Five Things You Need To Know About The NBA Finals - 6/12/12

The NBA Finals are only mere hours away, and you're not sure of what to watch for (besides the big name superstars). Well, I've got you covered. From matchups to back stories, I'll give you enough info to make this the most engaging sporting event you've ever tuned into. Here are five things you need to know:

1. The "LeBron Isn't Clutch" Argument Is Asinine.
It is pointless to debate whether LeBron James is or isn't clutch (I'm looking at YOU, Skip Bayless). What gets lost in that discussion is LeBron's skill set. While he is the most talented overall player in the world, his skill set is limited in certain areas. We are all aware that his jumper is not the most lethal part of his arsenal. Furthermore, it is not an asset that he leans on when he needs points. Compounding that point is the fact that he is a FLOW player. However the game is going, LeBron will go along with it. That what he does best; that's how he gets so many assists and rebounds, as well as blocks and steals. I'm sure many of us recall some of the amazing passes he made in Cleveland, getting the ball ON-TIME, ON POINT, to shooters that were waiting. I have always held the belief that LBJ is the second coming of Magic Johnson, a tall, dynamic distributor that dominates the open court, rebounds, and can still put up 30+ points. Does that not sound like an accurate description of LeBron? He works WITHIN an offense, rather than having an offense flow THROUGH him. In "clutch," late-game situations, he is looking to run AN offense, not THE offense. He would rather run the play than make the play, and that's simply because he has an almost unrivaled ability to run it, rather than make it. He does not have the triple-threat proficiency of Kobe Bryant, nor does he create space in the same manner. Thus, he has no "go-to" move in late-game situations. He ends up taking poor-quality jumpers or awkward layups designed to draw contact rather than score points. That's not his forte, and he only did it in Cleveland/does it now because it's expected of him. Have you ever seen him 'pick his spot' in a late-game situation and knock down a jumper we've seen him make over and over? No? Precisely. That's not his game. Stop asking him to do that, and let him flourish as a 25-8-8(pts, asts, rbs) player. I'll take that over a poor shot at the end of the game. Asking him to hold on to the ball, square up at the three point line (or in some cases, at the elbow), survey the court, and find a way to score off of his action, without an actual play being set, is denying him the opportunity to be a playmaker in the way that fits him best. Analysts need to acknowledge that.

2. Kevin Durant Is A Very Clutch Player
This shall be brief. I'm stating the obvious, but it's to give a bit of insight. KD is very clutch because of his repertoire, the same reason that LBJ is limited. KD can pull up from anywhere. He can create space, create contact...he can even create MORE sneaker sales for Nike. At the same time, he's a constant threat to drive to the basket. That makes him infinitely dangerous in a late-game situation, since his length means he's more likely to finish at the basket or get a CLEAN look at a jumper DESPITE close defense. His performance in the clutch will be a deciding factor in this series, especially since he'll likely be going at LBJ.

3. D-Wade Versus Westbrook Is NOT The Match-Up To Watch
Will it be intriguing? Undoubtedly. However, those two athletic, fearless, and tremendously gifted players do not comprise the biggest match-up of this series. That takes place in the paint. Chris Bosh will have to have a definite PRESENCE in this series. His rebounding, scoring, and defense against Perkins and Ibaka will be a, if not THE determining factor in this series. Perkins and Ibaka turned the tide against San Antonio, without question. Between setting pick-and-rolls (often illegally, but that's another discussion for another day), defending pick-and-rolls (which they'll HAVE to do well, otherwise Bosh will average close to 20 ppg), and rebounding well, they really made their mark on the Western Conference Finals. Miami is in trouble here. If Bosh guards Perkins, the power forward, who will guard Ibaka, the center? Turiaf and Anthony are not equipped to stop him. If Bosh is on Ibaka, can the Heat really depend on the smaller guys (Haslem included) to guard Perkins? Look for Bosh to space the floor on offense, flaring out on pick-and-rolls to keep at least one of those big men out of the paint, allowing LBJ & D-Wade to penetrate. On defense, it's likely that Miami will struggle to defend the paint, and will more than likely struggle to control the boards, which leads to the next point.

4. The Transition Game In This Series Will Be Critical
If the Thunder control the boards, that means Westbrook, Harden, Durant, and Ibaka out running the floor. Miami matches up well, but the Thunder can attack OR hit jumpers in transition, something the Heat haven't had to defend before now. They are likely to have issues in that department, only because Wade on Westbrook and James on Durant leaves Harden and Ibaka as options on the fast break. On the flipside, the Heat will NEED buckets in transition. If Ibaka and Perkins can't get back, that may be the only time where they can get good looks in the paint.

5. James Harden and Mario Chalmers Are The Players To Watch
James Harden will put pressure on Miami's defense. If he is on the court with Westbrook, who will guard him? If Wade slides over, that leaves the slower Battier on Westbrook. If not, the slower Battier will be on the aggressive Harden. Either way, it gives the Thunder a match-up advantage. If Mario Chalmers steps up, he can guard Harden or Westbrook to help the Heat. He's an average defender, but at least Miami keeps up with the match-ups. On offense, scoring from him would keep the Thunder honest when sending help defense on the Heat's big three. The Heat's big men will be a question, no matter how they perform; Chalmers as a factor would help to offset that, especially if Battier and Mike Miller are also making shots. An honest defense is a playground for driving players like Wade and LBJ.

There's much more to know, but those are the major points. It's almost like fate that these teams are playing in the Finals, seeing that LBJ and KD practiced together before the season started. The MVP and the scoring champ; the two players that are the faces of the NBA's new vanguard. James is looking for the first official validation of his legacy; Durant is looking for the official beginning of his. A championship would bolster Wade's career, while it would only leave Westbrook and Harden hungry to combine for more. Behind it all, Derek Fisher has a chance to surpass Kobe Bryant and reach the illustrious distinction of six-time champion, a fact that I'm certain Kobe isn't pleased with. A loss for the Thunder would only make them favorites to come back next year, while a loss for the Heat would raise a world of questions, a universe of controversy, and a galaxy of speculation. In any case, the stories of this season for every player on either team enter the final chapter tonight. What will be written? The hardwood tells magical stories, and the ball doesn't lie. It's the NBA Finals: where history is made and legacies are born.

-A. Lewis

Pyramids (Working Title)

There are pyramids in the sand somewhere for you.
Monuments to your timeless beauty.
...I just hope you find them before time lays its claim.
Your purpose got lost in the minds of Barbie dolls and empty containers once filled with lip gloss...
More concerned with building a home than assuming the throne, building a life of your own.
Men litigate and promulgate rules that can't even begin to corral the breadth of your potential,
And you sit idly by, building sandcastles out of broken promises and tears, putting on makeup and searching for logic as to why this is the natural order of the world.
The pyramids would tell you otherwise.
That is why you must find them.
There is no mandate for your subjugation; you hold the power to create and house second-class citizens within your divine flesh, bringing limitless possibilities into the world with each new life.
Your mind is hardwired to love. Love is the most transcendent force on the planet.
Does that not make you a spiritual genius, if you are born with the innate understanding of how to speak to the souls of others, especially men and children?
Then why do you allow yourself to be reduced to drama?
There isn't enough theater in the world to even cover one stanza of the injustices you've suffered.
Why is it that your worth is determined by your ability to be worthy of a diamond, when you have a literal heart of gold, a timeless wellspring of priceless affection that can change the world?
You must go and find them. They hold the answers.
The pyramids might reflect your beauty, but there is far more.
Just like you, they were constructed in cosmic perfection,
Defying logic because purpose speaks to the spirit, not the mind.
Men assume that your emotions make you weak, but they give you the strength to love,
To open yourself to the possibility of being hurt by love, by the most transcendent force on the planet, the one that will transcend all barriers, all scars, all thoughts and detonate in the deepest, darkest corner of one's soul, leaving a burning flame that will ignite at even the thought of similar pain, burning both you and your match.
Only a force like that, directed by devotion, could've built those pyramids...
Is that not how men build a new life with women, loving through devotion?
You must go find them.
They await you, majestically roughened up by the hands of Father Time,
A gift from some of the earliest sons of Mother Earth,
Monuments to your timeless beauty.
If no man, not even Father Time, can take them from you, can tear them down, can understand them, then why don't you embrace them?
They are for you.
Most would say it's your destiny to bring out the best in me, a man, but that is not the case.
Your purpose is to find them.
Claim them before Father Time wins what may ultimately become a war of attrition.
Sad human logic engenders fear when something cannot be understood.
Fear begets animosity, which causes destruction.
However, the pyramids have defied this.
They still stand for you.
No one understands how you further civilization on both feet, smiling, beautiful, intelligent,
Holding your existence firmly in your grasp as you release a new spirit into the universe.
But you do it.
There is no explanation for the way you've captivated, intrigued, and triggered lust in the dark recesses of the minds of men, but you continue to do so, your curves as definite as the path of the hands of time circumnavigating the faces of watches and clocks all over the world at the same speed, one that hasn't changed since the dawn of time, much like how you've been the standard of beauty no matter the era, your color, the beliefs, your actions, or the observers.
The stars seem dim in comparison; the sun is a replica of your heart, the Earth is a living model of your mind, the cosmos is a manifestation of your soul.
That is why you must go find them.
There are pyramids in the sand somewhere for you.
Monuments to your timeless beauty.
...I just hope you find them before Time lays his claim.
Those are your thrones, places your legacy can call home.
The mystifying majesty that they capture is shared among all women,
Similar in all ways, yet different stone-by-stone.
To discover them is to discover your greatness manifest.

-A. Lewis

For Whitney...and Still For Michael - 2/17/12 (from 2/11/12)

"Michael and Whitney showed us the pinnacle of Black achievement in music...their mass appeal earned them the titles of King and Queen of Pop. But it was not their record sales that endeared them to us. It was their personalities. Beyond immense talent, they were still human beings. Mike was a fun-loving guy, and Whitney was a bubbly young lady with a stunning smile. As it would turn out, their humanness would eventually contribute greatly to their demises...and tarnish their once sterling reputations. However, such twists of fate do not resonate in the heart as they do in the mind. While we attempt to conceive how they let themselves go, what drugs she might've been on, and why Mike was on medication, our hearts are busy singing the songs that got stuck there so long ago, humming right along with the wonderful memories we have. Sister Houston now takes on a new life within us all, one of splendid moments that will be recounted to the tunes she made famous with her incomparable voice. The way that people like she and Mike could bring about feelings in us stretches far beyond what the media could ever make us believe. We know what the music did, what it does, and what it will always do. No pictures could be painted that would make us FEEL any less about her, though we might judgmentally THINK less. She now, or at least her spirit, presumably has peace. And with that said, we must find peace ourselves. How? Just by listening to those songs in our hearts and singing along."

-A. Lewis

There's A Fire In this Room - 2/7/12

"There's a fire in this room, but no candles...when the lights are down low, your hips become handles; rapid respiration within my ribs restrains my random rambles. Intimacy can leave inhibitions in shambles...and my hands amble up and down your spine like young kids in the mall with no place to go at all, dragging in certain spots like vowels in southern drawl. Most brothers are out to love them all, and I am too. The only difference is that while they learn hot spots, a grab, a rub, a pinch or two, I'm learning the key to burning every inch of you. Fingertips like matchsticks, the night is ripe for sensory magic. Speaking of touching though, the romance of our ensnared glances is like a passionate tango dance, with our pupils as partners, our attention as the hands clasped, and our bodies as the dance floor that is traversed as though this was all rehearsed. The intensity is so great that it could be metaphorical, though the silence is allegorical, symbolizing the categorical denial of outward displays of such raw, powerful finesse in the design of nature. It's at times like these when sexy is much less visual and much more visceral...when minds become magnets, privates become poles, bodies begin to bustle, and hormones take hold. The experience stretches far beyond the shallow waters of lust...but getting out to the sea of the feelings that lie within us means we mustn't be afraid of the depth of trust. When two beings can be open, mind, body, and soul, they can allow their innermost desires to take control..."

-A. Lewis

Beauty Is Harmony - 2/7/12

"When young men come to understand that beauty is harmony between appreciation and emotional stimulation, they will treat young ladies differently. When you can appreciate her looks AND be in awe of them, love how intelligent she is AND be captivated by how she much she knows, be grateful that you know her AND enjoy how happy her presence in your life makes you, that's true beauty. That duality is all around is life and nature. Acknowledging it is rare though. Most would settle to have one or the other; to be able to recognize, understand, and take both into account takes a great deal of maturity."

-A. Lewis

A Quote on Leadership - 2/7/12

"A defining trait of a great leader is the ability to utilize exceptional discretion when exercising influence, power, and authority; each is different from the others, they all come with great responsibility, and they all are greatly effective when used accordingly."

-A. Lewis

A Lesson In Oppression Dynamics - 2/2/12

"When an oppressor can play the victim, the oppressed are made to look pretentious, whiny, and focused on trivialities. Pretentious for assuming the worse and feeling as though they're special enough to be targeted; whiny for constantly bringing up what's made to seem to be a non-issue; focused on trivialities for nitpicking at what is a 'minute' part of whatever the greater discussion is. The oppression hides behind itself, touting its minor improvements with major rhetoric, using the simple fact of improvement itself as a crutch, implying that the possibility of improvement makes any issue impervious to criticism. The oppressor gains an upper hand on the one issue that the oppressed always had to themselves: victimization. With the script flipped, the oppressed no longer have any ground to stand on beside the historical, which automatically is seen as 'living in the past' when coupled with the improvement rhetoric. The oppressed are left with their primary soapbox eviscerated, and the oppressor gains a new, powerful, myopic, and dismissive platform to reach people on the fence about the oppression itself. Furthermore, any former victim that is a prime example of the aforementioned improvements will become a shield for the oppressor, used to deflect criticisms as 'proof' of the improvement rhetoric with the idea that if one could succeed, all can. Despite the sheer foolishness of that logic, and the inherent dismissal of the varying degrees of difficulty facing the oppressed, the 'success story' becomes a stalwart talking point of the oppressor, providing a final line of defense: the notion that the oppression is over, that each success story is indicative of the collective and what it can accomplish, rather than a bravura in its own right and a sign of what could be accomplished if there weren't so many obstacles facing the oppressed. In making the oppressed seem as though they're just being lazy and acting helpless, the oppressor has obtained an institutionalization of his oppression, and can now watch it take place on all levels with little to no resistance at all, since his peers will either agree with him or be oblivious to it, and the oppressed will be confused as to whether they're really being oppressed or not. The subsequent division among them will completely obfuscate the matter, ironically leaving them as helpless as the oppressor made them out to be beforehand."

-A. Lewis