.

Miami made little pushes throughout, but as the game got later and later it was inevitable there would be no miracle.   The Mavs and Heat made sure of it.

Dallas did their part by hitting every big shot, outhustling the Heat for just about every loose ball, and corralling all the big rebounds.  Miami did theirs by missing 13 free throws, turning the ball over on big possession after big possession, and once again finishing the game passive – there’s that word again – with Chalmers, Wade, and House the only guys who seemed willing to shoot.  Add to the mix, a defense that went all casper on the Heat these last few games (or was it Dallas’ shooting that just came alive?) and Miami gave themselves no real chance to send this to a seventh game.

It was a recipe for disaster, and the final curtain on a Miami soap opera that rocked the sports world all season long.  Miami’s return to relevance began with The Decision, but it was the team’s fourth quarter InDecision that probably cost them a championship, and was ultimately their undoing; An undoing that had fans in Germany cheering, Mavs fans at AmericanAirlines Center dancing, and Clevelanders breathing a big sigh of relief with LeBron coming up short once again.

The questions as they have so often this season continued to come with a vengeance after it was over.  As Wade and LeBron stepped up to the podium, it was James who was basically by himself.  Almost all the questions were aimed at the self proclaimed king, who picked the worst possible series to wilt under pressure.

With the world watching, and millions, maybe billions egging him on to fail, LeBron became unsure of himself, that confident swagger he had against Boston and Chicago seemingly light years removed from his psyche.  His shot was to put it bluntly, off, as was his whole game this series.  For the alleged best player in the league, LeBron was exposed for all the things he didn’t do well in this series: post up, play off the ball, and most importantly close: leaving more questions than answers if you can believe it, for a Heat team that was questioned relentlessly all season.

The end result was a series that was lost in the crosshairs of game 2, 4, and 5, and a season that was finally put to rest – good riddance said the world – in game 6.

Look, it’s clear that LeBron has a lot of growing up to do.  First and foremost taking some responsibility for his own game would be a great start.  Instead of admitting to his shortcomings as a player and vowing to make amends for a season that should have ended with a championship, LeBron tweeted that, “The Greater Man upstairs know when it’s my time. Right now isn’t the time.”

Open mouth. Insert foot.

He openly told the media that sometimes you’ve got it, sometimes you don’t. Leaving the world to ask the question, WWKS (What would Kobe say)?  Answer: not that.  WWJS (What would Jordan Say)?  Answer: definitely not that.

And then, in a manner fitting of a fallen king, LeBron responded to one final wave of criticism, and the world’s alleged happiness at seeing him fail by saying, “At the end of the day, all of the people that were rooting for me to fail, tomorrow they’ll have to wake up and have the same life that [they had] before they woke up today. They got the same personal problems they had today and I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things I want to do.”

To quote Will Ferrell from Anchorman, “Brick… You should probably find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you’re probably wanted for murder.”

For murdering Miami’s NBA titles hopes with a six pack of inept performances that is. Then having the gall to crack under the final night of immense pressure by playing the rich, famous, and awesome card.  Yeah, that will go well with all the people who already think he’s a pompous ass.

Yet we still continue to call him the best player, because apparently talent trumps titles.  Because potential overpowers production.

It’s likely the Heat will come back next year (There has to be a next year after this season) with an even better team than they had this season.  It was afterall the first year of at least a 4 year trial run, with an option for 6.  But in sports you just never know what might happen: whether that be injuries, bad luck, lopsided trades, a falling out, a mental breakdown, and down the line we go.

So for Miami to give up their golden ticket has to be disheartening.  Ask Dan Marino.  He was a rookie in 1983: by 1985 Marino was a full-fledged super star.  That year he led the Dolphins to the Super Bowl, where they were trounced by the 49ers.  No matter it was thought, he’ll definitely be back again.  Be he never did make it back to the Big Game, and he finished an illustrious career without the ring that came to define him.

You see sports doesn’t owe stars anything.  The basketball gods as we have come to call them, don’t owe LeBron nothing.  Sports have a funny way of putting pretenders in their place.  If LeBron truly is a pretender cloaked in a thin shield of greatness, maybe the ball truly will never bounce him and his teams to a title.

But it’s far too early to wonder that right now.

Instead it’s the Dallas Mavericks, the same team that fielded all the collapse questions in 2006, that now reign high atop the NBA mountain as the league’s newest champion.  Jason Kidd now has a ring.  Ditto for wily veterans Shawn Marion, and of course Jason Terry.

Dirk hurried into the locker room so that he could have a private moment to shed some tears, before he came back out onto the court for the trophy presentation.  He was of course named MVP – like that was ever in question.

“We don’t run fast, or jump high,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.

It’s not common you hear an NBA Champion say that.  But then again, there was nothing ordinary about this season.

This was the New England Patriots going 16-0 in 2007, being the story every waking moment for a whole season, and then waking up the day after the Super Bowl without being the champs.  It was shocking, bizarre, and almost hard to believe.

Miami was the show all season long.  Dallas as it turned out was the unexpected final plot twist.

Photo: Getty

SCOTT JACOBS

LeBron James called it the biggest game of his career.  Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs knew that to realistically keep their title hopes alive they needed to win their final home game of the year.  It was a good old fashioned back and forth western shootout for four quarters, and when the dust settled, after Dallas put the finishing touches on another back breaking 17-4 run, it was Dallas, not Miami with the 3-2 series edge.  It was Dallas, not Miami heading back to South Florida supremely confident after shooting nearly 60%.  It was Dallas, not Miami on the verge of an NBA championship.

Leaving the once highly favored Heat to ask the same questions that the Mavericks had to answer just half a decade ago: Can you win two games on your home floor?  Or are you going to let the opposing team celebrate a championship in your gym?

It’s that simple now.  Forget what’s been going on inside LeBron’s dome, as he’s gravitated from killer scorer to pacifist facilitator.  Forget how the Heat have now blown 3 games in which they’ve held fourth quarter leads.  Forget the fact that with Wade’s injury tonight leaving him less than 100% for Sunday’s season-saving game 6, that Chris Bosh has emerged as the steadiest player on the team.

Forget it all.

The only thing that matters is that Eddie House scored 35 points back on April 13th, the last game of the regular season — when Wade, Bosh, and LeBron all sat — to help the Heat crush Toronto 97-79 — giving the Heat the tiebreaker over Dallas and one extra home game in the Finals.  Because, that’s the only thing a flailing Heat team has going for them: the fact that they finally get to wear their home whites again — Sunday, game 6, back at American Airlines Arena.  And Tuesday, game 7, should the series make it that far.

The series shifts back to Miami with the Heat in precisely the same position that Dallas was in back in 2006.  The parallels are eerily similar.  While home-court matters, it didn’t help Dallas the last time these two tangoed in the Finals.  Miami celebrated their first franchise title at the same place they just lost back to back (for the first time this entire postseason) and they did it in game 6.

James had 17 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds, which amounts to a triple double.  But once again the only time he attacked was when Wade was hurt.  Come the fourth quarter it was LeBron deferring again, to the chagrin of baffled Heat fans everywhere.  LeBron isn’t the story tonight, like he was in game 5.  Comparing the two performances would be silly.  Still, it doesn’t change the fact that James was grossly ineffective in the fourth again and was awful outside the paint (1-10).  The argument used to be who would take the big shot.  Now the question is: does LeBron even want the big shots anymore?

He looks rattled, shaken, his shot looks brittle, and his confidence in his game looks broken.  The same man who pulverized the Bulls, and broke the hearts of the old Celtics has been nowhere to be found, instead opting to be part of the backdrop with his team’s season sliding quickly down the drain.

The Heat’s attacking defense has also been detonated.  Dallas blitzed Miami from all over the floor.

“We have nothing to say about our offense,” said James. Miami’s offense was very good.  It was efficient.  It was smooth. The Heat shot 52%.  But their defense was shaky, and Dallas hit everything — an offensive explosion, comparable in power to their epic game 4 housing of L.A.  That game was of course a blowout.  This one was close.  A nail-biter until the final minute.

Miami going into game 5 — could’ve laid a claim that they should have swept this championship.  But should is for teams that can’t close.  Could is for teams that didn’t.  And would is for teams that maybe just aren’t what we thought they were.

The craziest part: Miami is getting contributions from everyone else.  For godsakes, Juwan Howard had 6 points. Five Heat players paced by — who else, Dwyane Wade (even after missing 1/4 of the game) — scored in double figures.  This from the same Heat team that was getting 80+ from their Big Three against Boston and a whole lot of nothing from their so called supporting cast.

Well, fancy that reversed.  Wade had 23 points and appeared headed towards a monster game, when a left hip contusion knocked him out two different times.  No matter, Chris Bosh was once again a steady hand scoring 19 points. Mario Chalmers had a huge night with 15, and his confidence seems to be growing larger by the game, compared to LeBron’s whose will to shoot the big shots appears to be sagging into the stratosphere. Even Udonis Haslem chipped in with 10, including a dunk that gave Miami the lead.  Yet another lead that they figured out how to blow.

Miami had 40 points from their bench.  The same maligned bench that looked unprepared to carry a Gatorade bottle, nevermind almost half the scoring load.  So the bench is clicking.  Wade has been great.  Bosh has been cool and comfortable.  Chalmers is coming into his own.  Then there’s LeBron.

If you continue to believe that one team is the better team — yet they keep losing — eventually it becomes clear that they’re no longer the superior squad.  With four straight nail-biters the Mavs have proven themselves to not just be worthy challengers to Miami, but their equal.  And their equal is now one win away from a championship.

No one on Dallas was afraid to shoot tonight.  They shot a staggering 56% from the field — and were a mind numbing 66% at half.  They were 21-27 of the line (as usual no misses courteousy of Dirk), but most importantly they burned the Heat where it hurts most — beyond the arc.  13 threes?  Miami made 8 of their own, and yet were outscored from downtown by 12 big points.

The final margin? 9.

Jason Terry had 21 — including some massive shot clock beating 3’s, and JJ Barea was brimming with confidence as he carved up Miami’s d, getting anywhere in the paint that he wanted.  With Dirk once again brilliant as usual, and Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, and Tyson Chandler contributing 34 big points combined, Dallas finally got the game they knew they were cable of.  It couldn’t have come at a better time.

Miami had more rebounds, more assists, more blocks, and five more turnovers.  Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.  They’ve killed both teams this series, but have been particularly crushing for Miami.  The biggest one came when LeBron finally played aggressive and instead of getting an and 1, got called for a “and none.”  The questionable offensive foul not only took 2 points off the board late in the game, but seemed to deflate Miami — part of a 3 play LeBron stretch in which he took 3 shots and contributed 0 points.

I don’t know, maybe this is Dallas’ year.  Maybe the basketball gods are sending a message that you need to go through heartbreak before you can experience the ultimate triumph.  Maybe Miami’s season-long uncertainty with how they’d run their offense down the stretch will turn out to be their very undoing.  Maybe LeBron just wasn’t made for the moment.  Maybe it’s just time for Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Tyson Chandler.  I know L.A. won 2 games in their home gym after falling behind 3-2 to Boston last year, but that team had title toughness.  They had been down that parade route the year before.

This Heat team is a furball of inconsistency, a shadow of confusion. A derailment of distortion.  The ultimate now you see me, now you don’t squad.  Can they win game 6? Certainly.  Will they?  I’m not so sure.

I can’t question Bosh anymore.  He has fire in his eyes.  He looked pissed tonight.  Wade looked determined.  LeBron, well he just looked burnt out.

“As a team we played good enough to win,” said James, before a brief pause. “Again.”  Control has turned to chaos, and chaos to anxiety with the series shifting back to South Beach on Sunday.

“I could’ve made a couple more plays,” he said. But could’ve doesn’t crown a champ, and it’s certainly not the words of a king.  LeBron might as well take off his paper Burger King crown and re-earn his stripes.  Because if he thinks this season was tough, wait till next year if the Heat fall short.

“Once you’re on the court, you’re on the court,” said Wade, as a journalist tried to plug away at the effect of his injury.  “I don’t make excuses.”

One sounds like confidence.  The other sounds like uncertainty.

“Our year has been un-chartered ever since we got together,” said Bosh, now the voice of reason, after a season of scrutiny himself.  “We protect home court, we win the series.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Erik Spoelstra, who once again got outcoached. “That’s been our fabric. Be able to work and improve on the game.”

Not exactly words of encouragement. More like words of a team in the middle of a season.  But Miami has no more freebie games to give away. They have one option: win.  And if they don’t walk through that door, they’ll be clearing out their lockers early next week, wondering just where in the hell it all went wrong.

Photo: Getty

JORDAN WAGNER

The Mavericks showed last night that they don’t need to match the Heat’s energy to win a game; they just need a short spurt of it.

In case you missed the first 90 seconds of  game  4 last night, allow this writer to recap; Dirk, Dirk and more Dirk. Nowitzki started 3 for 3 from the field with the first 6 point of the game, even though he was fighting a 102 degree fever. What happened next?

Ummm…not too much…

At least for the veteran Mavs squad. Miami was having fun throwing down dunks and rejecting shots. It seemed as though Dallas was just so happy by that first 90 seconds of the game that nothing else mattered. Of course, the 4th quarter in every Dallas game has proven to be the action blockbuster Hollywood could market.  Jason “The Jet” Terry got fired up, leaving Mark Jackson (recently named Warriors coach) to make the great reference, “Let sleeping guards lie.”

If there is one guard you don’t want to get ticked this series, it’s Terry. While 17 points isn’t anything phenomenal, consider that The Jet hit two clutch free throws late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line (and arguably Dallas’ season as well) to put the Mavs up by 3. The former Arizona Wildcat and Sixth Man of the Year still has something left in the tank.  All he needs is a little zip.

Speaking of zip, an ailing Dirk zipped right on by Haslam with an astounding layup to put Dallas up 84-81 with 14.4 seconds left.  The clutch basket came after he went ice-cold from the field (1-11, after a 3-3 start).

I recall writhing in agony over the missed open shots on the part of Dallas (and they missed plenty in game 4), yet once again they proved that all they need is a little spark in the 4th to make a comeback.

I think LeBron James might need a little zip, too. Eight points? Maybe he’s just saving it for next game. That is what Miami seems to do a lot; save it for next game. The only question is, since the next game is still in Dallas, is this the turning point?  Dwyane Wade is playing his heart out, but he still couldn’t pull off the win. What does this mean for Miami? Is the talent of James, Wade and Chris Bosh not enough to beat some old geezers?

Little side note: Jason Kidd had 0 points last night. Now, I know he is an assist machine, not a scorer, but still! You wanna take a 3 there, buddy? I’ve seen you make them; I know you can do it. Get some zip, buddy.

Photo: Getty

SCOTT JACOBS

If you want to be a legend, you have to man up when the stars shine their brightest.  LeBron James has all the talent in the world, but there’s no defending the inexcusable disappearance act he pulled with the Heat in a dogfight for series control tonight.  LeBron didn’t just defer, he flipped the ball off as if it was a hot potato, leaving guys like Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, and even Mike Miller to take some crucial shots.

The other day I wrote that LeBron didn’t deserve the remarkable criticism he gets (especially when the Heat win like they did in game 3), but there’s no defending whatever you call his performance tonight.  Dirk Nowitzki had a 102 degree fever and had 5 times more fight in him than the so called King, who for now, I’m stripping of his crown, because his play today was of the peasant quality.

Once again it was Wade’s show, as it has been pretty much these entire NBA Finals — with a helping hand of Bosh, but LeBron’s lack of scoring punch really killed Miami down the stretch.  James scored just 8 points, I repeat 8 points, setting himself up for a bevvy of scrutiny and second guessing, all of which is deserved.

If you have the gall to say you’re gonna win multiple championships, and then that moment comes for you to make it happen and you continually defer, then not only is the media going to blast you, but you will be labeled a phony. A star gilded in Robin’s cape.

All year it’s been about Wade and LeBron. Tonight it was just Wade.  Flash was brilliant once again, but when it became apparent that James was disinterested in being a scoring option, Dallas just flooded Wade, who just didn’t have enough help to carry Miami to a backbreaking win.

Give Dallas all the credit in the world.  They have the heart of a lion. Every time you think they’re ready to die, they find that little extra to complete these remarkable comebacks.  I said this after game 2, when Dallas overcame that massive 15 point deficit: Is Dallas a team of destiny? I mean how many of these comebacks can a team have, before you just start to believe that it’s meant to be.

Dallas had 5 guys in double figures, including Dirk, whose legend continues to grow, while James’ quickly shrinks. Jason Terry had 17 points including 2 enormous free throws down the stretch, and Shawn Marion was once again a revelation with 16. Chandler and Stevenson also played well.

But let’s face it: the story is James.  As it has been all season.  We know what to expect from Wade in The Finals: namely greatness.  But with LeBron, well now I just don’t know.  LeBron made that impassioned speech to his team before the game, and said that the Heat needed to play with their backs against the wall. For over 3 quarters the Heat did. And then they went ice cold.

LeBron is a terrific passer but for this Heat team to win the title, he needs to be a scorer.  Wade is good for 30 a night, but now you start to wonder if him having an off-game will result in a blowout.  Do what got you here.  For the Heat, that’s play great defense(which they mostly did) and use their two explosive scorers to rip the heart out of the opposition.

The Mavs are not going away.  Drama follows Miami everywhere they go, and now we know that this series will be no shorter than 6 games.  So instead of what could have been a sweep, we’re tied at 2, and quite honestly, the Mavericks look like they can now win this thing.

Three straight games have come down to the buzzer, and the Mavs have now won 2 of those 3, both big-time fourth quarter comebacks.  They know they can beat the Heat if the game is close late.  They know Miami has a penchant for going cold at the absolute worst times.  And with veterans like Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion closer to an NBA championship than they’ve ever been, they can see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

LeBron James was spectacular versus Boston and fantastic versus the Bulls, but against the Mavs he’s been ordinary.  The NBA season is officially now down to 3 games, starting with game 5, and ordinary just won’t cut it.

All Miami has to do technically is win 2 home games. All Dallas has to do is win one home game and 1 road game.  That’s what separates greatness from being bestowed on one of these two teams.  Particularly Miami, which now has 3 games to figure out what ails them in these fourth quarters, otherwise a long off season of brutal questioning looms.

It’s not time to panic if you’re the Heat, but it is certainly time to be concerned.

Six fourth quarter turnovers will not get it done if you’re Miami.  Back to the wall. For the first time this postseason the Heat have lost 2 games in a series.

Curious to see how they react come Thursday.  Especially LeBron.

Photo: Reuters

SCOTT JACOBS

“This dumb toast is gonna haunt me forever” – Jason Segal, I Love You Man.

If you saw the 2009 movie which stared Paul Rudd and Segal, you remember the line.  It’s one of many in a really funny buddy-buddy comedy.  If you didn’t that’s okay too: it’s not exactly a reference that is difficult to explain.

Segal spends the entire movie developing good will and an awesome friendship with Rudd’s character, and then in an ill-fated toast, tells Rudd’s fiance at their engagement party, that she should return the favor, because Rudd is such a pleasure giver.

So what’s the relevance here to sports?

Segal’s toast was LeBron’s decision.  The one move that no matter what he does (or doesn’t do) will seemingly haunt him forever.  Halfway to a championship, LeBron still can’t win.  He ‘embarrassed’ Cleveland by divorcing them on national television on a stupid show that generated remarkable buzz and set the stage for an NBA season unlike any other.  I get why he’s that ultimate “love to hate him player,” but the resentment towards James has gotten out of control to the point where it’s completely irrational. 

One minute he’s Jordan, the next minute he’s Pippen.  One minute the greatest talent to ever take a basketball court, the next he’s LeBum, trending on Twitter to the enjoyment of millions worldwide.  When he celebrated emotionally after beating the Boston Celtics in the second round it was ‘too early.’ When he’s missing shots late he gets blamed for not deferring to Wade.  When Wade is hot and LeBron defers to him, like he did in game 3, it’s because he’s not man enough for the moment.

Do you hear yourself America?  Do you hear how uninformed and maniacally ridiculous you sound? LeBron has become some sort of drug forAmerica’s conscience.  It’s either an extreme high or an extreme hate.  I’m fully convinced that at this juncture no matter what he does the rest of these playoffs LeBron cannot win.  I mean, sure his team is just two wins away from claiming the title they all came together to get in just year one of an experiment that took the sports world by storm, but LeBron cannot win with ‘us.

Us being the sports fan.  Us being the sports media.  If quarterbacks and coaches get too much blame in football, LeBron gets too much praise and too much disdain in hoops.  There is officially no healthy medium.  And maybe he put this on himself, but c’mon people, even when he wins, he still manages to lose.  America is officially in love with hating LeBron.

Hate is great in sports.  Let’s face it: everyone loves to hate the villain.  It makes sports more fun.  It drives more interest, it makes people more passionate, it leads to killer ratings.  Dallas is America’s love-child right now unless you’re in Florida, and even then there’s plenty of Heat hatred to go around.

But let’s not blame LeBron for everything.

Besides thanking the man for helping the NBA became the premier sports league in North America in terms of interest (since the NFL has been asleep for months), LeBron has also helped drive up competitiveness.  All year everyone wanted to beat the Heat.

Well, now the Heat are up 2 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, and the latest dirt on James is that he’s now riding shotgun to Dwyane Wade’s rising legacy.  I love Wade.  He’s one of the premier talents in the sport, and his old ad campaign for Converse, “Fall down 7 times, get up 8,” is as true about his play as any in the sport.  But people have a short memory span.

LeBron carried Miami in the Conference Finals.  He was The Guy against the Celtics when Miami needed a killer bucket or big time three.  James didn’t do it alone of course — no one player can — but he’s had some epic moments in these playoffs that people are always ready to overlook the second he shows himself to be human.

After game 3, people are now saying that LeBron isn’t a primetime player, that Wade is better, and that James is just tagging along to Wade’s cape as he takes the so called King to a championship he could never win on his own.  It’s all completely ridiculous.

LeBron and Wade are both great players.  When everyone said they were too similar and did the same things, they figured out a way to not just co-exist, but to thrive off each other.  When everyone said the Heat couldn’t win in crunch time both guys took it upon themselves to prove otherwise.  When people laughed at the Heat after a game 1 beatdown in Chicago, Miami rolled off 4 straight wins, including their incredible game 5 comeback.

Yet as soon as LeBron looks mortal he’s the scapegoat.  He’s the bad guy.

Greatness isn’t allowed to have an off-game or two?  I think LeBron has exuded more greatness and a greater maturity than at any time in his career by deferring to Wade, when the man who Shaq once dubbed Flash is boiling lava hot.  To the outside sports fan LeBron joining Wade and Bosh in Miami is a copout — proof that he couldn’t do it on his own.

But why does greatness have to be labeled in such staunch terms?  Why does greatness always have to amount to being perfect every night?  Earlier in his career LeBron and Wade couldn’t have co-existed, because LeBron wanted the ball with the game on the line, even if it wasn’t his night.  But now LeBron is different, and realizes that there will be nights where he is not the best option. Does that make him any less great?

Do we really need any more proof at how gifted of a player this guy is?  I’ll be the first to say that he has his moments where he looks disoriented and tries to do much, but what player doesn’t?  The only difference is everything he does is scrutinized 10 times more.  Blame the decision. Clearly everyone else is.

But if the decision had taken him and Wade to New York, and the Knicks were in this position, Knicks fans would be just as thrilled as Heat fans.  This stems from a great deal of jealousy.  If you as an NBA fan were offered this team you’d be lying if you said you would turn them down.

I wrote in an earlier column that Miami is breaking the rules (legally) and cutting in line of other teams that have waited longer than them, but that’s life.  LeBron isn’t going to make every game winner.  And yes — I love the idea of loyalty.  Let’s face it: Wade will always be bigger in Miami than LeBron cause he started there, and we’ve seen him grow up.  But that shouldn’t change the fact that LeBron has been every bit as instrumental as Wade has to getting Miami to where they are today.

Which is two wins from a championship.

So omit the fact that LeBron scored 10 points in the last two minutes against Boston in game 5 to eliminate the C’s, or that he hit clutch three after clutch 3 against the Bulls to help take them out too.  Sure, he’s been a little off in these Finals, and Wade would be the MVP if it was announced today, but who cares?  In an 82 game season with an additional two and a half months of playoffs, LeBron has 1 or 2 forgettable games occasionally (which for many would be career nights) and immediately we dub him just another bum riding the coat-tails of a star.

The truth is: Wade and LeBron wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for Chris Bosh.  Or Mario Chalmers.  Or Joel Anthony.  Down the list we go.  They may not get the same star treatment or have comparable skills, but it takes a team to win a championship.  Even though Miami sold it’s new team with flash, it’s been the hard-nosed rugged defense that they’ve played that has them this close to a ring.

A ring no one besides Heat fans want them to have.

Which is fine.  Because jealousy is a two way street.  Plus, it’s easier to find fault, than to give praise.  For sports fans it’s often more fun.

But at the end of the day, should Miami win the NBA title in their first year together, it doesn’t matter how they did it.  Their goal was to win it all — and that’s what they’re trying to do.  Including LeBron. Screw the rest.

Let’s not worry about his legacy right now.  Let’s enjoy the moment — no matter whose side you’re on.  Quite frankly, it’s hard to remember the last time the NBA was this much fun.

Photo: AP

SCOTT JACOBS

Nothing has come easy for Miami this whole season:  From the offseason scrutiny to the late game collapses to the losing against perceived good teams.

So why should an NBA championship?

Dwyane Wade buried a 3 with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter, part of a 13-0 run, and Miami looked like they were well on their way to a commanding 2-0 series lead.  Instead the Mavs made history, and maybe in the process, began to undo what crippled their championship hopes some five years ago, beating Miami 95-93 in a crazy game 2.

Reverse the Curse?  It’s not Babe Ruth and there is no Billygoat, but the Dallas Mavericks have never been the same since Wade led the Heat on one of the all time great comebacks in NBA history in game 3 back in 2006.  That Heat team trailed by 13 late in the fourth when Wade took over, and it was a Dirk free throw miss that sealed Dallas’ fate.

Trailing by 15, it’s only fitting that it was Nowitzki who helped lead Dallas back from the ashes, and into a history all on their own.  The win was sweet enough for the Mavs, who know comebacks like the back of their hand, but to do it at AmericanAirlines Arena where their epic collapse is so vehemently remembered, and to do it with Dirk making the final shot to put the dagger in a stunned Miami team, is even more amazing.

And just like that, a series ready to implode on Dallas, took a 180 degree turn.  The Mavs did exactly what they needed to do: steal homecourt advantage and win a game, and they won’t be apologizing anytime soon.

Comebacks is what they do.  They did it against the Lakers in game one, shocking the masses and taking the fight out of L.A. for game two.  They did it against the Thunder, down 15 in game five, to win in overtime.  Tonight, they pulled the hat-trick of epic turnarounds, making that Portland collapse in game four in the first round feel like light years ago.  Even more amazing: all three massive comebacks came on the road.

In the process they knocked Miami off their heir of invincibility, and handed the Heat their first home loss of the playoffs.

It takes a special team to make a special comeback, but you start to wonder if Destiny is on Dallas’ side when they do this in three straight series.

And while most of the praise goes to Dallas for a remarkable turnaround, the Heat allowed their offense to go into the Witness Protection Program down the stretch. Horrendous shot selection just killed Miami in the closing minutes, and if not for a wide open Mario Chalmers 3 on an inexcusable defensive lapse this game may not have even come down to the last play.

7:13, one field goal for Miami.  Credit Dallas for tough defense, but those same haymakers that were going down for Miami down the stretch weren’t falling tonight.  When you go the well one time too many, this is what happens.  Dallas stopped turning the ball over, started getting their offense in transition, and did to Miami what the Heat had done so well this post-season: took over down the stretch.

It’s hard to act surprised when Miami blows these big leads.  They have these lapses — and I’ve seen this going back to the early part of the season — where Miami gets a big lead and then just becomes complacent.  The Heat are the more talented team, but the Mavs have all the momentum now, going into a Sunday Night showdown in the other AmericanAirlines palace: the Center.

I tweeted, ill-advised, that Miami was going to win their sixth straight against the Mavs in the Finals after they coasted to another win, but instead Miami lost their edge.  They stopped driving, they stopped pushing, and Dallas stopped making mental mistakes.  In the process Dallas maybe buried their past demons, and handed Miami a closet full of their own to be concerned with.

Shawn Marion was brilliant, and I’m happy for the guy.  He was such an integral part of the Phoenix Suns for so long, but they could never get over the Western Conference Finals.  Well now he’s in the Finals, and despite being much older, he’s become an important part of this Mavs team.  His play kept Dallas afloat, and then Dirk came in for the kill, recording Dallas’ last 9 points to ice Miami, and send a white clad crowd into stunned silence.

It’s only fitting for Miami that they have another roadblock to overcome in a season that has been chalk full of them.  They’ve been blasted all year and they are a resilient group.  But this is now just a 5 game series, and they have to get their mind right if they want to win a championship.  Miami needs to figure out how they can get better shots, and how they can score in a half-court set against this Mavs team.

Plus, if they’re “Hollywood as Hell” it’s only fair that adversity rear its ugly head on them one more time.  For the next three days people will bury Miami and proclaim that this will be their undoing.  Let them.  It will only fuel the Heat if we’ve learned anything this season.

“We will bounce back,” said Erik Spoelstra after the game.

They have no other choice.  This series is now anyone’s for the taking.

Miami didn’t finish the job tonight.  That kind of execution in Dallas could lead to the Mavs planning a parade.

The same one that never took place in 2006 after an epic comeback by Miami changed everything.

Dallas can only hope that this was their golden ticket to sweet revenge.

Photo: Getty

SCOTT JACOBS

You know the world is all kinds of backwards when the Dallas Mavericks (aka: Mark Cuban’s team) becomes America’s new favorite underdog as we enter the final series of the NBA season, and potentially the final handful of games for a while.

You know that show Everyone Hates Chris?  Well they should create another one: America hates the Heat, because if you’re not for Miami in this Finals, you’re most likely hardcore against them.

What Miami’s doing seemingly breaks every rule of assembling a championship team:

1. Develop a team through the draft and free agency
Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Eddie House, and  Dexter Pittman are the only original picks on the Heat who can say they were drafted by Miami (with Wade and Chalmers the only real contributors on this team of the 4).  Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony were undrafted.  Everybody else from LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Juwan Howard and former Mav Erick Dampier were signed via free agency.

2.  Use free agency to enhance your team, not to create a team
This doesn’t happen.  Teams aren’t led by free agents right to a championship.  The Lakers won the last two titles behind Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, before them it was Boston that won a title behind their Big Three and Rondo, but none of those guys were star free agent signings.  When the Spurs and Heat won it all, it wasn’t behind a savvy big name free agent: it was homegrown talent with some trades.  While guys like Gary Payton were instrumental for Miami, he wasn’t the guy.  You have to go all the way back to the 2003-2004 season when Chauncey Billups was the leader of a very balanced Pistons team that shocked the Lakers and the world.  That team would go onto five Eastern Conference Finals in a row after Billups was nonchalantly signed back in 2002.

That’s the last time a team’s key free agent signing led their team to a title.  Now consider the case of the Heat and LeBron in particular: they’re trying to win a title on the greatness of a mega free agent signing (and obviously Wade and Bosh too) in Year One.  Orlando tried the same route with Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill back in 2000, but Hill was never able to stay healthy. Other teams have tried and failed horribly.

Shaq won three championships in a row as the centerpiece of L.A.’s early 1999-2002 dynasty, and he was one of the all time great free agent signings BUT it still took him 4 seasons for the Lakers to break through to a title (He signed with them after the 1995-96 season).

Before them it was the Spurs again in a lockout shortened season, and before that the Jordan era.  None of those teams were led by star free agent signings.  They all got their stars via trades and/or the draft (And yes, while I know that Miami technically traded draft picks for Bosh and LeBron so they could give them that extra year they were going to Miami either way).  That makes the early success of The Tri-nasty Experiment even more amazing.

It’s like the line in the movie, I Love You Beth Cooper, where Rich says to Dennis “And this, my friend, is a rare occasion.  Chances like this don’t come along every day.  In fact, they never come along.  This does not happen.”

That’s Miami.  In the same way that no team has ever been built into a superpower the way the Heat have, no team has ever won a championship this way, this fast.  This does not happen.

3.  Maintain a well balanced roster with a few stars and key role players who can step in
Consider the Boston series where Miami won a few games with their Tri-nasty scoring 80% of their points.  Every title team has a star (usually two) and almost always features a Hall of Famer (the Pistons being the lone exception), but even the Jordan era Bulls didn’t put this much of the load on just a few guys every night.  Miami has had stretches of 9 minutes where only their star trifecta score, and there have been games in overtime where only Wade, Bosh, and LeBron touched the ball on offense.  Touched it.

4.  Play consistently good basketball and don’t fall behind early in games
Miami is notorious for starting slow in the same way that their fans are criticized for arriving late. The Heat are just as skiddish. For 10 minutes they’ll look like the greatest team ever, and then the next 15 they’ll look lost. The Heat themselves don’t seem to show up until the second quarter one out of every two games it seems.  Yet at the end of the day they can play an absolutely putrid game, like they did yesterday, and still come back because they basically have Scoring On Demand.  Whereas most teams have one star and a really good sidekick, the Heat have three guys that have been franchise players and who can go off at any time.  How do you stop 1, never mind 2 or 3?  When they get hot, they’re a machine.

5. Success comes to those who first go through heartbreak
99% of championship teams first had their title hopes quashed by that one team, and plenty of title-hopeful teams never got over the hump because that one team always stood in their way (see the Suns and Spurs or Kings and Lakers for two perfect examples).  Only then did some of those teams make the next leap.  The Spurs had the Lakers.  The Lakers had the Celtics.  The Heat had the Pistons.  Only the Celtics were able to assemble a power in one year and win it all that same season. But they did it through trades.

What Miami’s doing is basically cutting everyone in line who has patiently waited their turn.  That’s why people hate them.  It’s not just the glitz and the glamour and the never-ending attention that they get.  It’s that they cheated the system (legally of course).  Teams like Oklahoma City and Chicago built young versatile teams and have watched their teams grow and take their lumps.  One season is not taking your lumps. Dallas has been tinkering and re-stocking their team for nearly a decade looking for that elusive ring.  The Heat were irrelevant last year and haven’t been a threat since their title season.  They were blitzed by Boston last year in the first round and looked like a mediocre, going-nowhere in a hurry team.  For them to storm back this year on the heroics of three superstars and just plow through the league like they have in this post-season is just too much for people to take.  It’s as if it’s unfair.  But then again, life is also unfair.

6. Celebrate after you’ve won a title, not before you play a game
Miami’s gawdy party that they threw for Wade, Bosh, and LeBron angered a nation, and made the Heat America’s favorite team to despise.  No one’s ever celebrated a free agent splash like Miami did.  Then again, no one’s ever pulled off the coup that Miami did either.  In fact, including trades, the most lavish welcoming party I can remember for an NBA player’s arrival through a trade was Shaq, when the Heat acquired him from the Lakers.  After it was finalized, Shaq went into Miami and squirted a bunch of fans with a water gun.  Even then, it took two years for that team to win a title, and it was Wade, not The Diesel that carried the load.

Yet with all that said, the Heat are four wins away from an unprecedented championship.  Should they claim the title, expect them to plan a unique parade route.  After all, nothing about this team has been conventional.  Which is why almost everyone hates the Heat.

Photo: Getty