As David Stern winds down his illustrious career as the NBA commissioner, his greatest legacy will be handing the league off to his successor, Adam Silver, in wonderful working order.
And as far as this March is concerned, the madness being created by the Miami Heat is as good as it gets.
Let’s make one thing clear.
The man who once said his dream NBA Finals matchup was “Lakers vs. Lakers” does not just like superteams, he loves them.
Anyone remotely interested in things NBA knows the many accomplishments of the David Stern era. He inherited a league thought to be drug-infested and too black. TV exposure was minimal and franchise values were low. Most importantly, there was one thing that tends to doom sports leagues – parity.
And the league at that time had plenty of it.
When David Stern took over there had not been a repeat champion in 15 years!
Fast forward to today. The league has expanded globally in astronomical ways. With a new labor agreement in place, player stability is secured for the foreseeable future. Revenues by any measure are at record highs. AND THE MIAMI HEAT HAVE WON 20 IN A ROW.
The Heat’s emergence as the latest superteam has re-energized the NBA and given Stern what any league dreams of, a team with worldwide appeal that will attract attention from beyond the local reach of the provincial fan.
And the Heat brings this in a perfect storm. They have the world’s most dynamic and dominant superstar in LeBron James. They represent a large international and desirable market in Miami. And they are putting together one of the longest winning streaks in league history, at 20 going into tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
What makes winning streaks so powerful is the way interest grows exponentially as they get longer. Twelve wins in a row is interesting. Fifteen is impressive.
But we are still in “longest streak of the season” territory.
Now as the streak is hitting 20, we are in the “longest streaks in history” zone. With each win interest builds, finally to a fever pitch as we approach the record that many thought was unmatchable – 33 wins in a row by the Chamberlain/West Lakers of 1971-72.
The icing on the cake is that type of streak gets you on the list of possible Greatest Teams of All Time! That kind of talk elevates an entire league and is the Holy Grail for the commissioner.
In my many dealings with David – through the 1998 lockout, an 18-year playing career, and in the years since being involved with and finally running the Retired Players Association – I know these things as facts:
- David Stern loves the NBA.
- He will do anything to see it thrive, and knows that no one is bigger than the game itself.
- And while he works for the owners, his most important mission is to see the game thrive.
So, are Super Teams a good thing? The answer is clearly YES! That is if you are the league itself, the television network, or that actual Super Team.
History repeatedly has shown that the great teams that come together define leagues, and the bigger the dynasty, the better. Look at the history of the NBA.
“Basketball reasons”
Really couldn’t disagree with you more on the super teams. If you live in a city that has Anne of these teams, I’m sure it’s great,but think about those place that don’t have the luxury of being able to pay the luxury tax. Year after year you don’t even sniff the playoffs, you lose any star players once they hit free agency, your owners still charge just as much for tickets as the winners, and no free agents want to sign with you unless the good gigs have dried up. I could go on, but let just say this, I would love to see an even playing field where every team has a chance to win, where there are no back-to-back games, and the officials don’t make the superstar level foul calls. Give me parity, the current NBA is elitist in the worst way.