Play was in. The clock was running.
The Heat had the ball and a 20-point lead on their way to a 105-94 victory on a shockingly easy Christmas afternoon.
But that didn't stop the Mavericks owner, arms folded tightly across his gray T-shirt as he slumped in his usual baseline seat, from launching a quick salvo.
Judging from the wry smile on Cuban's face and the way he shook his head in mock resignation, he wasn't heckling LeBron.
Far from it.
More like crying "uncle."
The way the rest of the NBA could soon be if this sort of thing continues.
"Cuban's a good guy, man," LeBron said after his 37-point showing. "I'm not going to tell you what he said."
Not even a hint?
"Ask him what he said," LeBron said, laughing aloud at the thought. "It's all good."
Last year's championship banner was raised to the rafters before Sunday's tipoff. It was a 10-minute ceremony the Heat wisely chose to skip before coming out and putting the rest of the basketball world on notice.
You thought the Heat were dominant at times last season in coming within two wins of the NBA title?
You thought they looked overwhelming during the first three playoff rounds, when they dropped just one game apiece to the Sixers, Celtics and Bulls?
That was nothing compared to how they played for much of this season opener at American Airlines Center.
Dwyane Wade (26 points) was the only other Heat player in double figures. Chris Bosh missed seven of nine shots from the field.
Yet that hardly mattered with LeBron tossing in turnaround bank shots with his left hand.
Not to mention the sort of team defense and rebounding the Heat put on display.
Those factors led to 31 fastbreak points and a 35-point bulge after the break that felt twice that large.
They held the Mavericks to 29-percent shooting in the first half, more than doubled them up on the boards and turned what was supposed to be a victory lap into a public flogging.
Watching it all from courtside was David Stern, kind enough not to void this Christmas clunker and declare a do-over.
Earlier, the NBA commissioner had used three prime adjectives to describe this Heat team.
"Interesting" was the first.
"Fun" was the second.
Later, he tossed in "formidable" for good measure.
Gee, ya think?
"Those are great words," Wade said. "Coming from the commissioner, those are great words for us as a team. We appreciate the kind words."
No more finger-wagging between those two.
Basketball is back, and with it the Heat's pursuit of an NBA crown that nearly became theirs six months ago, probably a year ahead of schedule.
Now along comes Superfriends: Version 2.0, and even Stern seems to be coming around.
"Those are accurate descriptions of who we are," James Jones said. "Whenever you have three big stars, you're formidable, and we're a unique, interesting team because of the personalties we have. Our guys are tremendous athletes but they're also charismatic, soft-spoken and electric."
Who needs a Thesaurus with this guy around?
Newcomer Shane Battier also endorsed Stern's word choices.
"I would agree with all of those," Battier said. "Pretty apropos. This is a dynamic team in more ways than one. The key word is 'team.' "
Then there was LeBron, who hasn't always felt like one of Stern's favorites.
"He said that about us?" LeBron said, a bit stunned for a moment. "What does that last word mean? I didn't go to college."
Formidable? Uh, that means "inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense or capable."
All of which applied Sunday.
"OK," LeBron said, nodding. "I appreciate the words of kindness from the commissioner."
A trophy six months hence would be even better.
Source: http://www.islandpacket.com/2011/12/25/1907306/blowout-win-over-mavericks-backs.html
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