NBA: A season of secret stardom

Funny, but do believe that the Mafia had been dragged as being allegedly behind the incredible ending of the last NBA Finals.
This happened on Monday at the Mandaluyong City wet market, where winning bettors splurged on beer, rellenong bangus and brandy upon a borrowed white table at the inner edge of the main pork-and-veggie section.
The main doubter, eyes ablaze, was quite firm that LeBron James would’ve not played that poorly if not for the infamous Mafia grip.
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Actually, that thing about the Mafia, or another secret hand, manipulating the results of the NBA Finals started to be heard as early as Game 5, after underdog Dallas took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 title playoffs.
Well, you can bet it was not only in that marketplace melee where doubting losers had tried to take full credit from the amazing Mavericks.
Unbelievable, winning coach Rick Carlisle mumbled with concealed glee, during the post-victory interview.
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It’s like this. James, crushed and humbled, would admit he was to blame for the failure of the Miami Heat absolutely.
But a day after the Mavs returned to a tumultuous welcome in Dallas, there were cheap claims they did not actually win.
Countless unbelieving fans continued to swear LeBron James simply lost it! Period.
That, in itself, was not totally unexpected.
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Of course, there were many sharp readings, majority of these pointing to the Mavericks’ strict edge in maturity, culture and character.
But it was never easy detecting the exact weapon that handed Dallas its first NBA crown in three decades.
It was not an invisible one.
But the way the Major Maverick, Dirk Nowitzki, delivered the magical shots—almost in secret-these would visibly spring from concealment.
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Did he ever exult and pump the air after that stretching left-hand stab in Game 2 that punctuated their resurrection from a 15-point grave?
It was to be part of the Nowitzki role to react solemnly, a boy who just received communion bread, after connecting with near-magical shots from both close and long range.
Yes, most of the Nowitzki heroics were often soundless.
Meanwhile, out there at the other end, there was the common sight of King LeBron James exploding after a hard basket, a screaming tyrant with his dangling monster mouthpiece.
There was this suspicion James must’ve sensed the throbbing start of a dynastic rule, without having yet planted a single main pillar.
A closer flashback would, however, show that Nowitzki et al schemed and sniped in the Finals not unlike rebels mounting a secret ambush.
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In fact, it was only after a game-sealing left-hand roll, facsimile of that Game 2 winner, that Nowitzki finally let go and pushed his triumphant injured hand up.
Just like that. Then he quietly received his own trophy for being the best one in the Finals.
Forget now that coach Eric Spoelstra, try as he did, failed to properly re-plot against the Mavs’ zone—and at times scrambling—defense.
By the time the Mavs had returned home, the Fil-Am coach of the Miami Heat must finally realized he did not have a single trustworthy leader among his expensive big stars.
After James had tripped on his ego, Nowitski preferred to keep his stardom a secret.