The NBA post Cleveland Golden State
There's a lot of chatter going on; what should the Cleveland Cavliers do? Do the Golden State Warriors have the NBA on lock down? Is a dominant team a good thing for the NBA?
Yes it is. Dominant teams help grow the game, in particular, the fan base. Some of the best years the NBA has ever had were during the 1980s. Showtime Lakers VS the Boston Celtics. Larry Bird VS Magic Johnson. Rivalries are a great thing for the NBA, and sports in general.
Yet when you turn on ESPN, many people state Golden State and Cleveland's dominance is not a good thing for the NBA. Hardcore NBA do not like dominance. It makes the season less interesting. While the regular season for the NBA was interesting, everyone knew the Finals would be Golden State VS Cleveland. It was fun watching James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James duke it out for MVP. Watching Giannis Antetokounmpo develop and truly turn into the Greek Freak. The Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics and other teams turned into nice success stories. But back to my original point. Why do some people consider dominance a bad thing?
Have you ever noticed minorities tend to be more vocal? The minority here is passionate NBA fans. Your passionate fans whom are NOT Cavs or Warriors fans are making themselves heard. They want their team to have a chance. I don't blame them. But sorry you just picked the wrong time to be a fan of your team. Dominance helps popularize the sport. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the San Antonio Spurs move the ball around. I love watching Russell Westbrook play 1 on 5. But what I really love?
Watching Kevin Durant and LeBron James play in the Finals. I love watching Steph Curry cross over, step back, and launch a 3 pointer 30 feet away from the basket. I love watching the Warriors gang up and topple Goliath (LeBron).
When you look back upon the NBA, and you think outright dominance, what do you think of? Most recently, the Golden State Warriors, then LeBron, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, then, the original Big 3 with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, Kobe and Shaq, Michael Jordan and Scottie, Olajuwon, Magic and the Lakers, Bird and the Celtics, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, you could go on an on. But you could only go on and on with stars, with dominance.
People like watching favorites, people gravitate towards winners, this is America. What was the highest rated fight in boxing recently? Many Pacquia vs Floyd Mayweather. People wanted to see Floyd get beat, or keep winning. It's not about being fair, it's about star power. The New England Patriots are one of the most watched teams year after year. Why? We all know who they are. We've seen Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for over a a decade now. We all know what's coming. And yet we tune in because we appreciate greatness.
The Golden State Warriors are greatness now. For the past 3 years they've been incredible. They won, were the runner up, and won again. How can you not like them? They're young, fun to watch, skilled, quick, and they know how to put on a show with the 3 point shot. People like witnessing history. We love to watch LeBron because he rivals Michael Jordan as possibly the best player ever.
So dominance is a good thing. It's going to force other teams to swing for the fences. If a team like the Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference Champions who lost to Cleveland in 5 games, should've been a sweep) wants a chance to compete with the Cavs, or even Golden State, they're going to have to swing for the fences. I like the pressure the Cavs and Golden State are putting on the league. I want to see Boston, Toronto, or San Antonio chase big name free agents, make some exciting trades, do something crazy in order to give themselves a chance to topple the Cavs/Warriors.
