It is blasphemy. You implied that you were an uniterested third party watching a game because you love basketball, all the while wanting the Heat to win and despising the Mavs.

I have come to HATE the Heat. If I'm against the Heat, I am FOR their opponent. Same thing with you being against the Mavs. It's not worth arguing about.

[This message has been edited by the todd (edited 6/5/2011 10:00p).]

dirk: 34 pts, 11 boards, 3 blocks


will the rest of the mavs show up in this series?

why not ronnie brewer??? peja is stinking it up on offense and defense. mahimi?? put in cardinal instead. barrea is playing like he is dating dirk's ex.

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I have been an uniterested 3rd party for a long time, but the way this Miami team has been portrayed as the chosen ones has got to be one of the most polarizing things I've ever seen in sports. It has led me to HATE a group of players of which I previously had no opinion.

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have you literally only been watching NBA basketball since the Finals started?

The media, outside of a small handful of guys, has been downright AGAINST the Heat all year. They are easily the most hated team in sports by the media since the early days of the Cowboys run in the 90's.

Look, we all agree LBJ made a horrible "decision" with the "decision," and the pre-season party was a bit ridiculous, but they've now backed it up by getting to the finals, and on the brink of a championship in YEAR ONE(the experimental year where they truly figure out what they need around them to win).

I wont' speak for finals coverage, because it has been more dedicated towards the Heat...but why wouldn't it? You've got 2 superstars, including the most polarizing sports figure of the last year in LBJ. But to say you hate them for the way they are portrayed is utterly ridiculous, unless you just learned about the NBA playoffs a week ago. This Miami team has had more scrutiny for every single thing they've done all year.

That leads me to believe you also had an agenda going into the series. That's no big deal...everyone does. But stop calling other people out when you're guilty of the same things(attempting to deflect your bias by saying you haven't paid much attention but the media has magically FORCED you to hate Miami)

More evidence that it's nearly impossible for the one-stud team to win. Dirk is playing like a man possessed, but winning the Finals in today's game is just too much burden for one man.

In the end the Heat made clutch shots, and the Dirk's came up one basket short.

That Mario Chalmers prayer heave was when I knew it was going to be a tough road.

[This message has been edited by Judge (edited 6/5/2011 10:18p).]

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have you literally only been watching NBA basketball since the Finals started?

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Pretty much, yeah. First game I watched was the first game of the playoffs. I didn't even know Memphis and OKC were any good until I saw that they were playing each other.

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The media, outside of a small handful of guys, has been downright AGAINST the Heat all year. They are easily the most hated team in sports by the media since the early days of the Cowboys run in the 90's.

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I didn't know this, and I never would have guessed it based on the complete slob job ABC is doing on the Heat these finals.

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Look, we all agree LBJ made a horrible "decision" with the "decision," and the pre-season party was a bit ridiculous, but they've now backed it up by getting to the finals, and on the brink of a championship in YEAR ONE(the experimental year where they truly figure out what they need around them to win).

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so it's ok to be completely unsportsmanlike, arrogant, and entitled if you win?

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I wont' speak for finals coverage, because it has been more dedicated towards the Heat...but why wouldn't it? You've got 2 superstars, including the most polarizing sports figure of the last year in LBJ.

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Out of courtesy to both teams and respect for the game. "Why wouldn't it?" Why WOULD it? I guess I just thought the default position of the media was supposed to be impartial.

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But to say you hate them for the way they are portrayed is utterly ridiculous,

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I can't have an opinion for any reason I choose?

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unless you just learned about the NBA playoffs a week ago. This Miami team has had more scrutiny for every single thing they've done all year.

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Like I said. I don't follow basketball. The first playoff game was the first game I watched all year.

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That leads me to believe you also had an agenda going into the series.

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Yeah, I've disliked the Heat since the super look at me parties. I said that.

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That's no big deal...everyone does. But stop calling other people out when you're guilty of the same things(attempting to deflect your bias by saying you haven't paid much attention but the media has magically FORCED you to hate Miami

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Who am I calling out? And no one FORCED me to hate the Heat, but the media portraying them as the best thing on earth makes it easy for me to hate them.

Congrats to the Heat. Great game. While I absolutely hate your organization, especially Dwane Wade, you deserved it.

when did ronnie brewer play for the mavs?

todd, as long as you've only been paying attention since the NBA finals started, then it's all good. And we agree the ABC broadcasts have been horrible, although in-game tonight the broadcasters were all about the Mavs(maybe they heard some criticism, or maybe they get into the emotion of home court just like refs do).

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so it's ok to be completely unsportsmanlike, arrogant, and entitled if you win?

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this I find a little bit of a problem with. We agree that the Heat's pre-season antics were too much, but what superstar who wins championships doesn't act arrogant or entitled? I'd argue you'd WANT a superstar to act that way. Some show it in different ways, but all possess it. And what is your definition of unsportsmanlike? cocky, sure...but they didn't show anyone up with the pre-season antics. Honestly, what have they done that was unsportsmanlike?

If you say the chest-bumping and celebrating with 6 to go in game 2...I'd respond that they got burned for that, and learned from it. I'd also say that the greatest player in the history of the game(MJ) did more of that in his career than everyone on the Heat combined.

It's ok to hate them...but call a spade a spade. You hate them because they back up the crap they talk. As a HUGE LBJ fan, I cringed at the off-season stuff...but he's backed it up. He completely willed the Heat to victory in the previous 2 series'. the cockiness gets annoying, but it's born in nearly every champion that ever existed.

[This message has been edited by J Peterman (edited 6/5/2011 10:32p).]

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this I find a little bit of a problem with. We agree that the Heat's pre-season antics were too much, but what superstar who wins championships isn't arrogant or entitled? And what was unsportsmanlike about what they did? Cocky? sure...but they didn't show anyone up with the pre-season antics. Honestly, what have they done that was unsportsmanlike?

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I guess we just have differing opinions. I think "the decision" is unsportsmanlike. I think having an event before the season starts to talk about how you are going to win 6, 7, 8 championships is unsportsmanlike.

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If you say the chest-bumping and celebrating with 6 to go in game 2...I'd respond that they got burned for that, and learned from it. I'd also say that the greatest player in the history of the game(MJ) did more of that in his career than everyone on the Heat combined.

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Yeah MJ is a jerk, too.

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It's ok to hate them...but call a spade a spade. You hate them because they back up the crap they talk.

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Wrong. I hate them BECAUSE of the crap they talk, not because they back it up. I still hate them when they fail (like game 2). Now it's morphed into hating them because the media loves them (apparently only recently according to you). It's not some psychoanalytically envious of their success type of thing. I just don't like "look at how awesome I am" athletes. There are players on every sports team that i don't like for that reason. It just so happens that Miami's 3 most famous players pulled the biggest"look how awesome" event I've seen in my lifetime.

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As a HUGE LBJ fan, I cringed at the off-season stuff...but he's backed it up. He completely willed the Heat to victory in the previous 2 series'. the cockiness gets annoying, but it's born in nearly every champion that ever existed.

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Again, you seem to think it is ok if you back it up. I disagree strongly.

all good then, todd. We agree to disagree.

Won't be around a computer until game 6. Have fun until then! And may the best team win!

Yes. And my hunch is that just about any team with your man LBJ on it will be the best team from now until he retires.