Is This What Anyone Really Wanted?

This can't be what anyone really wanted? Can it be?

In this year's NBA Finals have come to a conclusion, at long last, after what perennially seems like a longer and longer series every year.

Still, despite the insane length for one series (2 weeks), this was, by all accounts, a great series. It had everything that recent Finals didn't have, didn't it?

Star power? Check. D-Wade, Shaq, Dirk, Jason Terry, even 'Toine. There was enough star power in the Heat starting lineup for the two of them. The Spurs and Pistons couldn't boast nearly that many players.

Intrigue? Check. Would Shaq get another ring outside of L.A.? How about Pat Riley, could he lead this team all the way? And let's not forget about rookie phenom head coach, the Little General Avery Johnson. Would he be able to put the final icing on what has been a dream first season as head coach of the Mavs? Could Dirk take the final step into superstardom and lead his team to the ultimate mountain top? And, as always, what stunts would Mark Cuban play?

Coaching matchups? Check. Avery Johnson has all but been annointed the next Red Auerbach. Pat Riley already is.

So, all of this and more was in this year's Finals. Excitement and energy from both sides. Two teams new to the concept of winning NBA championships (It would've been Dallas' first as well).

Ratings were up, there were some great overtime thrillers, and some great performances, namely from the next Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade.

Yet, I'm left with a bitter taste in my mouth after having watched this series. What was clearly missing was a group of guys to collectively route for as loveable winners. The Spurs or Pistons may not have been the most exciting teams, but they played as teams and had guys that fans could get behind. At any rate, this isn't to say that the Heat or Mavs didn't play as a team, but they certainly were hard to route for.

Sure, we love Avery Johnson. How could you not. The frog-voiced, excitable but quitely driven coach was a guy that we could get behind. But, his counterpart, Pat Riley, is nothing other than a snake. He sprung the Knicks over a decade ago to head to the rival Heat. Now, he pulls a similarly dastardly deed in removing head coach Stan Van Gundy and filling the vacancy with, who else, but himself. SVG was doing a good enough job when he took a team that started 0-9 and had no Shaq (but instead the slighter Lamar Odom) to the playoffs. Apparantly, he was doing a good enough job when he took the Heat to within a game of the Finals with two injured superstars. Now, clearly, Riley recognized that the team was a championship caliber team and wanted to coach the team. Are we to believe that Van Gundy had to be with his family so badly that he left this great team in the middle of the season, but has yet to be heard or seen from since? Come on.

On the court with the Heat, where do you begin. Shaq and Wade are fine, I'm happy for them.

Alonzo Mourning, there's a class act. If this was just about his return to glory from kidney surgery, then it would be a great story. But this is a guy who demanded a great contract from the Nets, and then, in seemingly the same breathe, demanded to be traded when he realized that the Nets weren't going to be a winner. Just a note, the Nets still were paying him even though he couldn't play because of any of his injuries. So, they ultimately traded him to the Raptors. Though, if you were looking for 'Zo, you'd be hard pressed to find him in Toronto. He never showed. In fact, one day, when the Rap's were playing a game, I saw Mourning in the crowd at a Duke game. So, when he finally could flee again, he left for the Heat, and completed his long journey to play for a contender. I was suprised he didn't demand to be dealt to the Mavs when the Heat were down 2-0.

I'm sure that I could continue on for a while. Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, these aren't guys that most fans in the league find enjoyable. While they haven't committed any egregious mistakes, their generally percieved selfishness is enough to turn me off.

And, on the Mavs side, the players are mostly route-for-able. I guess my one criticism would be how often a guy like Dirk seems to blame others for what happens on the floor. Or, when he kicked a ball into the stands after game 5 and hit a fan. The fan asked only for an apology, and Dirk blew that off. So, the fan has decided to press charges.

The biggest dirtbag of them all? Mark Cuban. While I admire his competitive spirit, his desire to make his team better constantly and improve the experience for the fans, he clearly takes things too far. Just because you are a billionare that owns a basketball team and sits in the 2nd row, doesn't mean you can say whatever you want. I also realize that he donates a certain amount of money from his fines to a charity and that he knows that he will be fined anyway. But, he's got to cool it down. There's a limit to how far one can go before he becomes the story. At the end of this series, his complaining about officials became the story more than his team. Was the officiating questionable? Sure it was, at points. But, give it a rest Mark. Your team simply didn't play well enough. That's it, end of story.

Was this Finals a great series? Yes, I'd say so. Some great games, overtimes, and the true emergence of Dwyane Wade. But, after Shaq, Avery J., and Wade, I had trouble finding a routing interest in this series. I wonder if anyone other than Heat or Mavs fans felt the same way. I'd have to hope so.