Nate Robinson makes up for his height with heart.
At the conclusion of each season, mere minutes after the Larry O’Brien trophy is lifted and the countless tons of confetti are wasted, the National Basketball Association revamps its marketing/advertising strategies for the following year. One of the most important questions brought to the table is “what will the theme for next year’s playoffs be?” After last Saturday’s historic game between the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets, the NBA might want to consider “heart” as a potential candidate, followed closely by the name “Nate Robinson.”
For those void of a team to cheer on or merely watch for the entertainment value during this year’s playoffs, try the Chicago Bulls out for size, if for no other reason than the “heart” that each member brings to the court. For families looking for a team, note that the Bulls were 26th in the league in technical fouls accrued, so you also don’t have to worry about Rasheed Wallace (recently retired) being, well…Rasheed Wallace, causing parents everywhere to jump for the remote. One of the most inspiring stories of
This actually happened.
this past season, was the reemergence of Nate Robinson, a 5’9 point guard, you may have confused for a hobbit version of 50 cent, whom many have forgotten in the years following his reign as Sprite Slam Dunk Champion at the annual NBA All-Star Game.
This past off-season, Nate was brought into the Chicago Bulls franchise by way of free agency. His job? With the help of starting point guard (Oh yeah, did I mention that Nate comes off the bench?) Kirk Hinrich, fill the shoes of Derrick Rose, the 2011 League MVP, no easy task. Breaking the 30-point mark 3 times in the 2012-2013 season (all three times coming against Playoff teams), Robinson has rebounded from terrible stints in Boston, Oklahoma City, and Golden State to lead the Bulls to the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, averaging 13.1 points per game, accruing the lowest turnover rate of his career, and providing the Bulls with significant minutes and contributions throughout the year.
With all of the controversy surrounding Rose’s return, Nate did his best impression of “D-Rose” last Saturday and quieted critics, scoring a game-high 34 points, including 23 points in the fourth quarter, nearly breaking a franchise record set by Michael Jordan…thee MICHAEL JORDAN. Scoring 29 points in the fourth quarter and overtimes of Saturday’s win, Nate tied LeBron James’ performance against the Detroit Pistons in 2007 as being the most points scored after the 3rd quarter over the past 15 seasons in the NBA playoffs. Not so bad for a guy fighting for a contract at the end of last season. Points however, can only show so much.
Those who witnessed the game saw exactly what makes this sport magical, the spectacle of a player who’s locked in. The littlest man on the court showed fans what “heart” is, leading the Bulls on a 14-0 run (scoring 12 points himself) to end the game and force the first overtime, a game that practically had Brooklyn Nets Victory printed in the next day’s Chicago Tribune. Watching the fourth quarter of that game, I had to continuously check my pulse to make sure I wasn’t going into cardiac arrest or falling into a dream-world. Not only was Nate inspiring his teammates with shot after incredible shot, Robinson was flying across the court, beating his chest. At one point, he hit a shot that appeared as if he literally was throwing the basketball one handed off of one foot from three-point-range.
Most importantly, Nate was having fun with his teammates, truly enjoying his profession. After fouling out in the third overtime, Nate was still seen jumping around on the bench like a Furbee in uniform, inspiring his teammates to finish what they had started. A game that was one overtime period short of an NBA Playoff record, hopefully this past weekend’s Bulls vs. Nets game was enough to pull even the most diehard of baseball fans out of the sun and onto their sofas, if just to watch something magic happen.
Now, I’m not saying Nate Robinson is posed for Kobe status. No, Nate Robinson is not LeBron James, nor Kevin Durant, nor any superstar that has garnered anything more than minimal press and exposure during this year’s NBA Playoffs. He didn’t even make $1 million this year ($854,389), which in this league, means you’re probably not a household name. By comparison, the men he guarded during Saturday’s game, Deron Williams and Chris Watson, made $17 million and $992k this season. At best, Robinson might be remembered at the end of this season as one of the top 10 bench players of 2013, a far cry from an All-Star or MVP candidate. By most analytical accounts, he is a risk on the basketball court. Tom Thibodeau must’ve had a heart attack when Robinson put up a one handed shot in the first overtime.
“I tease Coach (Tom Thibodeau) a lot because it seems like every shot I shoot he’s mad,” Robinson said, laughing. “At the same time, it’s basketball. He does a great job of putting us in position to be successful.” At times Nate can infuriate die-hard Bulls fans with his overtly confident demeanor and lack of control in the half-court, but Robinson is a firecracker, and sometimes the best medicine is to just let him burn.
The NBA will undoubtedly choose another vague and meaningless expression for next year’s post-season, not that “heart” is much better, but at least it’s more poignant considering the circumstances, but “heart” should at least be taken into consideration, because it was the only reason the Chicago Bulls won that game. New Bulls fans be warned, you may meet season’s end in this series, or, in what looks to be almost assuredly the next one (meeting the destructive machine that is the Miami Heat, yes it’s going to hurt), but the Bulls will be damned if they’re going to leave politely. If even for just Saturday, Nate Robinson became a Chicago demigod, the shortest player with the biggest heart.
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