But to get back to basketball, Dirk Nowitzki needs to be perfect for the Mavs to even have a chance in this series. He needs to put up numbers like he did in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, where he scored 48 points on 15 field goal attempts. That’s like driving in 11 runs in 3 at-bats. He could have taken 15 three-point shots, hit all of them, and he still wouldn’t have had as many points. Sure, 12-15 shooting from the floor is awesome, but to top that off with a 24-24 performance at the free throw line is just unfair. But then again, having to play against two of the top three players in the NBA is even more unfair.

This will probably end up being Dirk’s best chance at a championship, barring devastating injuries to either LeBron James or Dwayne Wade within the next year. How could you not root for a guy who’s been as consistently great the past decade as anyone not named Tim Duncan? A player whose unique combination of size and skill has made basketball scouts dream about other massive Euros, only to be terribly disappointed. A player who was so close to a championship only a few years ago, and has since been unfairly labeled a choker.

How could you not root for a player who has been with one team his entire career, a player who practically created the franchise himself? LeBron could have traveled the same path, but he decided to become part of a three-headed monster in Miami instead of carving out his own competitive legacy. If there were one player who could have single-handedly led a team to a championship in this era, it would have been LeBron. Dirk may be at times the most efficient and unstoppable offensive force in the league, but LeBron can do just about anything on the basketball court when he wants to. Derrick Rose, the 2011 “MVP”, turned into a high schooler when LeBron was matched up against him. Yet in hindsight, perhaps it’s unfair to treat the situations of LeBron and Dirk equally, as their owners certainly weren’t equal. Mark Cuban invested in building a team around Dirk, while LeBron was fed scrubs that he managed to transform into legitimate NBA players.

Maybe I’m still bitter that the Knicks are left with the volume scorer that is Carmelo Anthony instead of the all-around monster that is LeBron James. Maybe the thought of LeBron in a Knicks uniform still makes me want to jump on the bandwagon that never came around. Maybe I just want to see one of the greatest players of his generation finally get his due.

Go Mavs. Go Dirk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU6UHBYJOUw

Of course, as with any earth-shattering event, the rumors have been swirling and changing every 12 hours or so. It always seemed like LeBron was leaning towards staying in Cleveland, but then that disappointing exit in the playoffs changed everyone’s perception, apparently. Chicago became a real possibility. New York was always talked about — and living in New York has magnified it 100x for me. Miami was thrown out there. Even New Jersey and Los Angeles (Clippers) were mentioned.

I spent most of the day today with a chubby because the rumors were pointing toward New York. I tried my best to remain pessimistic, but I couldn’t contain my excitement. LEBRON JAMES A KNICK. I would have to get my Knicks crap back out of the closet. Cleveland would go back to being the most depressing city this side of Detroit. Chicago would have to settle for rewatching games from the Jordan Era.

But now the internet is exploding over reports saying LeBron is joining Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami. He already was inspiring this type of vitriol just by making such a big deal out of his decision:

It doesn’t matter where he opts to go. If he goes to Chicago, he’s a cocksucker. If he goes to Miami, he’s a goddamn cocksucker. Even if he goes back to Cleveland, he’s a goddamn cocksucker. He’s a self-aggrandizing sack of shit, and ESPN is a bunch of pussy-whipped enablers for giving him a free hour of airtime tomorrow night and inevitably using 55 minutes of it to let Stu Scott give him a rimjob.

So imagine how much people will hate him if he goes to Miami and forms an unbeatable Big Three? Here’s a taste:

Now, the Association looks like a joke, a place where three individuals have held seemingly everyone hostage. New York’s rebuilding is a sideshow. Prokhorov’s participation in Russia’s insidious spying mission in America is something to track tepidly. Who even cares what the Clippers do now? The whole league has been submarined by LeBron, whose hubris these last few weeks has been ugly and costly. Outside of Miami, who will be left rooting for LeBron, especially after his made-for-TV drama? An NBA diehard, I am so disillusioned. This doesn’t feel right or fun. This feels terrible.

I really recommend reading that entire rant, as it’s absolutely spot-on and demolishes LeBron much more effectively than calling him a cocksucker a half-dozen times.

As an objective observer, I really believe LeBron should stay in Cleveland and build his legacy there — but I’m not objective. I want him to come to the Knicks, even if he is a cocksucker.