The NBA thrives on individuals for their popularity and is more apt to have game outcomes be determined by one player than other sports. Its definitely a team game, but individual star power is much more important than it is for the NFL or MLB, for example.
Just because they market it that way doesn't mean it should be that way. Unfortunately it's permeated to the Refs (by far the worst in all sports). Wade can perform a Street Fighter scissor kick and he's the one that gets the foul.
