I never thought that I would start writing a freaking sports blog, but here it is!
I have been getting more and more irritated with how we look at sports and athletes in this ridiculous 24-hour media cycle, so I feel I must do some sports apologetics, usually for specific players.
How am I qualified to do this? Well, for one, this is the internet age and you hardly need a pedigree to write about any subject and get people to read it; however, I do have somewhat of a pedigree. It isn't a long and extensive one for various reasons. I'll have to write about high school sports in another blog.
In any case, I have played basketball since I was 2 years of age and I was actually a bit of a prodigy at the game, naturally gifted. The circumstances of my life, unfortunately, pushed me away from the game that I loved my entire life, but that love yet remains. I've been able to recover in a lot of ways in the past few years.
When I played, I played point guard and I had to ability to put up a 30 point game. So, I wasn't a scrub. There were mental blocks in HS that made me lose my mojo, but I have never been a scrub.
That said, I know what I am talking about when it comes to basketball most of the time. I have times when I am wrong but, when you love something as much as I loved basketball (especially), you like to know what you are talking about.
Anyway, here is my beef: "instant-legacy syndrome." This term, which I am fairly sure I did NOT coin, is referring to the fact that we want great or potentially great players to achieve the things that WE want for them to achieve as fans (i.e. championships). Everyone wants to root for a champion, and there is nothing inherently wrong with this, but there is a line that seems to be getting crossed more and more.
The line itself is that we will start talking about how a person who isn't performing the way they think they should is a scrub or not clutch, the list goes on. Now, before several of you go off the deep end, I do not mean that there are no such things as players not being this or that. There are players who are not clutch or scrubs. Most of those players don't make it to the college level, let alone the NBA level. Occasionally, players that should have went to college or overseas for a bit slip into the NBA and are lackluster. But, they are few and far in between. Even if they were in abundance, basketball is an artful, TEAM game.
Since MJ came along, it seems like we have this incessant need to compare everyone to him. I didn't live in other eras, but I am sure with bird, magic, erving, etc. it was probably a bit similar. They were supreme talents. However, they did not have to deal with the internet and social media. By the time they were out of the League, the internet was just starting up and gaining popularity. This meant that news and criticism travelled a bit slower. Now, we have twitter and facebook and immediately you see people dogging out players with or without good reason.
Now, there isn't anything wrong per say with comparisons, but those comparisons can become blinders for fans and ridiculous standards for players who are clearly NOT whom we are comparing them to. The prime example of this is with the whole Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron thing. This playoffs and season has really set me on edge with all the inane chatter prattling forth from various pundits (professional or not) and dummies on social networks.
I am not an expert, but I can tell when a player's game is or is not similar to another's. Out of those three Kobe is the most like MJ in style, mindset, and substance. LeBron doesn't play anything like Jordan and we should not compare the two. Jordan was probably the greatest, but let's not forget there were MANY other greats before and there will be many after him, and they do NOT have to fit his pattern.
Now, if not Jordan, then whom does LeBron's playing style tend to emulate. There are two options here, really: Magic and Bird. Both of those players had similar skill sets and abilities, though Bird was perhaps not as naturally athletic. Both players played team basketball and tried to do a little bit of everything. This is more like LeBron than MJ is. That much is clear.
To go in a bit further, let's look at the early careers of bird and Magic. Both were perennially championship contenders in the 80s until the rise of the "Bad Boy" Pistons of the latter part of that decade.
Now, it is agreed that Bird and Magic were all time greats, but what was it that made them great? Is it the many rings they both have? You know, the championship ones? Well, that simply cannot be because there are plenty of players I would rank lower than them with far more rings (see: Robert Horry, though he was a good player). However, this is the biggest thing brought up by various professional and amateur analysts. Why, in the WORLD, is that the case? It makes little to no sense. It takes a team to win a championship, to beat another team for four games. Show me a superstar who truly was all his team had that won a championship. Go on, I'll wait.
The closest thing are those occasional players who carry their team to the Finals; but, historically speaking, they don't win it all because they often come up against a better, wait for it, TEAM. See: Spurs vs. Cavs a few years back. I have not, for the life of me, in my 24 years of stalking this planet, seen an individual win an team championship. The physics simply do not allow for it. I tried...once. Shut up!
So, what is this diatribe about? Basically, I have three points:
1. Stop trying to immediately decide whether or not a player is going to be great. Let them have their career and then look back and deem it great or not. If you do choose to debate their greatness, please look at their stats and make judgements from there. The whole last shot clutchness thing is tired, and I'll write about that later as well. Just be FAIR to the players who are out there for your entertainment. Don't defame their character etc. they have families, problems and stuff too. They are humans, damnit.
2. If you are going to compare players, please actually understand a bit how they play. Jordan and Kobe play the same position and they do it in a similar way. LeBron and others are most definitely not those guys. Please find proper parallels. Comparing LeBron and Kobe is a foolish task because they are VERY different players. Now, if I went off of overall skill, I would say LeBron just has more to his game than Kobe does. Still, they are both great players and deserve their props. Occasionally, players will also defy comparisons, so just stop doing it.
3. it is a TEAM game people. Individuals that win awards and dazzle us with their skills are not the only ones on the court. Also, not that all championship teams have at least 2 players that can be stars in their own right and sometimes multiple superstars. For example: Bird's Celtics, Magic's Lakers, Robinson's and then Duncan's Spurs, both of Jordan's 3 peat teams, Hakeem's Rockets, Shaq's Lakers, etc. If you do not think those teams were stacked, you are likely delusional and need a hug. In championship series, the better TEAM is the one that wins (usually). Most teams that make the Finals are decently stacked, but they have to play at a higher level than their opponents. In close games, it is the superstars who are to take over, but if your team is getting blown out...your TEAM isn't as good. (sidenote: look at Lebron's Cavalier teams...I mean...REALLY!?)
And with that, I'm going to bed, because I DESERVE to go to bed. *nods*
Zaire
Final Note: I do believe the intangibles are necessary, but not necessarily something you are born with. The killer instinct can be learned, it is a mindset. Those born with it just have the advantage, but players can be shaken and lose that edge. So, please, be fair and humble.
