It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over: Conference Finals Defy Conventional Wisdom

Last time I checked the calendar, it seemed as though June was right around the corner, which meant the Lakers and Celtics were probably just sitting at home, basking in their 4-0 series victories over the Suns and the Magic, respectively, waiting for David Stern to say when...

Wait, what? I thought the conference finals were over! I thought the date with destiny was set between the two iconic franchises of the NBA!

Well, I would've thought that if I'd listened TOO closely to the talking heads in the sports media a few days ago, who declared the Suns and the Magic to be sitting ducks in their respective series, stopping just short of telling me to leave my TV off, save for the money they and their corporate partners would be forfeiting in the process.

I must admit, I read and heard a lot of what the pundits had to say, and I started to believe them.

It was hard NOT to believe them.

In the East, the Celtics had taken a commanding 3-0 stranglehold of the Magic, eeking their way through two nail-biters in Orlando and then taking an already-downtrodden squad of Fightin' Stan Van Gundy's behind the TD-woodshed for an absolute trouncing in Game 3.

Meanwhile, in the West, the Lakers, with the help of a behemoth front-court and "Lucky" Lamar Odom, outshone the run-and-gun Suns by playing the same beautiful game that Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire pounded the Trailblazers and Spurs with, but which they could hardly muster against a staunch LA D.

It was particularly enticing for me, as a Laker fan, to buy into the hype.

I mean, of course the Lakers were going to make quick work of the softy Suns. Of course the resurgent Celtics would put the championship-hapless Vince Carter and offensively-hopeless Dwight Howard to bed in Boston. Of course Boston and LA would meet in the Finals for the umpteenth time in history, making for the juiciest (and most marketable) matchup this side of Kobe v. LeBron. Destiny was in sight, and nothing would stand in the way. Certainly not Andrew Bynum and his gimpy knee...

What a difference a day (or four) makes.

Since the Suns and the Magic were TKO'd by the national media, they've each come back to make a series of what were once thought to be an early sweeps season in May instead of September. While Dwight Howard and company have managed to stave off elimination against the Celtics twice— four times in a row dating back to last year's playoffs —the boys from the Valley (not San Fernando) have sent Robin Lopez-sized shock-waves through the streets of Lakerdom by doing what they do best (at home)— having their starters watch their bench knock down three point shots time and time again.

Now, it would seem, momentum has shifted. Now, it would seem, Orlando and Phoenix have put the big market bullies on their heels and the entire nation on notice. Now, it would seem appropriate to invoke the famous words of Yogi Berra, but I'll resist the temptation.

With or without silly sports cliches, the Commish and his league finally have what they've been craving and hoping for this entire postseason. They have competitive basketball. A series or two actually worth watching. As of right now, everybody wins— the NBA, the fans, the sponsors, Charles Barkley...

Well, maybe not everybody. 

Certainly not the Lakers and the Celtics, two veteran teams that could certainly use the rest for their tired, their poor, and their hungry (I'm lookin' at you, Rajon Rondo).  Whoever emerges from the Conference Finals to compete for the Larry O'Brien trophy in June will do so with a few more bumps and bruises than originally anticipated. How much the extra wear and tear will impact the quality of play in the Finals is anyone's guess, but really, such shouldn't be of any concern to anyone at this point.

For now, let's all just sit back, relax, and enjoy the bonus basketball that lies ahead. Let's allow the experts to talk momentum, home-court advantage, and X-factors. Let's let the writers write and the players play, because nothing has been decided yet.

Despite the shifting of the Earth's tectonic plates and the reversal of the magnetic poles that ESPN would have you think has taken place since each Conference Finals series saw one team barely standing with a donut in the win column, I still think the Lakers and Celtics will meet in the Finals. I still think the Lakers' sheer size and strength will be too much for the speed-of-light Suns to handle. I still see the Celtic's championship talent and experience bringing a disappointing end to the Vinsanity experiment in The Magic Kingdom.

However, the prospective Boston-LA clash is no longer so certain or so clear, now obscured by the fact that these are the Conference Finals and that Orlando and Phoenix are, undoubtedly, very very good teams, with enough ability and know-how to shoot their way into the Finals. Even though no NBA team has ever come back from down 3-0 in a series to win, as Orlando is attempting to do. Even though no Phil Jackson-coached team has ever lost a series after winning the first two games, as the Lakers did against the Suns. 

Either way, no longer will the world have to wait a whole week between conference crowns and league titles, between one playoff game and another.  

Because, really, who wants to watch baseball anyway?