Muller: Chicago, Do The League A Favor And Oust The Heat
By Shawn Muller--
CHICAGO (CBS) Ever since I was a little kid, I had always despised the Los Angeles Lakers.
Maybe I should blame Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy for the over-sized Rec-Specs. Maybe it was Kurt Rambis for being--well--Kurt Rambis.
You tell me.
I guess you could say that I never really had a "legit" reason for not liking the Lakers other than it just felt right.
Fast forward to 2011 and, at the age of 31, I can still say with all honesty, that my feelings toward the Lakers still haven't changed. I like them about as much as the Pope likes to sin.
But no amount of "dislike" I had or have ever felt towards Los Angeles could ever come close to the amount of spite I feel towards the current edition of the Miami Heat every time I see them take the floor.
From LeBron James and his "look at me…look at me" attitude and Dwyane Wade (yes, I know he is a Chicago-native so I am supposed to take it easy on him), to Chris "I am the most-overrated player in the NBA" Bosh, anyone outside of the Miami Heat fan base should feel the same way.
Before the regular season even started, you had yahoo's like Jeff Van Gundy proclaiming that Miami would break the Chicago Bulls all-time regular season wins record of 72-10 (sorry Jeff, but like Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak…Chicago's record will never be broken). You had the Miami front office throw a "championship" bash at American Airlines Arena introducing the "Big Three" to the fans where James basically said the team would win "not five…not six"…yada…yada…yada championships. Oh yeah! There was also that ridiculous "Heat Index" on ESPN.com.
There are many more examples I could have added to my list here, but you get the idea.
No one--including myself--can deny that the Heat are a good team. But, what have they done this season that should make me believe that they are any better than the Chicago Bulls, the Dallas Mavericks, or even the Oklahoma City Thunder? For the first time in a long time, I can honestly say that I don't see a clear-cut favorite to win the championship.
Part of me wanted the Bulls to square off against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals because the quicker Miami was eliminated…the quicker I would be relieved from being force-fed Heat content everywhere I looked, whether on television or on the web.
But the other part of me--the competitive side if you will--is glad Chicago gets to host the Heat. I would love nothing more than to see the Bulls--the best team in the NBA this season for those who do not remember--oust Miami.
Everything about it would be so fitting.
Remember last summer when it was thought that the Bulls were the team to beat in the James, Wade, and Bosh "sweepstakes," only to be spurned by all three? Remember when Chicago fans didn't think that the addition of players like Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer, would turn the franchise into a legitimate title contender?
This series--one that I feel has the potential to turn into a Bulls vs. Pistons-type of rivalry over the next couple of years--is going to be a dog fight. In fact, I would be absolutely shocked if it didn't end up going the full seven games.
In the eyes of many, the Chicago Bulls were not the best team in the Eastern Conference, let alone the entire NBA: despite earning the number one seed, despite having the best record in the league, despite have the best home record, and despite owning a winning record against every team in the playoffs--including a season sweep over these same Miami Heat--Chicago has been over-looked.
All of this is fine by me.
I hope everyone continues to overlook Chicago moving forward. It has worked all season long, and it could just lead to title number seven.
Do you agree with Shawn? Post your comments below.
Shawn Muller has lived in the great city of Chicago for 7 years. He is a 2002 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, in October of 2010, Shawn received his certificate in radio broadcasting. In his free time, Shawn enjoys spending time with his wife Melissa and 3 year old daughter Ava, catching any live sporting event, and traveling. Check out his radio show, Grab Some Bench with Muller and Bangser" every Thursday night at 8:30 P.M., at www.blogtalkradio.com/spmuller24. Read more of his blogs here.
