2010 NBA Playoffs: Joakim Noah Is Desperate To Win

Did you hear?! Joakim Noah insulted the city of Cleveland! Oh no!

I seriously have to ask “Who cares?”

The media loves it and will ride it to the end (which should be two games from now) and some people from the city of Cleveland got upset. I’m here to tell the people of Northeast Ohio not to be. Cleveland should actually be happy to hear this.

Why? Because this is what desperate teams do.

To me, this isn’t brash; it’s an act of desperation. I know because I’ve seen this movie before. And it ends with the desperate going home and being forgotten.

The last time that Cleveland eliminated Washington in the opening round —for the third consecutive year—we saw this same behavior. The Wizards stirred up controversy by mocking Lebron James, anything they could do to rouse the troops.

How did it work out? Well, besides forcing Papa John’s to sell pizzas for twenty-three cents, it worked out that the Cavs advanced, the Wizards went home with their players now scattered across the NBA map.

Not all teams with nothing to lose do this, but you don’t see contenders doing this. The Bulls know they aren’t going to win this series, and even as their competitive natures tell them anything is possible, they know it will take a mammoth effort or collapse for it to happen.

Reggie Miller last night on TNT applauded Noah for doing this and taking the pressure off his teammates. I don’t disagree.

It works out for him with the media. He gets to sit there and answer questions about what he said and how he feels about the city of Cleveland, without having to answer why the Bulls weren’t able to close out a game they desperately needed to win, on a night when Cleveland’s front court was providing nothing.

Same thing when they return to Chicago.

Don’t you just know that when Noah meets with the media before Game Three that he’s going to get asked how it feels to be back in Chicago and how it feels to be away from Cleveland? Rather than be asked how the Bulls expect to win four of the next five games against the top-seeded Cavs?

In a way, it’s genius. But it’s also desperate.

Honest champions and contenders don’t play this card. Kobe Bryant, a guy that lives and works in Los Angeles, will soon have to go play in Oklahoma City. Do you think he’ll say anything disparaging? No.

Why? Because he doesn’t have to. The Lakers are the champions and one of the best teams in the league. They don’t need to distract the crowd or make comments to motivate their teammates to back them up. They believe in their ability to win on talent alone.

This isn’t an attack on Noah’s character. I don’t know the guy and I don’t care about his character. This is a message to Cleveland fans: Don’t let Noah’s comments bother you. He just wants to win.

Desperately.