Imagine, for a moment, that you inhabited a sports media world devoid of context, one that immediately forgot precedent as soon as events occured. Imagine you could consume sports without seeing the history of the jerseys and the names on the backs of the jerseys every time you turned on the television. In short, imagine a world that is the antithesis of sports consumerism.
In that world, the Miami Heat are a fairytale story of success and overcoming adversity. Three go-to players, following the blueprint established by teams like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, decided to collaborate in an attempt to create a new dynasty. In just their first year playing together, a team with a remarkable lack of depth forged a surprising amount of chemistry and willed its way to the NBA Finals. They almost won it, too, but they lost to a veteran team with excellent coaching and passing. What's more, the Heat almost won a title with an unreasonable amount of public pressure and vitriol heaped on them, making them constant fodder for SEO writers and sportswriters looking to go to the well over the course of the season.
Admittedly, the Heat brought some of the criticism upon themselves when they proclaimed a new era in the NBA. Still, pressure continued to mount. A lockout forced players into an athletic purgatory, but when the gates to the season were finally opened, the Heat's stars arrived at practice in excellent shape, prepared to pursue the title that eluded them the season before. Meanwhile, the star of the team that beat them the previous year admitted to resting on his laurels and showing up for the beginning of the season out of shape. The Mavericks exited the playoffs in the first round.
Meanwhile, the Heat marched through the playoffs; after losing their third-best player to injury (their only offensive presence in the low post), many wrote them off against the Pacers. In response, the Heat crushed the Pacers and moved on to face the variously aging/rejuvenated Boston Celtics, the team they hoped to emulate.
After seven destructive games, the Heat emerged as the winners, thanks mostly to the supernatural play of their star and timely contributions from role players. They did it in the face of widespread hatred directed at them, a lackluster home crowd and an inspired effort (Good job, good effort!) from the Celtics.
They move on to face a widely beloved Oklahoma City Thunder team, and while The Nation's Dave Zirin invaded my brain and stole my idea for a defense of rooting for the Heat, it's worth noting there are plenty of basketball reasons to be a Heat fan this Finals.
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Follow Anthony Schneck on Twitter: @AnthonyOlogy
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