Let the coronation begin.
Unfortunately, with Miami’s 101-93 win over the Chicago Bulls that gave it a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat look as if they will fulfill the expectations that were born out of “The Decision.” LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, and he, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh seem on their way to an NBA championship.
Premature? Maybe. But even if doesn’t happen this year, it is inevitable. This Heat team will only get better as James, Wade and Bosh continue to play together and as team president Pat Riley continues to tinker with the supporting cast to make it stronger.
Since we are a society of attention deficit disorders and seemingly incapable of considering the past, there will be all sorts of crowns placed on the heads of James and Wade.
Here’s a crazy one: James and Wade are vying to become the greatest duo in NBA history. The Nike generation will insist it is a debate between James and Wade and Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who remain in public consciousness because of Jordan’s continued marketability.
It is a ridiculous debate, of course. Jordan and Pippen won six NBA championships together for the Bulls. Reasonable people would say James and Wade need to get to four titles before receiving any consideration.
But the debate is fueled by the talent level of James and Wade — they are two of the top five players in the NBA — and the possibility that nothing will be in their way over the next five or six years — other than perhaps their own egos.
If we are going to talk about the best partners, though, let us try to remember that basketball existed before Jordan. The two best duos in NBA history are neither James and Wade nor Jordan and Pippen.
When the NBA was a game that covered the entire court — instead of the one-on-one isolation it has become — the best duos were on the perimeter and in the paint.
Bill Russell and Bob Cousy were the foundation upon which Red Auerbach built the Boston Celtics in the 1950s and 1960s. Russell was the defensive force, and Cousy was the distributor. The two of them, like Jordan and Pippen, won six NBA championships. And when Cousy retired, Russell went on to win five more.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson teamed up to win five NBA titles for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and made the NBA Finals eight times. Jabbar is a forgotten legend to a generation of NBA fans — maybe this is why he wants a statue — and also represents the forgotten greatness of big men.
There are other duos who deserve mention: Shaquille O’ Neal and Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, John Stockton and Karl Malone. But as this argument takes shape over the next five or six years, don’t bother calling me until James and Wade need both hands to wear their championship rings.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
