Witness

Tonight the Miami Heat won their first title in franchise history thanks in large part to Dwyane Wade's 36 point effort. At times in this series it seemed like Wade was playing one against five. Something else happened tonight though that the average fan may not have noticed.

Tonight...Dwyane Wade became the face of the NBA.

A few weeks ago I was planning on writing a post about how this season will be remembered as the year of LeBron. While that is still somewhat true, it is good that I never got around to writing that post because this year will no longer be remembered just as the year of LeBron, but instead will be remembered as the year of LeBron and Wade. Ever since Michael Jordan retired the NBA has been scrambling to find the next face of the league, and now suddenly they have two. Like Bird and Magic before them, LeBron and Wade should take the NBA to new heights as the sky is truly the limit for these two superstars barely old enough to drink. The NBA has hit the jackpot here and the icing on the cake is that both these guys are likeable, hardworkers who are unselfish and team oriented. In the T.O. era, this is a breath of fresh air.

This has been a watershed playoffs for the NBA from start to finish. TV numbers were up and stars were being made. With the Jordan era now a distant memory, the NBA has reloaded with possibly it's best group of young stars that may very well lead the NBA higher than Jordan could have imagined. With likeable young stars in the making like LeBron, Wade, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, and Dirk Nowitzki the NBA's future looks very bright indeed.