Hardwood Paroxysm Super-Overreacts to the NBA Finals, Free Agency, and Derek Fisher

The Greatest of All-Time Shows Why He’s The GOAT

by Andrew Lynch (@AndrewLynch)

Game 2 of the 2014 NBA Finals demonstrated the one unassailable truth of basketball: When the time comes and the pressure closes in, the very greatest of all-time step up and dominate.

Game 1 was a trainwreck for the GOAT. Few will remember his actual play, because his ignominious exit deprived us all of any perspective on what happened before. Yet there were moments where he flashed his usual bravado and skill even before his night ended. And those who watched closely — those who’ve seen him from the very beginning, when he was head and shoulders above amateurs, just a kid from a farflung small town who was really, really good at hoops — knew that when Game 2 rolled around, he would make his mark.

And, of course, that’s exactly what happened. His harshest detractors will still point to the fact that, by the strictest of definitions, it was his teammates who “won” the game, and not the GOAT himself. That very deference, though, is what defines this generation’s greatest superstar. His ability to sublimate his ego for the good of the team is paramount to his success — and to the success of his team. Without it, he would not have his rings; without it, he would not be as great.

Those who traffic in reality know that were it not for Mario Chalmers, the Heat simply would have lost Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Elbow before the greatest.

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