Communist or Confucius?

September 11^th 2001…those three words are still powerful enough to bring many Americans over the age of 21 to the emotional brink. The events of that day are ever present in the back of our minds and were brought back to forefront by the assault and killing of Osama Bin Laden by U.S. forces last month. The jubilation seen on countless television stations here in America was understandable although this exuberance was more typical of the inhabitants of distant lands, distastefully cheering the demise of American soldiers or civilians.

Twitter had not hit the scene in 2001…the news of the events in New York traveled the “old fashioned” way…through 24 hour cable news and text messages. With Twitter now providing faster, less filtered information to the public, we are apt to find ourselves in situations with celebrities and athletes that can quickly become uncomfortable…something that Rashard Mendenhall has recently discovered. As a running back and NFL champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mendenhall has become accustomed to the adulation and blind devotion that usually accompanies an athlete of a certain status. After the death of Bin Laden, Mendenhall took to Twitter to make his voice heard.

The question that arises from this circumstance is, once again, how can we judge free speech? Rashard is right to ask the question “What kind of person celebrates death?”. Time and time again, the Al-Jazeera images of Arabs celebrating the death of innocent American citizens have been burned into my memory. When I saw those images I asked the exact same question “What kind of person celebrates death?”. What makes my question shameful is that, like many Americans, its undertone asked, “Who are these other irrational people who are behaving so despicably?” Rashard’s last tweet that asked, “How would God feel about your heart?” is a question that haunts me. Like many Americans, I hold anger in my heart toward Bin Laden and the hijackers. I want the survivors and victims of 9/11 (the parentless children, widows and widowers) to have the peace they have sought for so long. Mendenhall has a right to want people to follow the Golden Rule and do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. It is also conceivable that some would rather choose an eye for an eye.

On the surface this argument is about patriotism and loyalty to our country. The undercurrent of the response to Mendenhall seems to have very little to do with how much he loves the United States of America. The many tweeters who decided to give Mendenhall a piece of their mind received the following response: “There is not an ignorant bone in my body. I just encourage you to think”. This comment got me thinking about why Mendenhall’s comments in particular touched a nerve in so many people. Is it because he is an athlete saying these things? Is it because he is a black athlete saying these things?

With the advent of Twitter and other similar technologies, athletes are more accessible than ever before. For better or worse, the curtain has been lifted and I don’t think we will ever dial back the clock to the “good ol’ days” when athletes were seen and not heard (except for what the League wanted you to see and hear). Some sports fans would rather keep their athletes in a very specific box—one in which they can imagine the athlete to be exactly who they want them to be. A reflection of themselves, albeit with more muscles and a better 40 time.

Bulls-Heat Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 Preview

The Heat is on…both literally and figuratively. The Heat has bounced back from a lackluster Game 1 to turn in two impressive performances in a row. In Games 2 and 3, James, Wade and Bosh combined to score 63 and 73 points respectively. The Bulls in no way exhibited the trademark defense of a Tom Thibodeau coached team. In the locker room before, during and after the games, we can all be sure that Thibodeau wasn’t in love with the fact that his team is allowing James, Wade and Bosh to account for more than 75 percent of Miami’s scoring in the last two games. The inexperience of the Bulls crunch time players is a real disadvantage that was highlighted at the end of Games 2 and 3. In the last two minutes of each of those two games, Chicago has floundered. With one too many silly turnovers, pointless fouls and defensive lapses the frustration has been palpable. The pressure now rests squarely on the Bulls two award winners. Unfortunately for Chicago, only Derrick Rose has a physical impact on the game. The bottom line is that he needs help. When faced with double and triple teams aimed at taking the ball out of his hands, Rose has not been able to count on the production of his teammates which had been so consistent throughout the earlier rounds. The Bulls need more than 1 point in 29 minutes from Joakim Noah like they got in Game 3. Carlos Boozer needs to have a dominating performance on the inside and on the boards rather than a quiet 26 points. It is crucial that Rose light the fire in his teammates tonight before Game 4. In Game 1 Rose had a +14 plus/minus when in the game. In Game 2 Rose’s point differential was -12 and in Game 3 -13. As presently constructed, Derrick Rose has to be a better all around player to claim victory for Chicago.

Chicago now has a tight window, less than 12 hours, in which they need to reclaim the identity that brought them this far. Aside from the second half of Game 1, Miami has been the more poised, confidant and aggressive team. Both teams entered this series with astronomical expectations that included visions of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. Even though the outcome of Game 4 will not technically determine the series, the Bulls are playing for their season and a right to that trophy on Tuesday night.

Bulls-Heat Eastern Conference Finals

“The Heat can’t hang”. “The Bulls play harder”. “There is no way the Heat can contend with the offensive rebounding ability of Chicago’s bigs”. All of these statements seemed to characterize the Eastern Conference Finals after the Bulls outscored the Heat by 21 in the second half of Game 1 after the two teams had played to a draw at halftime. It seemed as though the Bulls were headed down the road to prove their worthiness to all those who doubted them due to their inexperience. The storyline seemed to fit perfectly…the NBA is transitioning to a “new guard”. Out with the old and in with the new. The Spurs? Taken down by the young boys from Memphis. The Lakers? Gone Fishin’. Three of the four teams filling out the Conference Finals docket are among the youngest in the league. The Bulls by far have the reputation of being the hardest workers left in the postseason. It is this reputation (along with the 21 point drubbing they handed out Sunday night) that opened the door for all of the doomsday prophecies that the media was so quick to ascribe to the Heat.

Now the scene shifts to Miami for a Game 3 on Sunday that will be crucial to determining which team will end up victorious. The Bulls have been very good all season in games following a loss but after the Game 2 victory, Miami has now snatched home court. The stakes cannot get higher. In a best of seven series, the winner of Game 3 wins the series over 75% of the time. The Heat has a good chance to bring the Bulls their first consecutive loss of this postseason. The keys to a win are not a secret—contain Noah and Boozer on the boards, do not allow Rose to penetrate deep and open the game up for outside shooters like Korver—but the X’s and O’s are not the only determining factors. The Heat needs to do as good a job at maintaining their defensive intensity, effort and focus as they did in Game 2. They seemingly have a distinct advantage over the Bulls in the next two games being that the Bulls have not been the same team away from the United Center. It is the inexperience of the Bulls players compared to the relative experience of the Heat players that might turn this series.

The spirit of the fans here in Miami is one of confidence. On the streets of South Beach, Stephen Taylor stated that "The Heat DON'T lose at home!"--A quote that typifies the general sentiment of many of the Miami fans that are chomping at the bit for another chance at taking down the Bulls Sunday night.