A Ringless King No More: LeBron James is a Champion

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. The King (pictured above) finally has his ring.

By Wesley Kaminsky

You didn’t want to admit it, but you knew LeBron James would be holding up the Larry O’Brien trophy one day. In fact, you had to know it was coming pretty soon.

It took him nine seasons, two NBA finals losses, two eastern conference finals losses, and three MVP’s, but James has finally reached his goal. A long, overdue goal. A weight off the chest of the guy who guaranteed he would bring multiple titles to Miami.

We all know the story of LeBron, and why there is now this cult as to why it is appropriate to root for him to fail. Believe me, I’m one of those guys. I could write all day about how I feel about the infamous “Decision,” in which LeBron became the most hated athlete in pro sports. I’m not getting into that today.

It’s time to appreciate his greatness. Did I just say that out loud?

After falling just short of winning a championship his first year in Miami, all the pressure was on James in the upcoming season. The Heat had just fallen to the Mavericks, dropping three straight games after leading 2-1, and the blame was all on LeBron. Rightfully so. It was LeBron who shied away from the spotlight in the fourth quarter of many of the games. It was LeBron who didn’t look like he wanted to be there. His poor finals performance fueled his haters and it validated all the criticism that he had been receiving throughout his career. Stuff like, “LeBron doesn’t have that killer attitude.”

Blah, blah, blah.

What you didn’t realize was that it fueled LeBron, and a monster was created.

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First Half of 2011: The ball is over

Photo courtesy of The Epoch Times. 2011 started off with a fantastic BCS National Championship Game. Things have really gone sour with the NBA lockout beginning last night at midnight.

By Josh Kramer

We are at the half way marker of the year 2011. It is definitely hard to believe.  But 2011 has been an absolutely phenomenal year in the sporting world thus far.  Yet for every up, there has been a down sadly.  Here is a further look:

BCS National Championship Game (January 10th)

DeShawn adds an off court mistake

Photo courtesy of Midwestsportsfans.com. After winning the title, Dallas Maverick's SG DeShawn Stevenson (pictured above) demonstrated poor sportsmanship with this "classless" shirt.

By Josh Kramer

I will admit that I have never been the biggest fan of Dallas Maverick’s shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson.  Outside of his effort level and very strong defensive prowess, he really does not bring much else to the table.  Throughout the entire playoffs, the man continually trash talked whether it was on the court or in the press. Though he did play an important role in helping Dallas win their first NBA Championship in franchise history.

However, one of the keys to winning is “winning with grace.” Sportsmanship is a key character trait that athletes in our society are brought up on.  Or at least are supposed to be taught from a young age. Plenty of athletes in this day and age struggle to grasp this concept of “winning with grace.”  It is a dire shame.  Soon after winning the title on Sunday evening, Stevenson called the Heat “classless.”  He also sported a shirt directed at Lebron that said, “Hey Lebron! How’s my Dirk taste?”  Was defeating the heavy favorites out of Miami and winning a title not enough to satisfy DeShawn?  Apparently not.

Food for Thought 6-14-2011

Photo courtesy of marketfolly.com.

By Josh Kramer

It has been another wild past couple of days.  So many major headlines.  So much exciting action.  Here are the items that have caught my attention.

Mr. Dallas

I am still utterly shocked by the results of Sunday night’s game 6 of the NBA Finals.  The MonStars were defeated handily by the Mavericks.  How often outside of the movies do the good guys actually get the best of the bad guys?  I am by no means a Mavericks fan.  But as I have said many times before, there are sports fans, and then there are fans of the Miami Heat.  Therefore, I was happy with the outcome.

Dallas takes Game 6, wins first title in franchise history

Photo courtesy of CBS News Sports.

By Wesley Kaminsky

On Sunday night, all NBA fanatics outside of Heat fans had one common rooting interest: Go Mavericks. For me personally, this was definitely the case, and I was riding the bandwagon all the way to the end. Just don’t let the Heat win a championship, that was all I was praying for. Thankfully, I got my prayer, and the Mavericks delivered in a big way Sunday night.

Weekly Nickel 6-13-2011

Photo courtesy of DugoutHats.com. One of the main events of the week will take place in Omaha with the opening of the College Baseball World Series.

By Josh Kramer

It is another Monday in the wide world of sports.  Another great week has passed.  But we have a great week to look forward too.  Here are the items you should be keeping an eye out  for this week.

5.  Can you imagine the celebration that is going to ensue in Dallas?  Mark Cuban has stayed quite the entire playoffs.  He deserves this moment.  Very well deserved for a franchise that he brought into the spotlight and relevance in general.  Also the majority of the country is smiling.  Good defeated evil.  The Miami celebration will have to wait at least one more year.

Check Please?

Photo courtesy of BasketSession.com.

By Josh Kramer

If you watched any of last night’s NBA Finals Game 4, you must have noticed the David Blaine like act put on by the supposed best player in basketball, Lebron James.  It was absolutely sickening to watch the man they call the “King,” defer to the real “King” of the Heat, Dwyane Wade.

You know things are bad when guys like DeShawn Stevenson, who spent a good amount of the game guarding #6 are saying that it was not the defense that slowed him down.  And guys like Chris Bosh, a man vastly criticized for being “too soft” is speaking out about Lebron’s performance. But people will always talk.  It’s a fact of life.

Weekly Nickel: 6-6-2011

Photo courtesy of MLB Blogs Network. Asdrubal Cabrera (pictured above) has been the only Indian hitting the ball as of late. The Indians, experiencing their first losing streak of the year will get to demonstrate their ability to bounce back in the Bronx later this week.

By Josh Kramer

Another wild week has come to a close in the wide world of sports.  The French Open had an epic conclusion, the playoffs have been filled with down to the wire finishes and epic comebacks, and the MLB has been full of excitement.  There is not really much more a sports fan could ask for.  It is Monday and time to start another exciting week.  Here are the top 5 items to keep an eye on for the week.

5.  The WNBA is back in action.  Now I fully realize that this League struggles to put butts in the seats and is a project that has never really taken off.  But it is new and fresh at this point, with the season tipping off this past Friday.  And regardless if you are a fan of women’s hoops, you have to admit that Candace Parker and Maya Moore can really play.  It was fun watching two of the game’s biggest stars in the season opener will their respective teams.

Mavericks Extinguish the Flame

Photo courtesy of Celebrity Sentry.

By Josh Kramer

The Mavericks have made a total of two NBA Finals appearances in franchise history.  Both times they have gone against the Miami Heat.  Dating back to the 06 Finals (their other appearance), Dallas had lost five straight finals games at the hands of Miami.  Number six appeared to be almost inevitable.  Down by 15 with a little over six minutes left in the 4th against a very confident Miami team that appeared to be clicking on all cylinders.  It appeared to be “game over.”

NBA Finals: Game 2, Snapshot Preview

Photo courtesy of opposingviews.com. Spoelstra and the Big 3 appear poised to take home their first championship.

By Josh Kramer

To the disdain of nearly the entire country, Miami handled the Dallas Mavericks in game one with relative ease in front of a crazed South Beach Crowd.  Sadly, I must state that tonight is the beginning of the end for the Dallas Mavericks.

A good friend recently told me that you there are two types of friends in present day:  Your normal sports fans and those who like the Miami Heat.  And I have to admit, though a bit of an overstatement, it is not that far-fetched.  Since last July, the Heat have taken on the role as the NBA’s version of the MonStars.  They have been a villainous figure that the majority of the country has rooted against all year long.  Well I hate to say it, the bad guys not only will win tonight, but they will win the series.