For all that team exploits are worth, individuals are the ones who make basketball exciting. Individuals are the ones who sell tickets.
Individuals are the ones who win championships.
Much like this year, it is an individual who has decided the outcome of the NBA championship. The funny thing is, however, that player is not even in the playoffs anymore. Eliminated last round by the San Antonio Spurs, Juwan Howard has had the single biggest impact on this year s NBA playoffs. Thus the Lakers are left with a clear road to the title, barring some sort of Eastern Conference miracle. A league that once saw teams forge toward the title without their superstars is now handicapped by its dependence upon those same stars.