Why I'm Rooting for LeBron

LeBron James and the Miami Heat aren't evil. They're just committed to winning, like any professional sports team, and it's OK to like them. Take it from Robert Weintraub, who defends the honor of the NBA's concocted villain in Slate. "Time for a confession," Weintraub writes. "I'm rooting for the Miami Heat to win the NBA championship." His Heat fever is sprung from his admiration for "the team's ability to adjust and cohere so quickly, within the framework of a single season."

Weintraub isn't bothered by James' arrogance or his "Decision" to go to Miami. James' egoticism is "garden variety" for professional athletes, and he "put in his time in Cleveland, played out his contract, and chose to go elsewhere, just like millions of other careerists out there." Weintraub also commends Dwayne Wade's willingness to share the spotlight with James and Chris Bosh. "It's been team-building on the fly, and a pleasure to watch unfold," he writes. "I guess that puts me on the side of the Empire." And after Dallas' huge comeback Thursday led by Dirk Nowitzki to tie the series at 1-1, "I'm hoping LeBron slices off Dirk's shooting hand and encases Jason Terry in carbonite." (Click for reasons why Miami might be in trouble for Game 3 tomorrow.)