Well, LeBron James finally got his ring, and as mentioned previously here on the DP (A Ring For The King Well Deserved), he definitely stuck it to all of us who have hated on him. He is now a champion, and we can never take the 2011-2012 season away from him.
And quite honestly, this NBA season was a thrill-ride with many moments, many controversies, and various highlights that kept us coming back to the well for more. The NBA is currently in a tremendous place, and moving forward, this season will always be one that we can look at as serving as a catalyst. With that said, the following are some moments and memories that I will take away from this NBA season:
- Nothing like waking up to the voice of my wife shaking me and saying, "the lockout is over, the lockout is over!" I'll never forget the excitement of knowing there would be a season. As much as college basketball attempted to serve as a substitute, nothing fills the void of NBA basketball.
- Carrying over the excitement was the joy of waking up on Christmas Day knowing my New York Knicks would be playing basketball for real. And defeating the Boston Celtics, nonetheless! Unfortunately, that Christmas Day win gave too much hope to a Knicks fanbase that would eventually endure a roller-coaster season.
- ...and that started off by the harsh realization that Carmelo Anthony was the most overhyped and overrated "superstar" in the NBA.
- And Speaking of overrated, while Blake Griffin is such, the dunks he threw down on Paul Gasol, and then Kendrick Perkins were just nasty. NASTY!
- And while Griffin continued to land endorsements and notoriety for amazing plays, he remained a one-trick pony that was exposed come playoff time.
- While, a man named Kevin Love continued to be the best power forward in the game with multiple double-doubles, and the ocassional twenty, or heck, even thirty rebound game.
- And how can I forget the birth of Linsanity! I followed it from it's beginning when he came off the bench in the second half against the Nets to it's grounding when he was injured. Linsanity maybe on the back-burner for now, however Jeremy Lin provided three games that I will never forget.
- ...his first major test in playing the Dallas Mavericks.
- ...and his game against the Lakers on that Friday Night.
- ...and of course, my current pick for DP Play of the Year against the Raptors. Super cool moment. And again from the MSG Broadcast. Gotta love Mike Breen's "Baaaang" call.
- Unfortunately, the opposite of that moment was that lame dunk Jeremy Evans tried in the slam-dunk contest. Ugh!
- And speaking of lame, how pathetic has Dwight Howard become with his flip-flopping and his diva-like attitude in getting Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith fired? For the record, Howard has done more wrong than LeBron James has ever done.
- And of course, no season is complete without the Knicks having some controversy. Mike D'Antoni steps down by way of Carmelo Anthony's ego. Mike Woodson comes in, and the Knicks improve. However, Anthony still plays "hero ball" and specializes in "me-ball"
- How can you forget the look on Carmelo Anthony's face when the crowd began chanting "pass-the-ball" during a game at MSG? Hey buddy, you're no longer in Syracuse or Denver!
- The injuries that occurred that altered the path for everyone in the NBA Playoffs. And the notion that one of my favorite athletes in the world to watch in Derek Rose possibly may never be the same again.
- This might rub some people the wrong way, but watching the "interesting" calls for the Miami Heat throughout the playoffs is something that will stick withe me. And even more so is the unbelievable favoritism ESPN has for LeBron and the Miami Heat.
- How about Kevin Durant coming of age, but coming up short on the biggest stage in basketball? And don't we all know because of this loss, he'll be back.
- ...and how scary is that thought?
- Possibly one of the best performances I've seen in my life time was watching LeBron James, with a certain scary look in his eye, will the Miami Heat to a victory in Game six of the Eastern Conference Finals. On the road. In Boston. Facing Elimination. And with the entire sports world believing it was over.
- Yes, including LeBron's personal network, ESPN, and including the flip-flopping Chris Broussard. "If I'm Pat Riley, I am breaking this team up immiediately. It's not going to get it done. No way, no how. You have to start looking for ways to move Dwyane Wade"
- And of course, after the Finals, "I've always said, this team can win multiple championships, and we're about to see that."
- ...ugh.
- LeBron's NBA Finals was just as impressive as his Game six classic, but not as impressive as watching Mike Miller, who can barely walk because of serious health issues, drain seven three-pointers to close out the series. What a great story...
- ...and finally, a lasting image that will haunt me forever, Eddy Curry celebrating a NBA Championship.
- Wow...Eddy Curry: 1 - Patrick Ewing: 0
- This Season definitely taught me, as in life, sports sometimes just isn't fair.