2010 NBA Finals: LeBron/Kobe Finals Would've Been Better Than Celtics vs. Lakers
If you're at least 30 years old and feeling nostalgic, then these NBA Finals are for you.
The rest of us, we'd like to see the NBA move on, not perform a modern flashback (this makes the Karate Kid timing almost eerie).
We get the historical significance: bad blood and back-and-forth contention make good sports. But those who think this is the compelling Finals matchup to hope for discount any potential by up-and-coming teams/players.
Is it wrong to want the NBA torch passed to (or taken by) those who really define the league today?
The 80s had Magic and Bird. The 90s had Jordan and his wannabes. The 2000s had Shaq and Duncan.
Every fan loves feeling like they were part of something only others of his/her generation can share.
I'm pretty sure this generation wanted to see Kobe and LeBron as "the key matchup to the Finals" instead of shell-of-his-former-self KG and can't-you-hear-me-yell-for-a-foul Pau.
LeBron and Kobe are the faces of the league, and it's unfortunate LeBron wasn't motivated enough to make that matchup happen (it's still hard to comprehend his complete mail-in job against Boston).
LeBron isn't the only face of today that's come up short for his generation of fans.
Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams, all hailed as the standards of their respective positions, have yet to play a part in the NBA's final stage. Dwyane Wade did it once (2006), as did Dwight Howard (2009).
That's disappointing, because these players are the reason we're supposedly hitting another "Golden Age" in the NBA.
Instead, we're treated to a watered-down flashback (compare the rosters, and "watered down" is a perfect description) to the 80s, giving older fans more ammo for the "The game was better in our day" argument.
That's the last thing the league should want. The NBA should want its market guys to step up. Here's a thought: don't market players as superstars until they earn it as NBA champions.
Think about it. If you hadn't been force-fed LeBron, Howard, and Amare on TV, would you be nearly as disappointed with their postseason success as you are right now?
That's a whole different issue, though. These guys are talented enough to make the big stage, especially given some of their supporting casts and the way they coast through the regular season.
Instead, their flaws show up at the worst times, giving way to Lakers vs. Celtics Part MLXXVI, buffing that rivalry's already-burgeoning history instead of creating newer, compelling ones for today.
The NBA, where original doesn't happen.
