Amare Stoudemire hurt his hand last night after punching a fire extinguisher in frustration following the New York Knicks loss to the Miami Heat. There has been speculation he was frustrated about the amount of shots he's getting in the series. Amare is a prideful man who thinks the more opportunity he gets to contribute on the court the greater his team's chances are of winning the game. In the playoffs that simply isn't the case.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, NBA championships are won by superstars that display individual greatness taking over games when it matters the most. The NBA championship is not won with depth, sharing the ball, or superior coaching. The championship is won by unstoppable players.
In the 2012 NBA playoffs there are four teams that struggle with this dynamic. The Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Oklahoma City Thunder all have two players who think they should be "The Man." Allow me to put an end to the controversy with quick and concise clarification.
Los Angeles: Andrew Bynum needs to get a few more touches, but he also needs to understand this is still Kobe Bryant's team. Bynum should defer to the guy with 5 championships who just happens to be the best closer in the game. If he doesn't embrace this simple truth the Lakers have no shot.
New York: Carmelo Anthony is the best pure scorer on the planet and Amare Stoudemire is a shell of his former self. If Carmelo doesn't have the ball in his hands A LOT the Knicks have no chance of winning. Amare should defer to Carmelo.
Miami. D Wade should be the closer and Lebron should be the facilitator. Lebron has accepted his role so long as the Heat win a championship. He might be the MVP of the league, but in playoff basketball he must defer.
OKC: Russell Westbrook should defer to Kevin Durant. I don't think Westbrook truly believes that which is why they have difficulty against elite teams. If this power struggle continues the Thunder will not win a championship.
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