This was written two years ago. I kept it in the tank, as I thought the first time the Heat knocked us out, it was a bit on the weird side. I thought the piece may have been a bit bitter, over the top, and unrealistic, though.
But this year, It was a little hard to comprehend the repetitiveness of consistently incredible play that normally doesn't appear suddenly exploding from a team that barely made the playoffs. The Heat literally backed in. Here they were though, looking untouchable while surging to knock my team who had once again achieved the best record in the league, out 4 games to 1.
So here it is:
I fell in love with NBA basketball in the winter of 1983, the game introduced to me by my then best friend Jon. Jon spent most of his weekends at his aunt's house, which just happened to be next door to mine. My hometown team was an excellent one, and as the year stretched into 1984, I was consumed with the sport. Watching the Bucks at every given opportunity. The shooting and driving prowess of Terry Cummings, the aggresive bulldog on offense and defense that was Sidney Moncrief, the man who created the postition of point forward, Paul Pressey, and the NBA's best sixth man, Ricky Pierce. Coached by Don Nelson, they were a machine and a blast to watch.
Frequenting the playoffs every year, they would always just fall short. Sure, the names above were among the best in the league at what they did, but the bench talent, apart from Pierce, was not the type to shore up the starters. Trying to go to war against the Celtics and Sixers every year with Paul Mokeski, Randy Breuer and Jerry Reynolds coming off the bench (God love their A for Effort) didn't measure up against the pummeling walls of those other Eastern Conference Juggernauts. Even after they eventually added Sonics star Jack Sikma in 1985, and hall of famer Bob Lanier, It was a frustrating war of attrition.
One thing always rubbed me the wrong way. The Bucks were scrappers. Fighters. Going against teams of superior talent, they would often outplay, and Nelson would outcoach their opponents. But, and it's a big but, there was always one thing evening the playing field.
Officiating. Teams with superior talent don't need the help of the supposed non partisan enforcers of rules, but oh, did they get it. And in spades.
But as the 80's grew into the 90's it became more and more the case. It became so bad, that I stopped watching games that didn't involve the Bucks. It grew tiresome, especially as the Bucks resurged in the late 90's, watching Ray Allen, Tim Thomas, and Glenn Robinson hacked to the floor with no recompense, as guys like Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, and Michael Jordan would go to the line when breathed or farted upon.
Let's jump forward to the now, where Milwaukee's Giannis Antetekounmpo, is arguably the best player in the league. Still I have sat and watched as last years Khwai Leonard-led Raptors, and this year's Jimmy Butler-fronted Heat were field generals for a group that drew whistles, play stoppage, and shots from the line at one end, as if the damn referee is a Ringling Bros. big top leader pulling overtime. Then I sit in stunned silence after seeing Giannis and his crew laying under the backboard after being clobbered (no mean feat with the 6'11 and monolithically built Antetekounmpo) while everyone else is headed back to the other end of the court.
This years Eastern Conference semifinals played out almost exactly like last years. Two years in a row, the Bucks have lost to inferior opponents, with the officials playing a massive role in the mess. Often, and this fits with the Milwaukee Brewers as well, (two years ago, the Brewers came within the width of a matchstick of knocking the league's darlings, Los Angeles, out of the tournament) politics feels like it may be a factor. Milwaukee is, in comparison, a much smaller market team, more than likely to draw smaller viewing audiences for the networks in a championship situation. That doesn't make it okay however, if there is some sort of interference involved to steer things. Especially when you have the two time MVP on your squad, an all-star guard next to him, and the deepest bench in the league. I don't believe they were outplayed two years in a row, and I sure as hell don't buy that they're over-rated.
Call me a homer. I grew up with the late 70's and 80's Packers who were awful. I was spoiled the year I became a baseball fan because my Brewers went to the World Series, but it's been a slog since and 1982 was a long fucking time ago. But I'm fine with that "homer" shit. I will worship at the altar of franchises with all-time losing records because I grew up in their backyard all day long, instead of front-running with the League and marketing executive's darlings who glamourize big city players and broadcast all their games every week nationally. My only exception there is the Green Bay Packers, perennial winners, but the NFC title game has been a nightmare for us going on 10 years now. Heartbreaking.
It's just that sometimes Something smells funny. That's all I'm saying.
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