The LeBron James Decision Puts Hate Back in the NBA
Don't we all miss the days in the NBA when there was actual hate? Thank LeBron James, everybody, because if there is one good thing to come of the Summer of The LeBracle, it's that legitimate hate has returned to the NBA.
Remember the good ol' days of the NBA, when everybody and their momma hated Isiah Thomas' Bad Boy Pistons? I sure don't as it all happened before I was even born.
The Cavaliers have a chance to recreate that hatred, starting with the hatred toward the new Miami Heat. If it starts and ends with that team then fine, but playing with more passion through hatred can really show the basketball world what they think of the arrangement in Miami.
The 1980s were ripe with NBA hate, most of it directed towards one of the baddest of the NBA baddies in Thomas.
He hated Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, and he created an environment of hatred in Detroit. Chuck Daly felt he had to hate the opposing team in order to beat them. Bill Laimbeer has said he still won't talk to Larry Bird.
How's that for hatred?
After the brawl between Dr. J and Larry Bird, the 76ers and Celtics had potent distaste for each other. The Lakers and Celtics loathed each other. The Bulls and Knicks were none too friendly, and the Pistons fought everybody.
Even the 1990s were feistier than the lovey-dovey 2000s.
Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley had escalations from time to time, the Knicks fans would cold-cock Reggie Miller if they were given the chance, and players were much nastier (see Dennis Rodman).
The hate in the NBA in the '00s is pretty much concentrated upon a few players such as Ron Artest, Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobili, Carlos Boozer (most of the hate for him is in Cleveland), and, Kobe Bryant (which I never really understood).
The only heated rivalry of the decade that I would say the teams genuinely hated each other at some point would be the Pistons and Pacers in 2004, and even that didn't last long.
In all, the animosity in the NBA in the last decade is summed up in this. While it is a good fight, it is overshadowed by Carmelo Anthony's half-punch, half-man-slap on Mardy Collins, after which he ran like a scolded dog.
As far as the lack of hate in the NBA goes, two things are to be blamed: the superstar mentality and desire to protect that image, and the stricter rules towards fighting in the NBA.
In the Bird and Dr. J fight, Bird was torching Doc (42 points in 29 minutes) and both were trading elbows. Both got upset, and three 76ers basically mugged Bird. The fight ended, and after the game nobody was suspended. NOBODY!
After the Knicks-Nuggets altercation, the players involved lost a combined 47 games to suspensions.
If there is one thing that David Stern has done since becoming NBA Commissioner in 1984, it has been to mainstream the game and make it more family friendly.
The superstar mentality has also contributed to the decline of Isiah-like intensity and hatred.
Superstars are too caught up in helping give themselves a positive public image and keeping the endorsements rolling in.
No stars man up and slug it out for the good of their team anymore; they don't show the cajones that Isiah and Larry did, that Shaq and Barkley did, and they don't play ball with the hate in their hearts that make the game fiery and exciting as it once did.
There is something more special about sports when there is an emotional element to the game. Whether there is hatred between the fans and the opposing team, or between two players on the competing teams, or there is a team that everybody just hates, it makes the game that much more intense.
Now that LeBron has created an NBA version of the Evil Empire, hate can be reintroduced to the NBA.
Other teams should hate the cockiness they show. They should hate the entitlement they have. Whether they fuel their hatred from jealousy or just good old fashioned anger, it should happen.
The Cavaliers have the ability to reintroduce the hatred. They have a main angry piece in Anderson Varejao, who can be a big player in reintroducing the hate into the NBA. They have a young core of players who should feel like LeBron bolted on them, and fuel themselves with that.
We need games with more passion and anger involved to show that regular season games actually have a purpose, and players actually have passion for the game.
Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds said recently during the All-Star break that he hated the Chicago Cubs, and he wouldn't congratulate Marlon Byrd on a game-altering play he made during the game.
That is what the NBA needs back—hatred so intense that even in a meaningless game, the hatred doesn't stop. The Bill Laimbeer for Larry Bird type of hatred.
So, bartender, pour me a shot of Hatorade, and leave the bottle, cause I'm hopin' to share it with the whole NBA.
