LA Lakers-Miami Heat: Which Team Has the Most Arrogant Fans?

The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are heavy favorites to meet in next season's NBA Finals, and fans of both teams have been more than happy to engage in a verbal war touting each team's supremacy.

Fans of other NBA teams have been forced to be unwilling participants in a conversation that not only excludes their franchises as contenders, but also illustrates the level of arrogance of the Heat and Lakers' fanbases.

Lakers fans have long held the reputation as the most arrogant in the NBA and considering the excellence of the franchise over the last two decades, it's not hard to see where the self-absorption stems from.

The Lakers have won 17 NBA championships, participated in more than half of the NBA's Final series, and have only missed the postseason twice since the franchise's inception.

That type of success tends to breed the same kind of arrogance found in fans of other professional sports teams with a history of excellence, such as the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys.

I have followed the Lakers faithfully since 1980, and will be the first person to admit that the same type of arrogance has enveloped me on more than one occassin.

It's easy for fans to fall victim to the trappings of a team's success, but in all honesty, the Lakers' success over the past three seasons have fostered an air of invincibility among some fans.

As a featured columnist for the Lakers sometimes it's hard to point out flaws of the team without being labeled as a traitor, turncoat, or other names which are not suitable to be re-printed here.

I take it all in stride because I understand the fierce loyalty which exists among Lakers fans, and the attitude which causes even the most simple affront to be chalked up as hate.

For years, the Lakers have seemed to hold a monopoly on the title of the NBA's most arrogant fans—until LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the Miami Heat bullied their way into the discussion.

The Heat's unprecedented free agency triumph created a new NBA team for America to hate and has also energized a fanbase that rivals the Lakers in terms of arrogance.

The source of arrogance is much different for Miami though, because the team doesn't have the Lakers' legacy to stand on, but that has made no difference in the minds of Heat fans, who have been pretty much silent since 2006.

2006 was the year Miami won the only championship in the franchise's short history, but the addition of James and Bosh has fans giddy with anticipation of many more to come.

There have been many legitimate issues raised concerning potential roadblocks on the Heat's path to greatness, but in the opinion of most Miami fans, the questions about NBA domination begin and end with James, Wade, and Bosh.

For some observers, it's almost impossible to fathom a team containing three of the NBA's brightest stars failing to win at least a few championships.

And that's being conservative.

Some Heat fans have predicted an era of Miami dominance that will culminate in multiple NBA championships and the creation of the league's newest dynasty.

The optimisim surrounding Miami is easy to understand, considering the fact that two of the game's top three players in Wade and James now call Miami home, but the irony has not been lost on Lakers fans.

We live in an age of instant gratification and some Lakers fans are upset that Miami has achieved the same type of status that it took Los Angeles decades to build.

It's impossible to understand why Miami has been installed as the NBA's most dominant team before they have even played a game, and this has actually helped increase the arrogance of Lakers' fans.

After all, Los Angeles made their own moves in the offseason to upgrade a back-to-back championship team and based on recent results, the crowning of Miami as favorites next season is a slap in the face.

Miami and Los Angeles both have legitimate points, but lost in the arrogance of each team's fanbase is the fact there are 28 other NBA teams who have a voice in the debate.

Well, 28 teams may not be accurate but there are other teams such as Boston, Orlando, Dallas, and Oklahoma City who have been relegated to secondary status by Miami and Los Angeles fans.

It's silly to think the only real championship contenders are the Heat and Lakers, but there is some truth found in the depths of each team's arrogance.

The Lakers have captured the last three Western Conference championships, mostly in impressive fashion, and have the NBA's most experienced postseason team.

Miami does not have the same history but when was the last time a trio of superstars like Wade, James, and Bosh decided to pool their talents for a common cause?

The expectations for both teams have fueled the arrogance found in each fanbase, but the only real casualties have been the other true contenders who have been left out of the discussion.

I'm not sure which teams fans can be considered as the league's most arrogant, but there is a lesson to be learned about the pitfalls of self-confidence:

Arrogance, like pride, goes before a fall and fans of both the Lakers and the Heat would do well to remember that while debating which team will hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy next June.

After all, NBA championships are never won in the offseason, and the arrogance of fans have never propelled a team to the Finals.