That Ever Familiar Smell...

Back in the 80s there was an artist who played a wonderful array of music.

Some of it I liked and some of it I could do without. Kind of like an acquired taste her name was Rory Block.

There were some pretty funny album titles that she made, too. 

One that sticks out for me was a title that best describes what was experienced earlier this night with the Miami Heat in town. 'Intoxication So Bitter Sweet'. 

2006 and 2011 surely feel like a long ways away. The in-state lather fans get into locally have an aura all their own.

Mavericks fans to this day will bemoan the Victory parade that wasn't after a 2-0 lead in 2006 while Heat fans will bellyache about the 3-Peat that didn't occur due to Tyson Chandler and DeSean Stephenson and their heroics in 2011.

2006 it was Shaq and Dwyane Wade. Since 2011 it's been Wade and LeBron. Two players who tend to perform on a different level when the lights are brightest and a game is on the line. 

Their lone visit to Dallas this night brought out a huge contingent of athletes and celebrities. Pamela Anderson, Derek Holland, DeMarco Murray, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant to name a few. And yes after the game there was the sight of LeBron James doing the 'X' to Dez as the crowd went wild.

It was a night in which LBJ was dominant! 

Two days removed from the NBA All-Star Game it was assumed that maybe the Mavericks caught Miami at a good time. Wade was a little banged up, Udonis Haslem seemed to be a little off initially, Chris Bosh took all of the first half to get going. Even the Birdman was kept at bay for a good part of the first half.

And then the King James factor came into play.

Flash back to December 2007. the 27th to be precise. Days before LeBron James turned 23 years old as a Cavalier visiting Dallas. To this day I regret not getting to watch Michael Jordan do his thing in the 90s. I vowed I was going to watch what this whole LeBron James phenomenon was about.

Seated on the floor up close I was blown away by how much physical punishment was taken and given by the pride of Akron, Ohio. 1 year prior James had himself a 46 point night which was a career best inside the AAC.

LeBron James was just as good, maybe better on this night. In the 4th period LBJ took over a la Kobe Bryant and knocked out 42 points. What was surprising was seeing the prowess the King was having behind the arc. Two of them in succession to fuel an 8-0 run in the 4th period as he took over.

“When we turned it over, [James] was gone,” said Mavs forward Shawn Marion. “He’s one of the fastest guys in the league in the open court. After his fourth open-court dunk, the basket started to get bigger for him. Then he started pulling up for threes and started hitting some. It just opened the game up.”

Buffeted by the Bird Man (Chris Anderson) late in the second half and his 18 points as the Heat would roll to a 117-106 victory after leading 30-28 after 1, 60-54 after two, trailing 85-84 after three, then go on a 33-21 in the 4th.

With the victory Miami improved to 38-14 while Dallas fell to 32-23 and a road trip awaiting them eastward. 

Dirk Nowitzki had some telling thoughts on the heels of this loss at home to the defending champions, and a physical game to boot.

“I like how we competed,” Mused the All-Star. “We played hard and gave ourselves a chance. Just down the stretch we weren’t good enough. LeBron kept making plays, and they stepped up their defense a little bit. We couldn’t score the last four or five minutes, so I guess that separates a good team from a great team.”

More from Coach Rick.

“James was great,” Carlisle confessed. “He was great in all areas. He is great and we know he is great. He scored a bundle of points on us last time, and he was even better tonight. But that’s him, and I thought we played extremely hard and our heart was in the right place all night. We just had some untimely misses, some untimely turnovers, and that really hurt us. They are a team that takes advantage of those and they make you pay an exponential price. That’s what happened in the fourth quarter.”

While en route to the arena it was kind of weird to see the high number of Miami Heat jerseys. The same kind of dynamic when the Lakers were rolling, or the Red Wings, the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Canadiens, the Thunder, etc.

That smell of...no, not a good perfume. 

It was the smell of bandwagoning. That faction of fans who hop onboard and act like they've been along for the ride since day one. Except that we know better. First place only or stay home and tweet in anonymity. The best analogy I can think of are the lyrics of 'Rock Superstar' by Cypress Hill. That hits very close to home.

In proving that the King is one of the best in the NBA today Mr. James tonight in Dallas hit very close to home with his performance...and the Heat dominating in the paint 56-34. 

Oh, to be amongst the perception of royalty. Only a certain few are able to withstand that intoxicating feeeling of power. Can Indiana knock it out come April? 

Stay tuned!

Over and out in Big D.

Mr. Will