Professional athletes live lives quite different than that of everyday people. Those lives maybe privileged in some regards, desired, envied, and often revered by the masses. People are people and while some are destined for abundance and fame, others are not as fortunate. One thing is for certain each and every person in whose body courses blood and the breath of life, there is no difference. Life struggles and hardships, the stresses of life, wonderment with regards to self-worth, self-esteem, security and confidence are not immune to anyone.

It is assumed that life is grand in every way for professional athletes, most believe that living life on the pedestal of public adoration, and having no worry for money will produces the happiness in life that everyone seeks. Nothing could be further from the truth, because the only thing that fame and fortune ever provides is a sense of comfort about financial matters in one’s life. Athletes are not super human, although sometimes they are viewed as such. If cut while shaving they bleed, disappointments and failure produces questions in their minds like any other person. Their egos sit front and center as a necessity to their line of work, but also to their detriment. Problems within their lives are magnified because they live in plain view of the public eye and the public’s opinion, make no bones about it, they experience normal everyday issues but on a much more public scale.

Problematically most athlete’s self-esteem and security is wrapped up in what they do and what they accomplish, it defines them in a sense. They find acceptance and self-worth in that thing which they’ve spent the greater part of their life preparing to accomplish. The cheering and fan adulation can be intoxicating, almost addictive, but like all things, too much of anything is not good for you. Life is grand, mission accomplished, so they believe, until the cheering stops and the reality of retire looms because the body can no longer respond to the commands of the mind, or they’re replaced with the vigor and exuberance of youth necessary to compete in professional sports. The voices then begin, because for the first time in life doubt and self-questioning settles into minds that have been developed to operate in unflinching confidence. Most of the people within pro athletes inner circle, those entrust their well-being, rarely aide them in preparation for this new chapter in life. Ego and pride will never allow them to express the trepidation they face or feel, because that would show a sense of weakness, and they have been bread to never show weakness. As this new life begins to unfold who will they confide in or who will they go to for help? They attempt to solve life’s problems all alone in silence, never enlisting the guidance of those who can and want to truly help them. For the first time in some regards, they experience failure that systematically eats away at their supremely developed confidence.

A mind can be weakened in the same way it can be strengthened. Most believe that we enter this life with a measure of mental toughness; you either have it or you do not. But to a man or woman, athletes will admit that a set of circumstances occurred during their youth years that helped galvanize a tough mind set. When their playing days are over, this same mental toughness is the seat of their perpetual downfall; if it is to be, it up to me, I am the only one to fix my problems and issues. Many people have assisted them in achieving their life goal of becoming a pro athlete, but when it comes to their personal life and problems, they attempt to remedy them solely on their own, often times to the point of self- destruction. The voices they hear now are the voices of doubt, they are braving a new world in which they are ill equipped to survive or thrive in, but somehow they move forward believing that by chance things will fall into place. The truth is, “We don’t know what we don’t know, and we cannot do what we don’t know,” but they have been trained to conquer, not question. As the voices get louder, the stresses become greater all the while pressure continues to mount.

Professional football players endure added obstacles to those of most other sports. Concussions are a dangerous, debilitating and degenerative reality for a lot of players. Today there exist much more awareness about the harmful nature and long term effects of concussions. But what about those gentlemen who played the game when a concussion was looked upon as having your “bell rung”, when a player was told to “tape an aspirin on it and get back out there”or when a player out of fear for losing his job went back onto the field when he clearly was not ready? Many ex-players are suffering today and many of the issues I’ve written about here plague not only their post professional, but economic and relational lives, most importantly their mental health life. Once superman, always superman and perceived as superman in every area of life. As many former players struggle with issues, their well-being is of grave concern. Junior Seau took his own life, as did Dave Duerson and Andre Waters, there are others not listed here. Dave left a note explaining in detail the voices that plagued his mind and life, and donating his brain so that medicine would confirm what he believed drove him to suicide, Junior and Andre left no such note. We are left to ponder what demons they struggled to overcome. The big question for me is where were those who knew these guys best, was there someone who could have aided them in deciphering the voices in their heads, someone to help them overcome their post profession problems. These men were sons, fathers, brothers, friends and hero’s to many, where were the ears of compassion and understanding when they really, really needed it most? More importantly when will the NFL, NFLPA and players realize that there’s more to life than football, every player who wears an NFL uniform is forever linked and a representative of the shield, the NFLPA should be representative of all players, present and former alike? Lastly Players also have to come to the realization that help is available and there’s no weakness or vulnerability in crying out for help; someone cares. When it is a matter of health and wellness, of life and death, pride and ego must be put checked, because suicide may seem like the easy way out, but consider those who are left to suffer when a loved one takes their life, Mothers and Fathers, sons and daughters, friends and extended family members, children are supposed to bury their parents, not parents burying their kids.

In memory of Junior Seau, Dave Duerson and Andre Waters and those who have lost their battle with voices, and those suffering now, may your death and pain not be in vain.

Seth Joyner

I viewed an interesting story on ESPN about QB mentoring. It was quite the opposite of what I believed the process to be. As a young linebacker, when I came into the league I was fortunate to have a veteran take me under his wing and show me how to be a professional, while other vet’s told me to go right when I should’ve been going left, ultimately I became a started and 2 years later he was released, but that is the nature of the beast. He taught me how to study, prepare, how to conduct myself as a professional on and off the field. He told me where to go and where not to go, what to do and what to do, and who to hang out with and who not to if I wanted to be successful in the NFL. As he did with me, I felt compelled to pass on the knowledge that was imparted upon me, for two reasons; first, the team is only as strong as its weakest link, so it’s important that the young players progress and get better because you never know when the team will need them to step up and replace an injured vet. Secondly, what happened to paying it forward? I was shocked to observe the attitudes of greats like Joe Montana and Brett Favre. Teams will always bring in younger players to replenish the roster and upgrade the talent level of the team; competition brings out the best in everyone and is the one thing that will make your team better. And if a younger player was brought in to challenge for my job, I competed; simple that’s what sports are all about.

Both Favre and Montana talked about their discomfort in dealing with their backup in waiting. Favre flat out said, “He didn’t feel any responsibility in helping Aaron Rodgers progress,” and Montana said, “He felt uneasy about the presence of Steve Young.” Montana came back from injury early to maintain his job as starter, talk about motivation. Drew Bledsoe still speaks about the Brady transition and how it was a bitter pill to swallow. The success of the team and a personal belief in self are two of the most important qualities needed to be a successful QB. Coaches talk all the time about the team being more important than any one player, the QB is an extension of the Head Coach, the second in charge in terms of leadership on and off the field. So the requirement of a leader is to lead by example and mentor young players in the game and in life. What if a starter gets hurt, next man up. Brady won Bledsoe a Super Bowl ring because he was ready to step in effectively and efficiently when Bledsoe got hurt. That is the role of a backup at any position. So I’m a bit perplexed with the true attitude of these great field generals and their lack of leadership in this area. I wonder out loud if this is the norm or the exception in the NFL, I get it; it is about survival and self-preservation. I understand that ego has its role in sports, for the player who doesn’t believe he’s the top dawg, success will never become a reality, so where is their self-confidence to lock down their position while helping young players get prepared to replace them if they are injured or when the time comes for them to retire? Competition will never go away, and inevitably the day will come when a player’s body just can no longer do what the mind commands it to do. Football is a young man’s game and while the coaches and organizations are invested in the progression and development of their young players, it is paramount to team success that veterans approach this issue from the same perspective, for the overall betterment and growth of the game.

Seth Joyner

The NFL in an article released today will be raising the salary cap by $7 million from $113 million to $120 million for the upcoming 2012 season. All I can say is WOW! For a corporate entity that just last off-season tried to make the players look like greedy prisoners, desiring to run the asylum, a bump of this magnitude in the cap has me scratching my head a bit.

Let’s look at the reason for last years NFL lock out to see if we can discover a pattern of how the NFL propagandize their objectives. The owners want the general public to love the players enough to attend games, buy the jersey’s, which players do not revenue share in, purchase season tickets and tune into radio and TV broadcasts, which ups their ratings. This greatly increases the value of their product and generates greater marketing revenues for the league. The owners reason for the lockout was a claim that they were loosing revenues and couldn’t operate under the current CBA. They requested that the NFL Players give back a few Billion to help alleviate their financial stress. One thing I do know about negotiating is, you never go up, so you better start high because you always go down from the starting point. As players you cannot go backwards on ground gained, because every time the CBA is up the owners will try to take  back something they’ve given.

I’m not a CPA or financial wizard by any stretch, but today’s action to raise the cap is evidence that the owners will lie, beg, borrow and/or steal, to accomplish their goals. And if that includes throwing their greatest commodity (players) under the public bus of opinion, so be it.

Simple math always springs forth truth. The NFL salary cap is a direct reflection of how well the league is doing financially, because the player salary cap is based upon a percentage of total revenues (60-65%). This number however does not include NFL properties, which is the $3 Billion plus marketing arm of the NFL. So If the NFL was hurting financially last year as they claimed, common sense would direct me to study the salary cap. This is the one definitive financial line item that would tell the truth. There is no way that the NFL could possibly have lost revenue without it being reflected in the lowering of the salary cap, and yet they just increased it by $7 million dollars!

I am all for the players getting what they can, they deserve it every bit they get. If the owners couldn’t pay what they do, believe me, they wouldn’t. The truth always like cream, rises to the top. The players and public need to wake up to the lies of pro sports leagues and their owners. How can you possibly have a major presence in all broadcasting  mediums, which perfectly positions them for advertising and marketing revenues, sell product at the rate that they do, charge the ticket prices they do, and cry that they’re losing money? One thing big corporate businesses do not do, is lose money, and believe me pro sports are more about, and run like big businesses today than ever. 

Seth Joyner

Seth Joyner

The Peyton Manning road show has finally come to a close, with the Denver Broncos winning the Manning sweepstakes. 

Much conversation is swirling about why Peyton chose the Broncos? While the Broncos have some up and coming young WR’s, a good set of RB’s in Moreno and McGehee, he will not have the horses he had in Indy. Other factors to consider is money, at $19 million per season I would say, money was a major factor. Another factor is protection, the Broncos offensive line played extremely well last year, opening holes for Willis McGehee and protecting the indecisive Tim Tebow. Other intangibles, Pat Bowlen and John Elway, Bowlen has always been an owner committed to winning and putting a winning product on the field. Elway the teams most celebrated player and Hall of Famer is doing all he can to restore this Bronco franchise to glory.

I would say that the deciding factor had to be protection. No matter how good a QB is, no matter who he is, without protection he can become an average QB real quick. Throw in the fact that Manning is one good hit away from being on IR again and retired for sure, the stellar play of the Bronco O-Line had to be the deciding factor here. One things for sure, with this addition the Broncos just became the AFC West #1  contender, and possibly the AFC’s Super Bowl favorite if Peyton can get back to 2/3 of what he was.

Seth Joyner

I am a bit perplexed with all of the commotion over the NFL’s investigation into bounties on the part of the New Orleans Saints. If the league thought that this was something new, they’ve been asleep at the wheel. I watched a debate between former player on ESPN yesterday, the focus was on intent, from a defensive players perspective the intent has always been to take the opponents head off bounty or not and a few dead Presidents was never the motivating factor but the reward. 

It is particularly intriguing how opinions range between offensive and defensive player, players in the media who are trying to be politically correct and the ones who are just football purest. If I was an offensive player I would be outraged, being that I wasn’t though, allow me to interject my thoughts here. 

Football is and always has been a physical game, that being said, whether a bounty was offered or not players have always competed. Defenses have always been at a disadvantage, offenses know  where they’re going, yet defenses have to read and react. The big hit has always  been the field leveler, intimidation has been major factor in the game of football. How does a defense gain the upper hand by punishing offensive players whenever the opportunity presents itself. I do not agree with or condone dirty play, but the game that I knew and many of the ex-players that now have a platform to speak from knew was a vicious game. If I had an opportunity to hit someone so hard that I may hurt them “Hell Yes” I wanted that hit, because it sent a message, that if you came my way there was a price to pay, that is football, it also was a tone setter for the game.

The league has done all it could to lessen the ferocity of the  game by protecting offensive player, particularly the QB’s and WR’s, the game is set up for offenses to blow up scoreboards. But the NFL is two-faced in their approach. They create big hit DVD’s every year and sell them for profit, but they fine some of the same players on those reels for some of those same hits. Teams around the league offer incentive money, for tackles, sacks, interceptions and TD’s, in reality what is a bounty, nothing more than incentive money for big hits! Again, I firmly state I am  against intentional illegal hits to take a player out of a game, but a big hit is as much a part of the game of football as tackling and blocking. 

What is really at the core of all of this? As this unfolds in New Orleans the NFL will find itself dealing with it on just about each and every team. Sometimes it is managed solely by the players, other times the coaches will determine whether a hit is a big hit or not. It will never go away because the money doesn’t come from the organizations, the money comes from the pockets of the players. They understand that money is a motivating factor for some players, especially the young ones not making much of it, and that motivation can sometimes mean the difference between  wins and a losses. Let’s be honest here, everyone is looking for that something extra to give them an edge and if bounties help motivate some to play harder so be it.

From  what I have witnessed, money  relates to the game from the business aspect of it. Football is a much too demanding game to play purely for the money. Success never comes as a result of a player wanting to make more money, success comes as a result of a player loving the game and possessing the willingness to lay it all on the line to win and to become a champion.

Seth Joyner

That being said, let’s look at why he’s been enigmatic for the first 58 minutes of games and flawless over the last 2 minutes. Teams realize that the Broncos are a run first team and really only want to pass when they have to. In order for them to be successful down the stretch and into the playoffs, they will have to develop a better passing attack in a hurry. Teams have blitzed the Broncos and Tebow early in games to create 2nd & long and 3rd & long situations. They’ve also blitzed early to force Tebow to make quick decisions and hopefully mistakes (Int’s), to his credit he has protected the football very well. In crunch time defensive coordinators have lost their nerve, afraid of him getting out of the pocket in single high safety and 0 coverage situations that may allow him to make big plays scrambling.

Tebow’s passing inefficiencies stem from his days at Florida University. He has always played in run first offenses, and play-action passing has afforded him time in the pocket to be very selective in his throws down field, he can throw the football, even if his throwing motion is unconventional by NFL standards. The NFL is a timing passing league because of the speed of defenses, and this is the area in which he is flawed, getting the ball out on time, yet he is quietly getting better at it. With a full off-season of OTA’s, film and coverage study and time to work on timing with his receivers, he will only get better. NFL defenses will only find him even more difficult to stop when this occurs.

The way to beat Tim Tebow in the closing minutes of games is to continue to bring pressure at him, his quick decision making process  is his Achilles heal right now. You have be contain him, because he does understand that man to man coverage offers opportunities to make big plays with his legs, as do most scrambling QB’s. Yet this is the thing that makes coordinators so cautious, an emphasis on containment and pressure up the middle be it with a 4 man pressure or 5 or 6 man pressure will invariably cause his eyes to focus on the rush rather than the receivers down field.

He makes good decisions with the football and the window will close on the opportunity to take advantage of his weakness as he improves. Coordinators had better take advantage of his flaws while they can, because he will only get better. He may never be your prototypical QB, but there have been other unconventional QB’s to succeed in the NFL and in the end W’s are all that matter in the NFL.

Seth Joyner

Football is a violent game, riddled with injuries, broken bones and certain future debilitating health issues for players. That being said, players enter the world of professional football fully aware of what the current and future ramifications are and will be.

Where is the line between a good clean hit and vicious intent? A clear definition of helmet to helmet contact needs to be defined. Can a defensive player possibly determine where an offensive player will place or duck his head? Therefore a hit that is lead with the head, clearly meant to strike with the crown should be an offense, other helmet to helmet contact is mere incidental contact.

Obviously the offender here has a history, therefore I believe this incident was greatly magnified. Some QB’s when they leave the pocket are deemed to be runners, and at times are even battered in the pocket, yet the league doesn’t extend that same protection or penalty that’s been meted out here. This was a clean hit, occurring simultaneously with the release of the ball.

Offensive players know where they are going by pre-designed plays, defensive players must read and react to stop offenses. People who have played the game know that the great equalizer from the inception of the game for a defense is the intimidation factor. Football is a game of the psyche as well as a game of a physical will, these dynamic are being taken away from defensive players.

The end result I believe is an all out assault on the scoring and passing records of the NFL. This season is probably on pace to be the highest scoring season in NFL history. I understand that offense creates excitement, fills seats and creates fan interest, but fans love and connect with stout defenses as well, and defense is always a necessity for Lombardi Trophies. I see the future of the game being changed to the point where defensive players will be a insignificant part of the game, it’ll solely be about which team can basically outscore the other. 40 points a game or more will become the norm rather than the exception.

Let the players play, injuries have always been a part of the game, that will never change. From the beginning of camp everyone is hurting and some will suffer injures, next man up has always been the mantra. Somethings can be changed, some can’t, but in the best interest of the game, the things that have made the game great should not be removed or you lose the tradition and essence of the game.

To the NFL and the gentlemen who make the rules, even those who form these rules having never worn the uniform, need to acknowledge and realize that this is a violent game, and while I applaud their efforts to protect players, the fact is this game will always have it’s share of injuries and some cannot be avoided. You cannot train players to be aggressive and play all out, then penalized them for doing what they’ve been trained to do.

Seth Joyner

This debate was extremely interesting to say the least, to hear from current coaches, former players collegiate as well as professional, conference commissioners and broadcasters was quite insightful.

I don’t think that much was really resolved, but the first step in resolution is always conversation. As a former collegiate and professional football player I could relate to all sides of the argument.

I’m of the opinion that the coaches and colleges face many problems and issues, but at the end of the day things always boil down to the all mighty dollar. The argument with regards to education is thoroughly agreed upon, but the reason we encourage kids to go to college and get a degree is for the future betterment of themselves to be good people and beneficial to society. And yet the prize is always to make money in the end.

All of their goals and hopes point to money, that’s what is assumed a good education will provide for the person who attains it. For the lion share of collegiate athletes, turning pro and getting a handsome contract is the fulfillment of going through four years of college. We do live in a new world as it pertains to collegiate sports, and as old school as some of the panelists claim to be, the old world of college sports they knew has drastically changed forever and no longer exists.

The money has grown immensely and the marketing of star players has contributed to that growth. The players now realize their worth to universities and their revenues, and rightfully want a share, legally or illegally. Why should the universities and the BCS make millions, if not billions while the players who create the wealth, live in virtual poverty. I realize that it is a difficult problem to solve, but a scholarship-ed athlete according to NCAA rules is not allowed to work, so how are they to attain money for the basic needs of life? As long as there are alum who will offer them the money, they will take it.

I can remember being a college athlete and never having money for a thing. I took deodorant and soap from the locker room for my needs at the dorm. Yes we got room and board, paid tuition and 3 square meal per day, at 7 AM, 12 PM and 7 PM, by 9 PM I was hungry again. I was 17 yrs old with no option or money for a snack or additional meals between that 12 hour window until breakfast. And while the coaches and those who oppose paying these college kids are sitting at home in their cushy million dollar homes, with refrigerators fill to the brim, I was starving in my 10 x 10 dorm room.

Much talk has gone on about the cost of attendance, and while that would be a start, some schools would be at a greater advantage than others. $2000-$3000 per year, divided by 40 weeks, comes out to $75 per week or $10 per day. Hardly enough to make a difference or stop a kid from accepting money from a willing alum.

Clearly something needs to be done, it is an issue that will not go away and has come to a head in college athletics. I’m not saying that we should make these kids millionaires in college. But a sufficient stipend that allows them to take care of their basic needs, go see a movie or take a young lady or gentleman out on a date would go a long way in rectifying this problem.

Seth Joyner

First off, we know the Eagles are gearing up and are all in for a Super Bowl run. They will be so cap strapped after the next 3 years, they will either have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy or Andy Reid will be fired and the Eagles will be in rebuilding mode.

The Packers seem to still be the team to beat. If they could win it all with all of the injuries they endured last year, what might they do at full force and Aaron Rodgers confidence at an all time high?

The Patriots have loaded up in a sense as well, with Brady getting older; their window seems to be closing, although they’ve gotten younger on defense. The jury is still out on whether Belichick can work his magic and squeeze the last bit of talent out of Chad Johnson and the much maligned Albert Haynesworth.

The Colts seem to have just treaded water. We all know that as Peyton goes, so goes the Colts. Although he has all of his weapons back, now he’s on the shelf. This certainly cannot be good for his timing with his receivers. Curious to see if they’ve manned up any on defense or are they the same old softies vs. the run with two of the best book end pass rushers in the league?

The Steelers didn’t look to good in the preseason opener, but you know that they will be there in the end. Big Ben will need to step up his game and create more production on the offensive side of the ball. Strange to even have to say that about a two time Super Bowl Champ, but it is what it is. Defensively they are still the cream of the crop, although the Packers may have developed the blueprint for beating them; spread em’ out, and if you can protect on the edges you have a shot at beating them.

Even with the addition of Julio Jones on the offense, the Falcons didn’t address their greatest need, defensive stability. Offensively they can score with anyone in the league, but come playoff time, the defense is this teams Achilles heel. They may have to blow up the scoreboard in order to win in the playoffs, yet with the Packers and Eagles offenses, which can score on just about every possession, they’ll have their work cut out for themselves. And both the Packers and Eagles have far superior defenses.

The jury is still out on the Jets as well. Rex is and always will be his old brash and braggadocios self, but can the players ever cash the check he writes year after year. A lot will ride on the development of QB Mark Sanchez and how much he has progressed. If that offense cannot open wide the playbook and take off his reigns, we may very well watch the Jets not even make the playoffs this year. The defense should be ranked among the best again, but the rest of the league is figuring out ways to beat and counter this aggressive attacking style of defense.

The Saints look good in their preseason debut. Anytime you have Drew Brees and a surrounding cast, you have a shot at the title. Now that they have moved on past the Reggie Bush mistake (10th pick overall), they have a truly diverse backfield with Pierre and Ingram. The question mark for this team will be its defense, Gregg Williams certainly will have them ready to play their best, but have they addressed enough issues to make them a contender again?

The rest of the league hasn’t done very much to get better. The Cards finally have a QB (Kolb), but the Rams may very well contend for the NFC West crown. The Bears and Vikings will play second fiddle to the Pack, aaaagain. The Cowboys still lack athleticism, speed and talent defensively to compete with the Eagles, and the Giants stood pat, not really improving in many areas from last season. And the Colts will dominate even with a D-Coordinator change with the Texans, too much to learn too soon, and standing up Mario Williams will diminish his sack numbers and do little to improve the team overall.

With no OTA’s and mini camps to implement new systems, and shortened training camps putting rookies at a distinct disadvantage, football will look sloppy for the first half of the season. Particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where communication is key. New players will be adjusting to new teams and systems, second year players having not really improved much because of the lack of off-season training and rookies will be trying to learn on the go, the quality of play will be ugly for a while. This will give the teams, good teams that have retained the majority of their veteran players an edge on the rest of the league. One thing’s for sure, it will be interesting to watch how teams develop and come around as the season progresses.

- Seth Joyner

First credit must be given where it’s deserved! The Dallas Mavs were simply the best TEAM in this year’s NBA finals. Lead by finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs have a tremendous bench, which in my opinion was the difference in the championship.

While I still am of the opinion that the Heat are a more talented team, the Mavs proved that the title cannot be won on talent alone. Jason Terry carried them in the first half when Dirk couldn’t find the hoop, sprinkle in JJ Barea and DeShawn Stevenson, Tyson Chandler’s tenacity on the glass, Jason Kidd’s basketball IQ, and great team chemistry, which gave Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks their first title.

The Mavericks success came on their ability to find their shooting touch. Hitting 50% from the field and 46% from the 3 point line is the same kind of shooting that sunk the Lakers in 4 straight, and it seemed like they found their rhythm in game 5 and it carried over to game 6 to clinch it.

Kidd, Terry, Nowitzki and Marion slayed their demons in the finals, all 10 plus year veterans who have all experienced playoff and finals disappointment, can now call themselves champions.

The Miami Heat put the heat on themselves from the beginning of the season. With Bosh, Wade and James, making a proclaimed championship or fail mandate, the pressure was too much to overcome. Where do they go from here? For all of the talent they have, 3 great players do not a team make. They will have to get a true point guard and a big man who can intimidate and rebound in the middle, as well as additional depth across the board. They will surely be active in the free agent market if they are to get back to the finals. They simply didn’t have enough fire power to close. The emotional and physical toll was just too much for 3 players to bear.

LeBron became the NBA villain, wrongly I would say, why because of the manner in which he decided to depart Cleveland? Again his finals performance was less than stellar, one has to ask why? I have some opinions of my own. LeBron is a drive player, credit the Mavs for taking away his ability to drive, as well as intentionally fouling him on break aways. The next thing is, he will need to develop a mid-range and pull up jump shot. The Mavs just evaluated the strength of LeBron and made a team effort to take it away. One on one has never worked against a team and the Mavs help defense was as outstanding as their offense

In the end, the same growing pains that plagued the Heat all year long reared its ugly head in these finals. One thing is for sure, you may be able to hide your inefficiencies and weaknesses during the regular season and maybe even the early rounds of the playoffs, but once the finals begin, head coaches really make a name for themselves by finding ways to exploit your those weaknesses to beat you. And your weaknesses will manifest themselves in pressure situations.

Rick Carlisle and staff made great adjustments, line-up changes and decisions. A coach with a complete team and he knew exactly what to do and how to get it done at the right times. Erik Spoelstra at times seemed to have no answer or remedy for the adjustments made by the Mavs coaching staff. Even when the Heat offense seemed out of rhythm and he rarely came out of a timeout with a clear cut adjustment or play. I’ve said all year, the Heat have had to overcome the best of every team in the league (opponents), as well as I believe coaching inefficiencies.

As the Mavs celebrate, the Heat are left to ponder what could’ve been and what will be necessary for the outcome to be different the next time they are on the finals stage.

- Seth Joyner