The best part of the 2012 playoffs was not the Sixers brutalizing the Bulls. It was not the improbable Celtics run, or Rajon Rondo's ascent to godhood and near defeat of the Heat before the forces of history overwhelmed him. It was not the tough, 80s like basketball that made up the Heat-Pacers series. It was not the San Antonio Spurs, a team that should by all rights have been a fourth seed but who, through 10 glorious games, played like the best team in the NBA; a team so well coached, it functioned not as a collection of players, but a living organism, evolved to mindlessly dominate. It was not even LeBron James' rise to the top tier of basketball players. His unstoppable effort to be included in the list that reads Jordan, Russell, Bird, Robertson, Chamberlain, Kareem, and now and forever going forward, James. Good as all that was, it was nothing compared to the look on Durant's face at the close of Game 5 and his subsequent meltdown in the arena tunnel. This was a look of sheer failure and misery. A look that said that Kevin Durant would never forgive himself for what had transpired during the series and would work every day to guarantee it never would happen again. That was the best moment in 2012 because it means that good as this year was, 2013 will be even better. The sheer basketball beauty of these finals: the unbelievable effort, the swarming defense, the display of athleticism at its peak, the repeated presentation of the human body being used as perfectly as it can be -- all this is prelude. Barring any unpredictable injuries or James Harden deciding that his pathetic finals performance should earn him a max contract in 2013, we will be seeing these two teams face off repeatedly in the years to come. Only next time, Kevin Durant will play with scorn. He will be the one trying to secure his place among the top echelon of basketball gods. He will not be forgiving. I cannot wait.
