The 2006 NBA Playoffs

Congratulations to the Miami Heat and their first NBA Championship. Except for Antoine Walker. I really, really, hate Antoine Walker.

But these Finals were among some of the best, I think. Dallas made a believer out of me, toppling the defending champion Spurs. I won't say that the Finals were decided by the refs, but if a couple of calls had gone the other way, Dallas could be holding up that trophy instead of Miami.

There were a ton of shining stars in the playoffs this year, players who rose to the occasion to get their teams into the playoffs and beyond. There were a bunch of great series, probably the most great series overall that Ive ever seen. It seemed like, even in the first round (the best first round, ever), I was telling people, you need to watch this. These are the series, players, moments that if you didnt see, you should be kicking yourself in the ass. So many big shots. So many great performances. So much heart displayed. So many close games. So many game 7s. It really cant get much better than this.

Theres only one moment thats not here, that should be: David Stern having to hand the Larry OBrien trophy to Mark Cuban and pretend to be nice to him. Would have been hours of amusement.

Dwyane Wade. Mispelled name aside, he was the brightest star on the grandest stage in the NBA. If not for this man, Shaq might not have beaten Kobe back to the Finals. So, in your face, Kobe Bryant. And speaking of Kobe, that's where the Michael Jordan comparisons should begin and end. Comparing Wade and Jordan is like comparing battleships and horse racing. Compare Jordan to the guy who completed bit his game, not the guy who plays nothing like him. The only things similar about these guys is the athleticism and the fact that Wade is from Chicago. That's really about it. If, in your eyes, he hasn't stepped out of MJ's shadow as of tonight, you need to just go ahead and gouge those eyes out.

Anyway, the boy is just a cold-blooded assassin and one of the true good guys in this league. He's not out there talking trash, he doesn't play dirty, he's confident, not cocky. He seems to be very respectful of the game and lastly, the boy just can't be stopped. His midrange game is just nasty, plus, he's got AI-type quickness to go with his MJ-like explosiveness. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm older than he is, I would wear this man's jersey proudly.

LeBron James. We saw the emergence of yet another superstar. Once they get someone to play with this guy, you might as well pencil him in for his championship, too. Don't compare him to Michael, either. They don't even play the same goddamn position.

The battles between this man and Wade are going to be some kinda spectacular. The games they had in the regular season were just a teaser for what the playoffs will bring in the future. Like Wade, LeBron James just couldn't be stopped. There was no answer for him. All season long, he carried the city of Cleveland on his back and took it right into the chest of the Detroit Pistons. The game that this man has at 21 years old is just scary, because basketball players don't reach their peak until about 27 or 28. And the poise and confidence he plays with alreadydid anyone else see when he rattled Gilbert Arenas at the free throw line? The last time I saw anyone do what he did to shake a player at the line, it was Charles Barkley, whispering his words of encouragement. That was bold. So, if he's this good NOW...how good will he be at 28? He had NBA level court vision and an NBA physique at 17. I guess by 28, he's just going to be playing with his eyes closed and hovering above the floor at all times.

The Suns/Lakers series. Probably the best series in this year's playoffs, for my money. Which was none. The Lakers were written off from the door, except by people who actually watched the Suns and Lakers play. I wasn't betting against the Lakers and boldly proclaimed that if the first round was still a best of five, the Lakers would take it. And well, I was almost proven right. Phoenix (especially Tim Thomas) foiled the hopes of a city (LA) to have a Hallway series between the Lakers and Clippers in the next round. A seven game series, played entirely in one building. Thanks for screwing that up, Phoenix. But it was a hard fought series between two teams who had achieved more this season than they had any right to. Which brings me to...

Steve Nash. I still don't think he's the MVP, but his passing skills and deadly jump shot, especially at the end of games, make him one of the elite players in this league, defense be damned. For what this team is doing, he doesn't need to be great on defense. He keeps the offense doing what it needs to do. And what it needs to do is trample your ass in the fast break.

Kobe Bryant. All his detractors should be sufficiently shut up. Yeah, he didn't have the best game 7 against the Suns, but he was doing what you all wanted him to do: pass the ball. See, Kobe is damned, no matter what he does. When he scored 81, you said he was hogging the ball. When he was passing to his teammates, you said he wasn't shooting enough. I'm sure I said it, too. But one other thing I said: Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA, period. If you don't believe it, you're just a hater, because he's already proven it. Kobe Bryant is the single most unstoppable force in the NBA today. And he plays defense. End of story.

Shaquille O'Neal. He's done. You should have realized this midway through the season. The thing is, it happened around the same time that Dwyane Wade no longer needed him, so he still got a ring, anyway. And he'll be making $20 million a year for four more years. And his wife is a dime. Fuck you, Shaq. I'm so jealous of you that I can't stand it.

Cavaliers/Pistons series. You thought LeBron James was impressive going shot for shot with Gilbert Arenas. To me, he was even more impressive here, taking on the Detroit Pistons. I think he might have found his nemesis. Ironically, its the same nemesis that foiled the championship dreams of the man hes most compared to. Even though theyre no longer allowed to mug people on the court. And LeBron took advantage, pushing Detroit to the brink of elimination, casting aside Rasheed Wallaces victory guarantees, and even beating the once-invincible Pistons at home. This series was filled with twists and turns, starting with Detroit casually blowing out Cleveland in Game 1, to Game 5 ending with Detroit on the ropes, down 2 to 3, to Games 6 and 7, with Cleveland coming close but not being able to deliver the knockout blow. Game 7 ended with reality reasserting itself, but how much longer will Detroit be able to hold down another emerging superstar?

Gilbert Arenas. On a steady quest to prove that he is one of the elite players in the league. Gilbert, I see you. You're easily one of the top three guards, behind only Kobe and Wade. Another player who willed his team into the playoffs, and was possibly on the wrong end of some shady calls. With the heart this man shows in the playoffs (this year and last year), he deserves a better team than the one he's got, I'll tell you that. Can someone get this man some up front help? Brendan Haywood isn't getting it. I don't care if he played at UNC or not. Brendan Haywood is NOT the answer.

Suns/Mavericks series. Normally, I hate games where defense isnt really played, but this was a great series, regardless, and defense was still played at crucial moments. And even though the Suns were outmatched defensively, they still wouldnt die. Steve Nash and Tim Thomas gave Dallas all they could handle.

Dirk Nowitzki. No, he's not Larry Bird. And due to Miami's defense, he didn't look as good in the Finals as he should have. But he was playing in the Finals. And why was he playing in the Finals? Because he got his ass to the Finals. When his team was down late in games, who hit that big shot or grabbed that crucial rebound? It was Dirk Diggler, dammit. And he did it all season, especially when it mattered. Except in Game 6. But I won't hold that against him.

Tim Thomas. An ugly motherfucker. Coming out of college, he was supposed to be a star, with his Scottie Pippen-like repertoire. He never lived up to that potential. When he played for Milwaukee, during the Ray Allen/Glenn Robinson days, he still never managed to step his game up to help that team get over the hump. He bounced around the league, and never seemed to be trying, even though you knew he could be a great player. This is why I hated him. Also, he once hit on my ex-girlfriendback before I met her. I knew there was a reason I didnt like him. At any rate, he finally started stepping his game upand, almost as if you was sticking it to me personally, he did it AFTER he was released by the Bulls. After that, he was just cold blooded. He was the guy who stuck the knife in the Lakers heart. He played big minutes against the Clippers, and almost single-handedly kept the Suns alive against Dallas. Hes good but hes ugly. Dont forget that. Hes an ugly motherfucker. Make-you-mad type ugly.

Ben Gordon. Who? The starting shooting guard for my Beloved Bulls, that's who. Hitting big shot after big shot to carry his overmatched team over the Miami Heat, that's who. I personally appreciated this man's efforts in the playoffs more than any other, because he gave me reason to believe that Miami would go down at the hands (or cloven hooves) of the Chicago Bulls. We are just a few pieces away from seeing the Bulls return to prominence once again. Hopefully, next year, we wont be making a mad dash to make the playoffs again. And hopefully, the hot hand of Ben Gordon will be taking us there.