Where to Watch the NBA Finals in NYC

By Ted on Monday, May 30, 2011
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The 2011 NBA Finals lay out pretty nicely as a series of bar stops for you. Game 1 is on a Tuesday, but a Tuesday that follows a long weekend -- so you can easily justify a drink. Game 2's on a Thursday, the semi-unofficial start to the weekend. Game 3's on a Sunday night. Eh, go for it.

The point is: you'll hit a watering hole a few times during this series, especially if it goes seven games (which it might). The bars you can learn about below. The discussion points are contained here. We'll do four: the basic, the more complicated, the still more complicated, and the 'why not pop culture connection.'

Let's dance.

The Basic: A legacy battle between Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James

You can add Jason Kidd to this discussion too, as he lacks a NBA championship ring and has been around longer than both (you can kindadd Jason Terry to the discussion as well). D-Wade has a ring, and Chris Bosh lacks one, but he's kinda like the third girl in a pack you and your friend are working on -- you never totally remember he's even there. James has been around (NBA-wise) since 2003. Dirk has been around since 1998. You could argue they're both top 50 players all-time (actually, that's probably inarguable -- they are), and there's a case for both in the top 20. They each need that ring. Here's the next chance.

The More Complicated: The LeBron James decision after-effects

So, if he goes and gets this ring, right -- if that indeed happens -- how hard was it? He paired with two other All-Stars. He helped make a super-team. Isn't that what "super-teams" are supposed to do? Look at the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers after getting Pau Gasol, San Antonio Spurs for years, and the entire history of comic books. Super-teams are eventually going to dominate. Couldn't you argue the legacy would have been far greater in Cleveland, had he done it there -- or is the only thing that matters really the ring? Hm. It's a classic bar debate, so have at it. (Sidebar for this: does the NBA need LeBron as a villain right now? Is it helping them, like how early-1990s WWF worked?) In case you forgot how it began:

The Slightly More Complicated: The J.J. Barea issue

Dirk's gonna get his. So is Bron, so is D-Wade, and honestly, so is probably JET (Jason Terry). Bosh and J-Kidd should be OK too. If you really want to find an 'X-Factor' guy in this series, it's probably J.J. Barea. Unless you're a really hardcore Mavs and/or NBA fan, you probably don't even know what Barea looks like -- yet in terms of how the Mavs play on both sides of the ball, and how the Heat will shift things to focus on Dirk, J.J. could be the most valuable guy on the floor each game. So go consult his Wikipedia for a few moments, get to know the man, and be ready to enlighten your friends with amusing anecdotes.

The Pop Culture Tie: Viral Videos

Tons of dudes in this series have done tons of commercials, been caught on camera and made into YouTube sensations, etc., that you could spend every halftime of this series just showing vids to your friends. Some samples include:

Dirk singing Boyz II Men for some reason: