Celtics - Lakers: Back to the Future 11

You all know the back story; you know the pedigree of each of these two iconic sports franchises.  At this point you should know that this is the 11^th NBA Finals to be decided by the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.  Little facts like the all-time record in this head-to-head match-up (8-2 in favor of the Celtics), the fact that the Lakers won the last two, and the names of the players to don the green or gold during these games are by and large second nature.  All the sub-plots and countless statistics have been run-down and analyzed, and there really isn’t much left to bring to the table, something that will make a vast audience say, “Wow, I didn’t know that.” 

 

Those aforementioned sub-plots are as follows:  1) Kobe Bryant looking to validate his career by winning a championship without Shaquille O’Neal, in an attempt to solidify his basketball legacy.  2) Paul Pierce returning to his home state of California, where he always seems to come up big, with the aspirations of winning his (and everyone else on the Celtic’s aside from James Posey and Sam Cassell’s) first NBA championship. 3) Red Auerbach, the Celtics’ legend has nine NBA championships as a coach to his name.  Phil Jackson, the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers also has nine championships.  If the Lakers win this series, well, you can tell me what 9+1 is.

 

And those are just a few of many more sub-plots that can be documented.  Pretty elementary, huh?  You have to remember though; I told you I was most likely not going to surprise you. 

 

The NBA has given the media plenty of free time to hype up the upcoming NBA Finals (5 full days in fact; which seems longer given the steady plate of basketball eaten up over the last month or so).  If you keep a steady pulse, nothing you read about the history of this series is new, and the self-proclaimed “fluff” (as Lakers Guard Kobe Bryant puts it) will just keep on coming.  Call it fluff, hype, or call it the beginning of a resurgence of sorts on behalf of the NBA.  All three classifications are valid ones. 

 

That is only one end of the spectrum, however.  There comes a time when you have to push aside the fluff and get back to talking actual basketball.  This is that time as a fan or interested party, when you take the players of each team and diagnose match-ups, the depth of each team’s bench, the coaching staff, the training staff, what type of cereal each player had with their breakfast that morning, the dead spots in the parquet floor, the temperature in the visitor’s locker room, the most scrutable of the scrutable is examined right up until game-time.  Then the contents are put back into their glass jars on top of that shelf as your high-definition television sets warm up, and pre-game coverage takes over.  Of course you’re going to watch the pre-game coverage!  You just have to hear Stuart Scott regurgitate the same things you’ve already heard over the last week.  It’s part of being a fan.  It’s amazing how many people look over the fact that the word fan is short for fanatic.  It is our very nature to do this; it’s just part of the job description. 

 

Okay, at this point, some of you may wonder what all my meandering is supposed to mean.  This is my true point.

 

This series will be great to just watch, and not take so seriously.  I know that is tough for the die-hards who never left the game.  What I ask is that you put your criticisms aside and enjoy the magic, no pun intended.  Stop worrying about whether your coach is making enough adjustments, or why Ray Allen has been playing so inconsistently.  Just sit back and enjoy the series you are going to see.  That is what I am asking, to not let your analytical nature get in the way of the greatness you are about to witness.  This series will bring back basketball to the cerebrum of the fans missing from a former era.  Sure, the game may not be played the smae as it used to, but isn't it time to accept the game of basketball for what it is at this point?Don’t let your nature to criticize detract a single second from your ability to enjoy.  Don’t pick up another poison pen to ink the draft of a pundit for as long as you can stand, and be glad the NBA is even being talked about again on the level it is capable of.  At least when you compare it to the Bird, Magic days. 

It has been that long since the last time the NBA has been looked under this small a microscope...?  It has been a while folks, hasn’t it?  It is usually America’s pastime (baseball), or America’s unofficial pastime (football) that gets this type of attention.  Not basketball, which has needed a major image face lift after a series of unfortunate events spanning over the early part of the 2000’s.  That has all been changed now though.  Showtime is back in the limelight.  Celtics, Lakers has hit us again, but this time in surprising fashion.  There were no long-standing dynasties preceding this series.  Both of these teams’ success is relatively new found, and this season was as improbable as any to restore this rivalry.

But here we are… three days away from the true return of basketball at the professional level.  So be happy hoop fans, that the great game we all love is going to be taken from the nadir back to the zenith of competition,  where it belongs.  Basketball IS back my friends, and needless to say, the future looks awful bright.

 

 

 

 

I am on a sports radio show every Saturday from noon-2pm.  If you would like to listen in go to kitbsports.com and scan the right side of the page for the link.  The show is called Krashing Into the Bigfield on AM 1460 WXBR.  I am addressed as JMAC the Rook on the show.  If you would like to call in to the show the number is  1 508 586 1460.  The station is out of Brockton, MA, and I hope to hear some phone calls from bleacher creatures.  Thanks guys!