Streak Ends Along With LeBron's Patience

The moment that most of the nation had been waiting for finally happened in the United Center on the west side of Chicago last night. The injured and struggling Chicago Bulls put out one of the best efforts of any team this season to take down the larger-than-life Miami Heat. Just seven games within breaking the historic record of 33 wins in a row, the Heat had battled every size of deficit and also quite a few injuries on their way to what is now the second longest streak of all time at 27 wins in a row.



The Bulls hung on for dear life to win Wednesday night

The game itself was something to behold and in the midst of March Madness it was something that all basketball fans could appreciate. It was well-coached, physical, hard-nosed basketball which some if not most people would say is impossible to find in the NBA. Yet here were two Conference rivals battling it out from start to finish.

The game presented a physicality that to some people, especially LeBron James, seemed a little over-the-top to the point where LeBron even questioned if some of the fouls were "basketball plays". Yes Kirk Hinrich brought LeBron down to the floor with him on what would have been an easy bucket or a posterization, and yes there was hard contact in the lane late in the fourth quarter when it appeared as though Taj Gibson wrapped LeBron around the shoulder and brought him down to the ground. But what LeBron needed to realize in that post-game interview is that while those fouls were hard and physical fouls, they were fouls that the Bulls knew they had to commit if they were to stop LeBron and his streaking Heat.

Whether you are a LeBron fan or not, which I myself have gotten over "The Decision" and have decided to admire the player who is undoubtedly the best athlete in the world, you must admit that the player LeBron has become is virtually unguardable. Remember when the best defense on LeBron was to make him shoot? That doesn't fly anymore. The 28 year old superstar is shooting 56% from the field and nearly 40% from three. Compare those to his stats in his rookie year and his field goal percentage has risen 15% and his three point percentage is up 11%. Yeah, letting him shoot isn't a good plan anymore. Face it, you can't stop LeBron.

Which brings us back to the hard fouls. What do you expect Kirk Hinrich to do on that play? LeBron has about 60 pounds on him and it was a one-on-one. Was the play dirty? Yeah probably. You can't just bring a guy to the ground like that and LeBron has a right to be upset. But the point is that LeBron will have to come to accept the fact that teams only have one choice now and that is to be physical. With the way the Bulls' defense was playing, it eventually got into LeBron's head and caused him to commit what basically ended up being the dagger for the Heat and that was LeBron's lowering of his shoulder into the chest of Carlos Boozer. The play was called a flagrant one foul and the Bulls capitalized and never looked back.

LeBron took his fair share of hard fouls in the loss

LeBron's statements about the hard fouls, and he's not wrong might I add, also brought to my attention the way the NBA has changed. I was born in 1994, so my knowledge of the NBA in the 80's and 90's has been limited to Hardwood Classics on NBATV and countless YouTube videos. What I have picked up from those games and videos is that players back in the day only cared about winning. Nobody was out there joking around or trying to make friends or trying to make sure everyone was happy. It was win or die trying and it didn't matter how teams went about it.

I hate to once again bring Michael Jordan into a discussion about LeBron James, but the example is perfect. The Bad Boys of Detroit were hell on earth for the late 80's and early 90's Chicago Bulls. If LeBron really wants to see a dirty foul then ask Scottie Pippen about having to be guarded by Dennis Rodman. The game and players were just flatout tougher back then and I fail to think that players back then would've been so vocal about what was and was not a hard foul.

For LeBron and Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Miami Heat: there is no reason they should not win another ring. They play at such a high level and present an unbelievably talented, veteran bench. When your team comes together like the Heat's team has through free-agency signings and "teaming up", there will always be a target on your back. Throw in the fact that you've won 27 games in a row and are on the verge of making history and well, you might as well expect a brawl from any of the teams you face. Is LeBron wrong or being a baby about the fouls? No, I don't think so. But it goes to show the change in nature from the players back in the day to the players nowadays.