The Miami Heat’s loss in Chicago on Wednesday was their first defeat in nearly two months and snapped a 27-game win streak.

Miami had needed just seven more wins to beat the all-time NBA mark of 33 consecutive wins held by the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers.

Despite falling short in their history bid, Miami should be praised and respected by basketball fans around the world.

The NBA has long been criticized for teams not taking the regular season seriously enough, and only kicking into gear come the post-season. Even casual basketball fans often admit to bypassing most of the mid-season games and tuning in once the play-offs begin.

LeBron James, coming off a first career Championship last season, has proved that regular season basketball does mean something.

In arguably the best form of his career, James inspired his team to give it their all - night-in and night-out for the best part of two months.

During that remarkable stretch, the Heat won at Oklahoma City - the team they beat in last year’s Finals - overcame a 27-point deficit in Cleveland (LeBron’s former team) and held on in Boston despite a 43-point performance from Jeff Green of the Celtics.

Yes, Miami faced bad teams during the win streak as well, but there’s something to be said for a good team actually beating the teams it’s supposed to beat.

That’s not as easy as it sounds.

Just look back at San Antonio (first in West) losing in Minnesota (13th in West) earlier this month.

In the end, Miami will probably win a second straight NBA title come June.

But titles are won by teams every season, and it’s not every season that you see a team leave it all on the floor over a sustained period of time.

That should not soon be forgotten by Heat fans and rivals alike.

The Los Angeles Lakers' management baffled their own fans when they decided to look past former coach Phil Jackson and instead hire Mike D’Antoni as the new team coach.

After all, Jackson has won a record eleven titles as coach (five with the Lakers) while D’Antoni has reached the playoffs just five times in his 10 seasons as a head coach.

The argument should be over here. Jackson wins over D’Antoni 11-0. Period.

But for argument’s sake, let’s see what possibly would have led Jerry and son Jim Buss to go with the latter.

D’Antoni is very familiar with Lakers' Steve Nash, who he coached in Phoenix for four years – with the point guard twice winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award in that time.

The new coach also has ties with superstar Kobe Bryant, who grew up in Italy when his father played alongside D’Antoni in the country’s professional league.

Bryant said he admired D’Antoni’s play when he was young and both were also part of Team USA in recent years.

But what was probably most important to the Lakers' management is D’Antoni being known as a fast-paced, high octane offense coach.

His teams run up and down the court, play unselfish basketball and put up a ton of points.

That should be music to the ears of the team's fans considering the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980’s won five titles playing exactly that style.

However, there is still plenty of reason to worry.

The Lakers feature plenty of superstars like Bryant, Nash and Dwight Howard who will be expected to execute D’Antoni’s offense.

But Bryant, 34, and Nash, 38, are a few years removed from their prime.

Howard, who turns 27 in December, is a rebounding machine, but isn’t a day-in day-out explosive scorer.

It’s hard to see this Lakers team scoring at the rate D’Antoni would like them to.

Even if they do, they won’t defend at the level needed to win in the playoffs.

D’Antoni’s previous teams in Phoenix and New York were often at or near the top of the league in offensive statistics, but in each of those seasons they were one of the worst defensive teams.

The old saying is that defense wins championships. Maybe that’s why D’Antoni’s best teams never reached the NBA Finals. Maybe that’s why his teams lost more games than they won in the playoffs.

A new era is about to begin in Los Angeles. While it is possible that the Lakers will be a more entertaining, high-scoring team under D’Antoni, they won’t be winning any titles any time soon.

That’s because before D'Antoni was hired, the Lakers' management decided to pass up on a man who knows a thing or two about winning championships.

Back during his unveiling with Miami in July 2010, LeBron James promised Heat fans he would bring them “not two, not three… not seven” but maybe even more NBA championships.

While seven or eight may be a stretch, “King James” delivered at least one after the Heat ousted the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the NBA Finals. After all, you need to win one to get to eight, right?

It took James until his ninth season to claim his maiden title. But this victory could open the floodgates. It’s not just that he won, it is how he won.

LeBron has always posted incredible numbers during his career. But statistics do not always tell the whole story. That’s why, despite being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the third time this season, critics still took shots at his inability to perform when the chips were down.

Critics pointed to his final playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2010, which included a 32-point home loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics, where James was accused of melting under the pressure.

They also said LeBron shied away from taking the big shot during last season’s Finals, which saw Miami blow a 2-1 series lead as the Dallas Mavericks claimed the title.

This time around, Miami took care of business, and it was with LeBron as the focal point. He was relentless from start to finish. In a team which also boasts superstar Dwyane Wade, James made clear that he would defer to no one. “King James” would earn his crown on his own.

James averaged more than 30 points per game during this season’s playoff run, including a 30-point first half in Boston. He would finish with 45 points in that game, as the Heat avoided elimination and went on to win the series.

Coincidentally, that 30-point first half happened a day after NBA legend and basketball analyst Charles Barkley pleaded for LeBron to put the Heat on his back and carry them to the Promised Land.

“King James” did just that. And by putting the Heat on his back en route to the title, he got the monkey off of it. The critics are a thing of the past. What does the future hold? Miami fans hope not two, not three… not seven, but maybe more titles for “King James.”

The Super Bowl long ago became another holiday in the USA, bringing people together to enjoy the super-hyped finale to the NFL season. While families gather for Christmas and Thanksgiving, the Super Bowl gives Americans a chance to party with friends.

To gauge how highly Americans think of this event, it’s important to note that each Super Bowl is numbered by Roman numerals. In Sunday’s XLVI edition (that’s Super Bowl 46 for you non-history majors), the New England Patriots clash with the New York Giants in what is called one of the best matchups in recent memory.

The game is a rematch of Super Bowl XLII (42), when Eli Manning and the Giants spoiled the 18-0 Patriots’ quest for a perfect season. Manning threw the winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds left in the game to give Tom Brady his only loss in four Super Bowl appearances.

Brady will hope for a different ending in his fifth trip to the NFL’s Promised Land, but will be wary of the Giant-killers from New York. The Giants sneaked into the playoffs with a 9-7 record which was good enough to win their division.

After a comfortable home win over the Atlanta Falcons, New York produced a shock by beating the defending champion Green Bay Packers on the road. Their ticket to Indianapolis was punched after an overtime victory in San Francisco against the 49ers.

The Patriots, on the other hand, rolled into the postseason on an eight-game win streak, finishing with a 13-3 record. Brady threw six touchdown passes in a home rout of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos to set up a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Brady and company escaped thanks to a missed field goal by the visiting team in the closing seconds.

Now that the stage is set for a Giants-Patriots rematch, neutral fans can only hope for a good game, but are sure to make the most of the event nonetheless. At the end of the day, the play on the field itself is largely a backdrop to a number of entertaining treats throughout the Super Bowl including the funny commercials and spectacular halftime show.

Advertisers annually mark the Super Bowl on their calendar and, with more than 110 million Americans expected to tune in on Sunday, are sure to debut memorable commercials they hope will make an impression. Hope is the key word of course, as a 30-second spot will cost them $3.5 million.

Sunday’s halftime show is highlighted by Madonna, who will make her Super Bowl debut, joining an impressive list of past performers including The Rolling Stones, The Who, U2, Prince, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. The legendary pop singer has promised that there will be no wardrobe malfunction, similar to the one in 2004 when viewers got a glimpse of Janet Jackson’s chest.

The rematch between the Giants and Patriots is a mouthwatering affair that should live up to expectations. But no matter what we see on the field on Sunday, Americans will be happy to fire up the grill, prepare a pot of chili and have chips and dip ready for the occasion.

The Miami Heat chose to remain in their locker room while the Dallas Mavericks celebrated their championship at mid-court before Sunday's season-opener for both teams.

Miami then came out and burned hotter than a pine forest in mid-August, building a 35-point lead in the third quarter en route to a more than comfortable opening-day win over the team that beat them in last season’s Finals.

While the Mavericks were certainly distracted by the banner-raising ceremony prior to the game and are not as bad as the Heat made them look, there is no question that Miami’s performance on Christmas Day was the rule and not the exception going forward.

Fans, critics and pundits alike must expect Miami to dominate this lockout-shortened season.

They must expect LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and company to bury teams early and often, just as they did to the defending champions on Sunday.

Compared to last season, the Heat are deeper, healthier and obviously more experienced. Add that mix to a team that was just two wins short of a title last June, and you realize that the Heat truly is on for this campaign.

If you are an avid Heat-hater and you’re searching for any teams that may prevent "King James" from finally being crowned, look no further than the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Both the Bulls and Thunder are young, deep and are led by superstars in Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant respectively.

The rest of the contenders are nothing more than pretenders. In the East, the New York Knicks may have acquired Tyson Chandler to play alongside the dynamic duo of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, but they don’t play enough defense and don’t have enough depth to make a serious run.

The Boston Celtics have struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons mainly due to their advancing age. With the condensed season bringing lots of games in a short amount of time, I expect that trend to continue.

Miami’s in-state rivals the Orlando Magic are too distracted by Dwight Howard’s inevitable departure to be taken seriously. Howard, who becomes a free agent at the end of this season, has already been tipped for a move to either the New Jersey Nets or L.A. Lakers.

Speaking of the Lakers, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol don’t have the legs to run with the rest of the league’s elite. The departure of Lamar Odom to Dallas and longtime coach Phil Jackson’s retirement signal a changing of the guard not only out West, but in Los Angeles.

L.A.’s other team –- the historically woeful Clippers –- brought in Chris Paul to play alongside the high-flying Blake Griffin.

While they’re sure to be must-see TV, they need at least another season to gel and be considered a force once the postseason rolls around.

As for the San Antonio Spurs and defending champions Mavericks? Both have tremendous quality and experience, but their best days are certainly behind them. Dallas may put together one final deep playoff run, but won’t be a challenge for the Thunder or Heat.

The stage is set for LeBron to win his first NBA title. If Christmas Day’s hardwood action was any indication, then "King James" and company won’t have to stay in their locker room during next year’s season opener.

There is no shortage of storylines heading into the final game of the Fall Classic.

On Friday night, the Texas Rangers will either hoist their first ever World Series trophy, or the St. Louis Cardinals will triumph for the 11th time in their storied history – good enough for second most all-time.

Even if Game 7 is the most boring game in the history of baseball, this postseason will be remembered as one of the most exciting in history of the sport. Including the Cardinals' 10-9 win on Thursday, there have now been a record 13 one-run games in this year's playoffs.

The teams with the best regular season records in their respective leagues (as well as my picks to meet in the World Series) – the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees – were knocked out in the first round.

To make matters even more exciting, both the Yankees and Phillies lost their decisive Game 5 by one run in their home parks. In fact, three of the four Division Series match-ups went to a decisive final game. Only the Rangers advanced with a game to spare.

The Championship Series didn't disappoint either. The Rangers' Nelson Cruz hit the first game-ending grand slam in postseason history in an 11-inning Game 2 triumph over the Detroit Tigers.

Cruz dealt another crushing blow to Detroit with a three-run home run in the 11th inning of Game 4.

After losing Game 1 to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals had star first baseman Albert Pujols to thank after his memorable four hit, five RBI performance evened the series.

Quite remarkably, that performance was not even close to what Pujols accomplished in Game 3 of the World Series. The Dominican launched three home runs, drove in six runs and finished with a total of five hits – all three stats tying a World Series record.

The Cardinals weren't done tying records. Their remarkable Game 6 comeback was just the third time a team that was one out from World Series elimination came back to win the game.

Will that incredible triumph propel the Cardinals to their first Series title since 2006? We'll have to wait and see. To neutral observers it really doesn't matter. This postseason has already provided us with drama we may never see again.

After watching what was arguably the most exciting day in Major League Baseball history on Wednesday, one may come to expect more of the same drama in the upcoming playoffs. Sadly, that won’t be the case.

On the final day of the regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals completed their remarkable September comebacks to claim baseball’s final two playoff spots at the expense of the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves respectively. Or you can also say the Red Sox and Braves completed their epic collapses, it really doesn’t matter.

What does matter is that Wednesday showed to all sports fans what the competitive spirit is all about. It showed that the never-say-die attitude the Rays and Cardinals displayed can actually get you somewhere. In their case, it got them to the postseason, where they’ll look to maintain their momentum against stiffer competition.

But no matter how much of a feel-good story both teams produced, it doesn’t change the fact that the World Series will be contested by the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees.

Both teams have been their league’s standard-bearers practically all season. The Phillies won a team-record 102 games, while the Yankees reached the playoffs for the 16th time in the last 17 years.

The Phillies feature baseball’s best pitching staff while the Yankees scored the second-most runs behind only the vacation-bound Red Sox. It’s really a no-brainer to assume the two teams will reach the World Series.

After all, both teams have won the championship within the last three years. The Yankees beat the Phillies in the 2009 World Series to deny Philadelphia a second-straight title.

So get ready for another New York v Philadelphia showdown in the Fall Classic. The Cardinals and Rays’ comebacks gave the casual sports fan reason to expect the unexpected.

I say expect the expected.

Dirk Nowitzki can’t catch a break. After taking the bulk of the blame for the Mavericks’ Finals loss to the Heat in 2006, the big German produced a brilliant performance as Dallas won their first NBA championship in 2011.

Nowitzki won the Finals "Most Valuable Player" award despite battling injury problems and illness midway through the series. But despite such efforts much of the U.S. media outside of Dallas, decided the biggest story remained LeBron James’ latest failure on the big stage.

Remember, James left Cleveland for Miami in the off-season to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for what they hoped would be a championship-winning combination. It may be in the future, but not now.

“King” James was easily the Heat’s best player during the regular season and continued his great play throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. Often labeled as a man who disappears during big moments, James shined as the Heat rolled over the Boston Celtics in the second round.

His play in the Eastern Conference finals against the team with the best regular season record – the Chicago Bulls – was even more impressive. So impressive, in fact, that former Bull Scottie Pippen went as far as saying: “James may be the greatest player to have played the game.”

Scottie went a bit far with that statement to put it mildly. Maybe he needs to take another look at the half dozen championship rings he won thanks to his former teammate Michael Jordan.

But even the harshest James critics were running out of ammunition after he led the Heat to the Finals in only his first year in South Beach. The stage was set for “The King” to finally be crowned under the bright lights. All he had to do was continue his blistering form.

And he did, at least for a game and three quarters. After the Heat won the opener, they built a 15 point fourth-quarter lead and were looking to be on their way to a commanding 2-0 series advantage.

James celebrated with Wade as if the title was already won. The Mavs were done and dusted. The next two games and change were a mere formality. But not so fast ...

The Mavericks closed the game on a mammoth run to even the series at 1-1. James was never the same after that. The killer instinct he displayed against Boston and Chicago was ancient history. Dallas won three of the next four games to clinch the title, fittingly, on the Heat’s home floor.

James didn’t just lose the Finals. He vanished into thin air without explanation. It’s one thing if he played his regular, aggressive game but simply missed shots. Instead, he became passive at the end of games. He treated the ball like a hot potato and passed it off in key moments.

“The King” averaged almost 27 points per game in the regular season, but under 18 in the Finals, which is the largest such point drop-off in NBA history. He also scored a mere total of 18 fourth-quarter points in the series. Compare that with 62 for Nowitzki.

So maybe Pippen was a bit premature in dubbing James the greatest player ever, and maybe LeBron once again fell short in his latest chance to grab that championship winners' ring. In the final analysis, he ran away from his own coronation.

The story of the Mavs winning in such dramatic style led by the brilliance of Nowitzki was certainly compelling but the melodrama of James' quest to be crowned remains the saga that rightly captivates most fans of the NBA.

Derrick Rose, 22, has been with the Chicago Bulls since the 2008 NBA draft.

It was an audacious response, no doubt, but Rose was not being cocky. He is known for being one of the most humble stars in the league. It seemed as if the question genuinely got Rose to ask himself – why not me?

Best player in the league? Not a chance. Rose has a long way to go in that department with the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant still playing like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

But becoming the league’s youngest-ever Most Valuable Player award winner at the tender age of 22? That’s very real. In fact, it is his to lose if you listen to most pundits - and remember, the accolade is voted on by members of the media and no one else.

There is of course a minority of hacks who disagree; who say two-time defending MVP winner James is being overlooked merely for a fresh choice. Rose is simply the new kid on the block, they argue.

After all, James averages more points, rebounds and shoots a better field goal percentage than Rose. James also leads the league with four triple-doubles this season –- games in which he had double digits in points, rebounds and assists. Rose has one.

There is just one little problem with LeBron’s case. He won his last two awards with his former team –- the Cleveland Cavaliers. Without his services, the Cavs have the worst record in the league. But how can King James win the league MVP this season when he plays on a team with 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade? Not going to happen.

There is also an argument for Kobe Bryant, whose two-time defending NBA champions L.A. Lakers have the league’s best record since the All-Star break.

But Kobe has two seven-footers at his disposal in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. You can write him off too.

The Magic’s Dwight Howard, the Thunder’s Kevin Durant (who happens to lead the league in scoring for a second-straight season) and the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki are on teams that are not high enough in the standings for them to be taken too seriously. But Rose is blooming just at the right time.

Prior to this season, not even the world’s biggest Bulls' fan would have dared to dream Rose would be involved in the MVP debate. In his first two regular seasons, the Bulls won 82 games and lost 82 games. Rose was known for driving to the basket, but not being a threat from long range.

Fast forward to this season and The Bulls have stormed to the best record in the Eastern Conference ahead of the defending conference champions Boston Celtics, the new-look Miami Heat and Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic.

That success has come despite Rose’s two low-post teammates in Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer missing almost 60 games combined through injury.

Rose has carried the load by missing one game all season, while averaging 25 points and almost eight assists per game. He is the only player in the NBA that is top 10 in both points and assists. Rose has also made over 100 threes this campaign after managing just 32 in his first two seasons combined.

But forget the numbers. No player in the NBA is asked to do more for his team on a nightly basis. No one. As the primary-ball handler, he brings the ball up court and distributes it to his teammates just like any point guard is asked to do.

But Rose is also the primary scorer. When he is not dishing out assists he is making a play himself, whether it’s a three, a mid-range jumper or one of his trademark drives to the basket after weaving through a number of defenders.

Rose may lead the Bulls to the top seed in the Eastern Conference by season’s end, but can he lead them to a first championship since the great Michael Jordan? We will have to wait and see. In the last 30 seasons only two teams won a championship with their point guards as their leading scorers –- the Lakers with Magic Johnson and the Pistons with Isaiah Thomas.

Whether Rose joins that club or not, he still should receive something from the NBA commissioner in the near future, and I bet it won’t be a dozen roses.

The Green Bay Packers will clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Super Bowl XLV. For those of you not familiar with Roman numerals, it will be the 45th edition of the marquee U.S. sporting event.

The Super Bowl has become so big, that a 30 second commercial spot during the upcoming game will cost $3 million. Just compare that with $40,000 per spot in the inaugural Super Bowl back in 1967.

U.S. interest is also at an all-time high. Last year’s Super Bowl surpassed the final episode of the series M*A*S*H as the most-watched U.S. TV broadcast ever, pulling in an average of 106.5 million viewers. According to futuressport.com, the global television audience for that same Super Bowl was 121 million.

In comparison, the 2010 World Cup final attracted close to 700 million viewers according to tournament organizers.

Granted, the figures may be grossly bloated, but even so, you can bet the real figure is still way bigger than the total Super Bowl audience.

It’s pretty easy to understand why the World Cup final pulls in more viewers than American football’s final. First off, football (soccer) is a global sport and because of that, practically every country in the world has a chance to qualify for the World Cup finals.

In the end, 32 countries from different parts of the world make it, thus drawing not only the attention of the participating national teams, but that particular continent’s fans whose nations missed out on qualifying.

Another key is that the World Cup takes place once every four years. There have only been 19 competitions since its inception back in 1930.

In contrast, American football is strictly American. Although there is a league in Canada, the sport thrives within the borders of the United States.

The NFL tried its luck in Europe when it founded the NFL Europe league in the mid-nineties. It was mostly used as a developmental league and a way to draw European fans, but it didn’t work out and the NFL pulled the plug in 2007.

The NFL is also adding international players to its rosters at a growing rate, but their numbers are still relatively small to compete with other American sports like baseball and basketball.

But no matter what the figures say, the Super Bowl is and always will be America’s sporting apex.

Americans could care less about the event’s global appeal because they know what’s big in the U.S. will inevitably carry some weight world-wide.

They know that the world will pay attention not because lots of countries are involved, but because it’s the love and pride of just one.

The Super Bowl shows no signs of slowing down as a marquee sporting event, and fans in the U.S. or across the world would much rather see it every year, rather than have to wait four.