The Thunder can’t take the Heat

While the PBA Governors' Cup is approaching the end of its elimination round, our league's American counterpart just completed another amazing, albeit shortened, season. Confetti and streamers, t-shirts and caps, and champagne with the Larry O'Brien trophy…another NBA season has come to an end, and this year, the Miami Heat, tailor-made to win it all in 2010-2011, got their championship a season late, which probably made the victory twice as sweet.

I am by no means a Heat fan, but the convincing way they disposed of the young, athletic Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder in four straight games, after losing the first, was enough to impress any non-believer. Many said that the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs was the equivalent of the NBA Finals, such that the winner of that series would surely win the rings. Miami listened to all that talk, while grinding out a grueling series against Gang Green, the Boston Celtics, but after making it to the final two, would hear none of it. Dropping Game 1 and hearing the cheers for OKC and the jeers against them only firmed up the resolve of the MVP himself, LeBron James, who played with precision for the most part, in the next four games. It does not hurt to have a "sidekick" who was a Finals MVP himself in 2006 (Dwyane Wade), and a third man who was forgotten for most of the playoffs, but who proved they needed him to win it all, Chris Bosh.

OKC's Durant, Westbrook and Harden are darn good players. The Thunder will be contenders for years if they can stay together and continue playing as one. But, the youngsters will have to wait their turn, to grow up and mature in the NBA Finals scheme of things, before they hoist up their own championship banner.

At the forefront of the Heat triumph is our compatriot Erik Spoelstra, a Filipino-American, who drew more fans from the Philippines to cheer for the Heat than either LeBron or Dwyane ever could. He had his back against the wall, with comments on a sure firing if he lost again, despite being able to massage three gargantuan All-Star egos, and making it back to the Finals, but his perseverance, a virtue he has had all throughout his rise from "the video guy" to championship coach, paid off, bigtime.

We asked some friends in the PBA circle about their thoughts on the Heat winning it all, and on the fact that a Filipino-American coach led Miami to the Promised Land.

Much credit, of course, goes to LeBron James. PBA and NCAA game analyst Dominic Uy said, "I think LBJ was so driven and determined, and finally earned his respect (with the victory)." Powerade assistant coach Alex Compton called LeBron "just a beast," in a very complimentary way.

They agreed, however, that LeBron was not without help. Petron Blaze Boosters center Dorian Peña said that while LeBron dominated the whole series, the Miami bench was great all series long. Aside from Mike Miller making sure the series never went back to OKC, hitting all those three pointers in Game 5, Shane Battier left a lasting impression, especially with his defense, challenging every play and drawing charges, and his timely scoring. Compton pointed out that Wade and Bosh were good second and third punches in the Miami attack, but, as frequently happens in a playoff series, key role players had some huge performances, particularly Battier, Mario Chalmers, and Miller. Compton said, "Those guys making plays makes it easier for LeBron as he is such a great passer, which put tremendous pressure on OKC's defense."

Peter Martin, former PBA game analyst and now assistant coach for Petron, said that whoever plays more like a team in the Finals, wins. "Miami played more like a team this year than last year. They learned their lesson from Jason Kidd and Co., from last year's Finals." Coach Ronnie Magsanoc, an assistant with the Meralco Bolts, and now at the helm of the San Beda Red Lions, echoed Martin's sentiments. "Miami already paid their dues in losing last year to the Mavs in the Finals. Shared failure made them stronger and prepared them well for this year's turbulent run which eventually paved the way for a 4-1 win in the title battle. The big three proved that (they) are the real deal."

As for Spoelstra leading the Heat to the championship victory, everyone asked was elated. Dominic said that Coach Spo showed what hard work can do — from getting coffee as a video assistant, to becoming head coach, to winning a title. "Hopefuly," Uy said, "this victory puts the Philippines on the international coaching map."

Compton, an American who has been based here in the Philippines for some time, said, "For a country whose number one sport is basketball by far, having a Filipino coach win a championship in the best basketball league in the world is a tremendous honor. Honestly, I think it should encourage Filipinos worldwide to dream. A great and well-deserved honor for a man that had to manage some great talent, NBA egos, all the while trying to live up to the standard set by Pat Riley, one of the all-time great coaches in NBA history."

Coach Ronnie opined that the achievement of Spoelstra bodes well for Filipino-Americans in the global basketball scene. Coach Spo's is a great success story, being a one-time video coordinator, who was given a huge break by Pat Riley. Magsanoc said, "Persistence and resilience enabled the once-beaten head coach in last year's run to the finals to go all the way in his young career. Hopefully, this will open the door for Pinoys to eventually make it in the NBA."

We all must agree that the achievement of Spoelstra is a milestone in both NBA and Philippine sports history. For that, Peña summed it up: "Way to go, Coach Spo!"

Congratulations to Coach Spoelstra and, I guess, to the Miami Heat (still not a fan, but they are a great team).

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.