Howard Predictably Goes to the Purple and Gold

Ever since the Lakers were first mentioned as a potential candidate, I had a sinking feeling that Dwight Howard would end up in Los Angeles, wearing those ugly purple and gold uniforms. Sometimes you just know, right?

Alas, there he is. He got what he wanted, by acting like a spoiled brat - the poster child for an entitled athlete with delusions of grandeur. He wanted money, and perhaps he wanted more recognition (aka: fame). Now, he has his opportunity.

And the Lakers now have more opportunities at a championship. Not only did they manage to get two-time league MVP Steve Nash, but now they have Dwight Howard, to boot. The Lakers, who had slipped down a notch or two (but no more) since those distant days of 2009 and 2010, now overnight find themselves not only title contenders again, but likely the favorites to win the championship. Perhaps favorite now to have a huge run at the top as a renewed dynasty, for that matter.

It must be what the NBA wanted. What Dave Stern wanted. They must really like the Lakers in particular, because the Lakers get these breaks all of the time. I mean, really, they seem to consistently get every advantage that other teams simply do not get. So, their success comes at the price of the rest of the league. It comes at the price of a fairer dispensation of talent.

Yes, the big market and ever flashy Los Angeles Lakers, who won five championships in the 1980's and the in first decade of 2000, now look like they will make a run at five more in the upcoming decade.

This was a deal involving four team, and there is a long list of players that the Orlando magic will get in compensation for Howard. But these are not marquee names, and the Magic will likely not be contenders again anytime soon. The Sixers and Nuggets were also involved in the deal, but is seems unlikely that the deal will affect them strongly, one way or the other. Nobody in this deal save for one team acquired an obvious impact player, and that would be the Lakers.

Again, the Lakers. I remember the controversy revolving around the trade to acquire Pau Gasol some years back. That was another time when Los Angeles seemed to acquire some incredible, fortune changing talent for very little. Then there was last year, he Lakers had appeared to get Chris Paul, also pretty much for nothing. But that was put to a stop when perhaps the league went through the formality of not appearing to so obviously favor their favored franchise in sunny Los Angeles.

Now, they made it up to their favorite team, in a big way. Steve Nash and Dwight Howard? Really? Who gets that lucky? Only one team ever seems to get that lucky, and can you guess who that might be?

If you picked a certain franchise with the butt ugliest uniforms in the league, and perhaps in sports, that also happen to represent sunny and relatively wealthy southern California, then you guessed right. Hole in one.

Only the Lakers.

Oh, sure, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics both picked up a pair of tremendously talented players in recent years, and they both made it to two NBA Finals as a result, each winning a series and losing a series. While the Celtics acquisition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen changed the teams fortunes, they were not getting players on such a status as Nash and Howard. Hell, even when the heat acquired James and Bosh, they only got one truly game changing player. Bosh is a very good player, don't get me wrong. But he could not single-handedly make an otherwise poor team competitive, like Nash and Howard did. Plus, the Lakers already have Kobe, right? You just have to wonder sometimes how a team gets this lucky.

Obviously, the league is trying to cash in with their star-studded favorite sons. They will win NBA Championships (yes, in the plural). Perhaps, years from now, when they start to get too old, there will be another shocking deal - shocking! - like this that brings yet more incredible talent to the Lakers. Some teams just seem to get incredibly lucky, don't they?

So, the Lakers fans, who are perhaps the most arrogant fans in all of North American sports, will be boasting now for a long time, and telling everyone who will listen without running the other way that the stars just want to play for a winner, want to play for the best.

But since the league so obviously seems to want this to, I personally am losing interest. Sports should have some measure of parity and unpredictability. Sure, there could be dynasties, and there are in every sports. In football, you have the Patriots. But they won three Super Bowls in a four year span, and that last one was seven seasons ago. The great Cowboys dynasty of the nineties also won three Super Bowls in four seasons, and that was it. The 49ers on the 80's? Four Super Bowls in nine years, and they added a fifth in the thirteenth. Not exactly on the same level. In hockey, there has not been a dynasty on the same level as the other sports.

There is one team - but only one - that reminds me of the Lakers, and that would be the Yankees in baseball. They also are a flashy team in a very big market, and always seem to get their man, because the price is always right. No one else can really compete. Yet, even the Yankees have won a total of five World Series titles since the 1980's.

The Los Angeles Lakers? Ten since the 1980's. Ten, and still counting. Not because the same talent that won it in 2009 and 2010 are still playing on that level. They are not. But because they get the deals - they always get the deals - that bring the biggest names (except for LeBron, and who really knows what the future holds?) to this team. In turn, these players deliver the goods,the trophy and the championship rings. That is how it has worked now for some time.

The Lakers of the eighties at least were a team, and as a team, they had their ups and downs (mostly ups), and won five titles. But they were largely the same team, winning over and over again. More recently, however, the Lakers always seem to find the breaks. It happened when Shaq and Kobe both (somehow) wound up in Lakers uniforms. It happened when Kobe got Pau Gasol to help him bring more titles. Now, it will surely happen again with Nash and Howard. I actually liked Nash, and thought he brought a strong measure of class to the game. But this made me lose some respect for him, admittedly.

So, I reminisce about another dynasty that I watched rise and fall: the Chicago Bulls of the 1990's At first I did not like them, but eventually, they won me over. They had some personnel changes, too. Nowhere near the level of these Lakers, of course (I think this is actually unprecedented). But they got some breaks. The thing was, the Bulls had two of the greatest players in the league together, and that was the formula that worked. They got a good supporting cast around them, sure. But it was always Jordan and Pippen, and Jackson as coach, and they got the job done. It was largely the same type of team, without it being an arms race of big name acquisitions. Yes, Chicago struggled early on, kept losing to the Detroit Pistons, who were the champions at the time. But the Bulls got better and better, learned how to win, and when they finally did win, you had to feel good for them. Who knew that they would prove to be so capable of hanging on to the extend that they did? They got greedy and won six titles in an eight year span. Jordan earned it, leading all of those championship teams.

Kobe? Well, he certainly got help, although he did not seem to want to admit it. Shaquille O'Neal, at first. Gasol later on. Now, Nash and Howard. Surely, that's just a coincidence, right? The league never seemed as huge as when they had Jordan in the nineties, and he became more than a household name. Now, they are forcing Kobe on us, but it does not seem quite the same. Some of us are not as into basketball in the post-Jordan era, and yes, I am one of them.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the game. But there is one aspect that is boring: it's almost always a dynasty that wins the title. The Lakers and the Celtics in the eighties, and the Pistons right at the end. The Bulls in the nineties, with Houston winning a couple in a row in between. The Spurs in 1999, and then three more titles (none in succession, though, strangely enough) in the next decade. The Lakers in the early 2000's, and again in the late 2000's.  From 1981 until 2004,when the Pistons broke through (scoring a major upset against the heavy favorites - yup, you guessed it - the Lakers) with one title. Miami won it in 2006, but they managed to win it again in 2012, seemingly on the verge of a potential dynasty. The Celtics managed the one title (again, after scoring a major upset against  -can you guess - the Los Angeles Lakers). Then, the Lakers.

The Mavericks won in 2011, but that was a shocker. There have been a few one year title holders, but not that many (and it should be noted, that each of those teams that won only one title made it to the Finals and lost at another point in time in recent years).

Now, it's the Lakers. Once again, as always, the Lakers.

I don't know about you, but I've just about had enough. I'm not awed by this move, not impressed with the Lakers ability to manage to acquire this talent. It seems that they are not only allowed to get strange deals where they get huge names and talents for virtually nothing, but that they are actively assisted by outside forces. That force, I believe, is the NBA itself, pushing a new Michael Jordan, a new dynasty, a new hot and popular brand. A new wave of profits, of ticket sales, of television contracts, and of merchandise. Nothing new about it, just a new approach, focusing on one team to constantly win and win and win.

Maybe the league hopes it will make the league more entertaining, and a hotter draw. But perhaps they went too far, and this will backfire.

And I, for one, am one step closer to losing all interest. Is it really possible that I am the only one? Is everyone interested in basketball somehow supposed to be entertained by seeing the same team that has won 10 championships (more by far than any other team in any of the other major North American sports leagues) win an 11th, or a 12th, and so on, and so forth.

It seems hard to believe that I am alone in finding this less than entertaining. Basketball games will likely not be on my television nearly as much now in the upcoming season. Not being a fan of either the Heat or the Lakers, and actually finding it a bit offensive, this notion of essentially buying a championship, the only very good team I can pull for would be the Thunder, and although impressed by them, I am certainly not going to be a bandwagon fan for the new hot team of the moment (and maybe, after a couple of seasons now near the top, they may be overshadowed by both the Lakers and the Heat).

So, I, for one, am going to tune out. If the NBA Finals winds up being the Lakers and the Heat, I will make a point of not even watching a single game. That's how tired I am of teams buying championships. It's not much in the way of entertainment anymore. Just a rerun of past events, with slightly different names and faces in the same uniforms.

And nobody buys championships like the Lakers. Too bad no one else can afford to keep up.

The "Dwightmare" Continues (yawn)

Dwight Howard still wants out of Orlando. He wants as much money as he can possibly get. He wants to go on a team where he might have a chance at a championship, presumably. He wants recognition for his talents, a fact that has become overly obvious over the course of these last months, when he spent much of last season as a distraction for Orlando and other franchises interested in him, as he flirted with the possibility of finding another team, only to eventually decide to stay in Orlando, smiling broadly before  a wildly enthusiastic home crowd. He has a famous smile, and it almost makes him seem likable. The folks in Orlando must have felt happy.

Well, it did not last long. It seemed that as soon as the basketball season was over and summer began, he once again began the long drama of his wanting out, making a very public spectacle of the whole thing.

It seems that he finally caught on that this whole show and dance surrounding him is not pleasing to the public, or particularly to fans. not just Orlando fans, but fans of the NBA. Just yesterday, he called it a "Dwightmare" for fans. But, he made sure to point out, it was a "dream" for the NBA.

Yeah. Right.

He seems just to be all ego at this point, and I am not sure why he thinks he is worth as much fuss as he evidently believes himself to be.

In fact, right now, he is closer to being the poster child of spoiled, childlike athletes who feel entitled to enormous, outrageous, obscene sums of money and publicity. Because he is huge, and can play basketball, he apparently deserves as much press as he gets. We, the gracious public, should be happy to see his face every single night, and to hear rumors that his deal to the Nets is just about complete. No, wait! He's staying in Orlando for the rest of this season. Okay, it's summer, and the season is over, and he is on the verge of being a Brooklyn Net! Just about a done deal....and.....no! The Nets are completely out of the running. Now, he's going to the Lakers! Umm...hold, on a second! He may go to Houston, or to the Mavericks. Maybe the Clippers should pick him up? Now, the Nets are back in the picture? Hmmm...

How he must be enjoying this. This is exactly what he wanted. Also, the NBA franchises that are interested are playing right into it, and probably superficially inflating his monetary value far more than he is actually worth.

Now, I like the Nets. If he goes there, I will root for them, but I will not gain more respect for him, specifically.

In fact, I think he's an egotistical, narcissistic, overgrown child. Indeed, he is the symbol of everything that is wrong with team sports these days. because guys like him make you wonder why they are even called team sports. For Dwight Howard, it is all about Dwight Howard. he reminds me of Shaq, who seemed ridiculously egotistical in his day as well. Even Dwight Howard's use of his own name to create a new word, the "Dwightmare", reminds me of Shaq, and not in a good way.

The fact of the matter is that better basketball players have had more of an impact while remaining far more modest. Talent and class should not necessarily be opposing values, as the "Dwightmare" evidently believes.

I do not, and cannot, profess to know where Dwight Howard will end up. Unless he winds up with the Nets, I will actively root against him. In fact, as the next season's schedule was just announced and looms, I will say here that my two least favorite teams are the Lakers, and whoever Dwight Howard winds up playing for.  This is the type of thing that has been a big turnoff to me, and why basketball these days does not feel as exciting as it did back in the 90's, when there were personalities, sure, but they were in relation to teams, and had loyalty to their teams. That seems to be a lost art form these days.

The 2012 NBA Finals Recap

Okay, so I was wrong. It happens.

            The Miami Heat won the NBA Finals in four straight after losing Game 1, to clinch their second championship in franchise history (the first came in 2006, due largely to the brilliant play of Dwayne Wade). But the main story last night was LeBron James winning his first NBA title.

            "It's about damn time! It's about damn time!" James expressed after the game, betraying his frustration at having had to wait nine years before winning his first championship in the sport.

            Many, myself included, had lambasted the Miami Heat all season long, after their display of immaturity at the NBA Finals level last year, when they did not play up to their potential, yet made a point of mocking Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki. At that point, it seemed that the Heat could do no right, and so they had to suffer the indignities attached during the offseason, and throughout the course of this season, as well.

It was an up and down season this year for the Heat, as well. They at times looked like champions, like the dominant team that many foresaw, when the Heat were able to add Chris Bosh and LeBron James to their lineup to make a seemingly unbeatable "Big Three" that many instantly placed as favorites to win the NBA title, and some even proclaimed the next dynasty (including, infamously, LeBron James himself). So, when the Heat failed to win the Finals last season, and then struggled this season, especially on the road, it seemed that there was something fundamentally wrong with this team, and that maybe they just did not possess the maturity or the strength of character to actually win a championship. In the playoffs, they looked bad in falling behind in the series against both Indiana and Boston, and the immaturity factor (particularly in the case of Dwayne Wade) was beginning to seem like the team's main obstacle. Many thought that the Heat were bound for a surprising early exit, and few were those who believed, even among a number of fans that I spoke with. Yes, I was one of their detractors, and subscribed to the view that they just were not tough enough or mature enough mentally to finish the deal. But I was wrong, obviously.

I just did not expect that the Miami Heat would be able to pull off four victories overall against OKC, let alone winning four straight against them, losing only that first game in the series.

            The thing is, Oklahoma City was right in every single game, until that last one last night to clinch the series for the Heat – and even that was not as lopsided as the score would indicate, strangely enough. When the Thunder fell behind, they would make these quick little runs with a burst of energy to suddenly make the game much closer. They were losing by double digits for much of the second half, yet within a couple of minutes of the second half, had pulled to within five points of the Heat.

            Eventually, though, the Miami Heat were able to reassert a strong lead and dictate the tempo the rest of the way, building a 25 point lead in the third quarter. Oklahoma City just was not able to get back in the game.

            It was unfortunate, too, because it makes this series look as if it were completely lopsided, when in fact nothing could be farther from the truth. All of the other games were close, except for Game 1, which the Thunder actually won. At that point, it seemed that there was a question as to whether or not Miami could keep up with the red-hot Thunder, who seemed to be peaking at exactly the right time. Everything just seemed to be clicking, and the Heat figured to have their work cut out for them.

            But Miami seemed up to the task when they defeated the Thunder in Oklahoma City for Game 2, becoming the first team to steal a victory there from the home team, who had previously been undefeated there throughout the playoffs.

            It proved costly, as the Thunder never seemed to recover.

            Perhaps they should have been able to win a game in Miami, and they came very close. But it was not enough to actually pull a win off and force this series back to OKC for Game 6, and a decisive Game 7, if it came to that. I will admit that it seemed very unlikely that the Heat would literally win each of the three consecutive home games that they had in the middle of the series.

            Yet, that is exactly what happened. Nor is it the first time in the franchise's history that they have won those middle three games, en route to an NBA Championship, since they did it in 2006. After losing the first two games in Dallas, they took all three in Miami, and then clinched the series in Game 6 in Dallas, as the flustered Mavericks seemed totally out of sync. The Heat have now done it twice, and the feat was only accomplished one other time, in 2004, when the Detroit Pistons became the first team to win those three consecutive middle games to clinch the series against the favored Lakers in five. Both times that the Miami Heat did it, they were underdogs in the series, as well. No team has yet been able to recover from losing all three games on the road in the middle of the series to win a title.

            So, for the second time in team history, the Miami Heat hoisted the NBA Championship trophy and are kings of basketball. LeBron James and Chris Bosh have their first championship, while Dwayne Wade celebrates his second title.

            For Oklahoma City, there are going to be some big question marks now. Mostly, it is whether this team will stick together in the long run, because if they do, they surely seem to have all the pieces, and the talent, to not only make another title run, but to win the NBA Championship in the very near future, quite possibly next season. Perhaps they have a chance at more than one title. For the second consecutive postseason, they enjoyed amazing success, going farther than most people assumed that they could. They swept the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round, exacting a measure of revenge on their defeat to them last postseason. They then humbled the Los Angeles Lakers in five, getting revenge for the series loss two years ago to them. Then, they overcame a 2-0 series deficit against the San Antonio Spurs, who were looking like a dominant team of destiny, in order to win four straight and take the Western Conference. They showed a level of maturity that was a bit surprising for a team so young.

            As painful as this loss must be for them, they still have all the tools in place to get the NBA title, even though it did not happen this season. They can take a lesson from the team that defeated them, this Miami Heat team, who lost last year's NBA Finals only to come back and win it all the next season. There is no reason that I can see why they would not be able to do that.

            Then, we have the Miami Heat. They made it to two consecutive NBA Finals now, with radically different results. If last year's loss raised questions and doubts, this year's championship serves to vindicate them, and answer many of the questions and doubts. Now, there questions will be of a different sort. Can they do it again next year? How long will they be able to play at this level, and how many titles can they still earn?

Preview: the 2012 NBA Finals

We know the two teams that have survived to reach this point: the Oklahoma City Thunder for the West, and the Miami Heat for the East.

This is a terrific and intriguing match-up, and in fact, these two teams were the pick for a lot of people heading into this season - including me! For once, my preseason picks were correct. Both of these teams are tremendously talented, and both of these teams can appear virtually unstoppable when they are firing on all cylinders. In many respects, they are a mirror image of one another.

Oklahoma City is led by Kevin Durant, the NBA's scoring leader for the past three seasons. This is a young and dangerous team that should see some very strong teams in the near future, always assuming they manage to keep the nucleus of this team together, and remain healthy. The consensus is that, win or lose this series, the Thunder should be a strong title contender for a long time to come. They have emerged as the best team in the West, with aging teams like the Lakers, Spurs, and Mavericks not likely able to keep up in the long run.

Since leaving the city of Seattle a few years ago (and boy, don't the fans in Seattle feel robbed?), this franchise went from a struggling team lacking an identity, to a playoff team that pushed the mighty Lakers to a tough, six-game series, to a run to the Western Conference Finals last year, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, to finally this season. All they did this season was roll through the regular season, leading through most of it but relinquishing the top seed in the conference to the very hot San Antonio Spurs (I'll get to them in a minute). Then, the Thunder swept past the team that knocked them out of last year's playoffs, the defending champion Mavericks. They dispatched the Lakers with relative ease in five, and then faced an 0-2 hole to the San Antonio Spurs, a team with recent championship rings to their credit, only to show composure and rediscover themselves. The Spurs had the best record in the league, as well as a seeming historic, twenty game win streak when the series shifted to Oklahoma City, but the Thunder handing them four straight defeats to end their very promising season in bitter disappointment. It should be noted that the Thunder are undefeated at home in these playoffs. There were a few close calls, but they still managed to win all of their games with the comfort of home court advantage - and they have the home court advantage in this series, too..

The Miami Heat, on the other hand, have had the weight of high expectations on their shoulders for years now, ever since LeBron James and his infamous tv interview with Bob Costas, when he famously (or infamously?) revealed his decision that he was bringing his talents to South Beach. Of course, South Beach is not where the Heat play basketball, but the symbolism of that was perhaps a bit overdrawn. James received a lot of criticism for his decision, which was seen as tantamount to abandoning and betraying his native city of Cleveland, where he had been since the start of his career, but where he had also failed to win a championship - although they had made the NBA Finals once, and had come close to reaching it again in his final season. Instantly, the Miami Heat became the new bad guys, if you will, as they brought along James and Chris Bosh, to add to a lineup that already included star Dwayne Wade, who had led the Miami Heat to their only NBA Championship to date in 2006.

Last year, the Heat were one of the flashiest teams in the league, and were widely considered the favorites by many experts. They had some ups and downs, but were still the number two seed in the East going into the playoffs. They more or less steamrolled their way to the NBA Finals, and were favored to beat the Dallas Mavericks, the same team that they had defeated in their only prior appearance in 2006. All was going according to schedule, too. At least through the first three games, with the Heat up two games to one.

But then, something unexpected (to most) happened. The Mavericks got hot, and won three straight to win the NBA Finals, and exact a measure of revenge on the Heat for the 2006 series, when they had entered as heavy favorites and enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 lead, only to drop four straight. Now, the Mavericks did the same to Miami, and since the Heat were considered the bad guys, many rejoiced. Many recalled how James and Wade had made fun of Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, who had gotten sick during the series. So, the popular view was that the arrogant and seemingly entitled Heat had finally gotten their just rewards in getting bounced out of the series, and humiliated in the process.

LeBron James, certainly one of the greatest players out there, had received much criticism for his decision to leave Cleveland and join a suddenly star-studded lineup with the Heat in Miami. Some stars questioned his drive, saying that it was tantamount to taking the easy way out, that he apparently was not sure he could win the NBA title on his own, and did not have the patience to wait for talent to be added in Cleveland. He himself had some poor performances in the playoffs, particularly when it counted the most - in the fourth quarter. So jokes mocking his inability to close out a game abounded. I remember one that was particularly popular at the time.

"Why shouldn't you ask LeBron James for change for a dollar?"

"Because he only has three quarters."

A variation of that claimed that he had no fourth quarter.

Whether deserved or not, Miami took some heat for the loss, and had all off-season to think about it, too. Going into this season, they once again were under the microscope and received a lot of scrutiny. The ups and downs made big news, and their heart was questioned. Then came the playoffs, which began with a predictably easy victory over the Knicks in five. In the second round, the Heat ran into some problems, losing two in a row to the Indiana Pacers, with Dwayne Wade having a memorable breakdown in discipline, having a historically bad game which itself was overshadowed with a very public display showing surprising immaturity   It was starting to look like an all too familiar story for the Heat, as they faced the prospect of an early exit from the playoffs that many had favored them to win.

That was when things really began to turn around for them, as LeBron James suddenly played his best basketball, and the Heat not only tied up the series, but won three straight to close out the Pacers. They faced adversity again against the Boston Celtics, who were largely seen as an aging team, but who really pushed Miami as far as they could go. The Heat survived, largely thanks to the heroics of James, although Wade's strong showing, as well as the recovery from injury of Chris Bosh, helped to pull the Heat through this one.

Now, here is a very intriguing Finals match-up. This year's scoring leader, Kevin Durant, against this year's  league MVP, LeBron James. A star-studded series of hot offensive teams, with a ton of points most likely about to be scored. This could be basketball at it's finest.

Once again, it should be tight. These two teams are relatively evenly matched, and it could very well come down to home court advantage. If it goes that far, both Game 6 and Game 7 will be played in Oklahoma City - a not inconsiderable advantage. It should be an advantage, but focusing too exclusively on that would be to detract from the argument over which of these teams is the better team.

So, the time has come for my prediction. I will admit to not liking the Heat, and actively routing against them, especially when they were in trouble against the Pacers and the Celtics. But they survived those series, and showed a lot of character in so doing, to boot. That said, the Thunder played the tougher opponents, with all three of their Western Conference series being against recent NBA Champions with star line-ups. They swept the Mavericks, last year's champs. They beat the Lakers in five, who were champs in 2009 & 2010. They won four straight against the previously red-hot Spurs, winners of several championships, the most recent one being in 2007. The Heat, by comparison, beat the Boston Celtics, the 2008 champs, who were widely considered to be too old to have much of a future with this same lineup.

Also, the Thunder rolled. By contrast, the Heat waned, and that against weaker opponents. They made some mistakes, they gave up too many points, and against much less talented teams than Oklahoma City. If they give anything away like that in this series, don't expect them to win. Don't even expect them to make a long series out of it. I don't believe Miami has any wiggle room. If they want to win this, they will have to play perfectly.

LeBron is playing perhaps his best ever basketball, and that has to be encouraging for the Heat. But I don't think it will be enough. Oklahoma City is just too good, they have too many weapons, have gained valuable experience, and are just too hungry. Home court is yet one more factor in their favor, and they really are just hot. They have more momentum going into this series than most teams do at this point, which places them in truly elite territory. It is hard to see them losing this one, and frankly, I just don't see it happening. LeBron will have a good series that may serve to vindicate him from past failures, but it won't be enough. the Oklahoma City Thunder should win the NBA Championship in six.

The NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals

             I personally love history, and that includes sports history. I route for the older teams, more often than not: those with rich traditions spanning many decades and many championships. There are exceptions, of course, such as the Lakers in basketball, the 49ers in football, and the Yankees in baseball. Perhaps even, arguably, the Rangers in hockey. But generally speaking, I like those older traditions.

            So it pleases me to no end that the Boston Celtics are, once again, in the Eastern Conference Finals, for the third time in five years. The previous two times, they won them, and moved on to the NBA Finals – one time even winning it and being crowned as champions. Both times, they faced the Lakers in the Finals, splitting a series apiece, in what is surely the greatest rivalry in NBA basketball history.

            The Lakers are out, however, courtesy of the Oklahoma City Thunder, so the Celtics don't have to worry about them. In fact, I don't think the Celtics will have to worry about the NBA Finals at all, after this next series, because the other team that qualified, the Miami Heat, are just too strong.

            Miami famously got LeBron James and Chris Bosh a couple of years ago, to add more star power for a team that already had won a championship with their star, Dwayne Wade. The Heat instantly were elevated to the status of favorites and, indeed, looked the part of it frequently since. But they have been under such intense scrutiny, that everything they do is under the microscope. They were one of the best teams in the East during the regular season for the 2010-2011 season, but people made much of their supposed weaknesses. When they began to get hot in the playoffs, people returned to being in awe of them again, as they essentially steamrolled their way to the NBA Finals, where they were favored to beat the Dallas Mavericks – the same team that they had defeated in their only previous NBA Finals appearance in 2006.

            Famously, the Heat lost that series, and it showed Miami at their worst. They lacked character, at one point showing a level of immaturity by publicly poking fun of Dirk Nowitzki, who had fallen ill, and attracting all the wrong kind of attention. But the wrong attention was also given due to their on court performance, where LeBron James, not for the first time, showed that he was not quite on the level of Michael Jordan, as he essentially seemed to fade away and be a nonfactor at precisely that point when the greatest players need to take over: in the fourth quarter. Jokes ensued, claiming that it would do no good to ask James for change for a dollar, since he had no fourth quarter (ha-ha). Eventually, the Heat were dismantled by Dallas, who exacted a measure of revenge against the Miami Heat, who were the underdogs in the 2006 NBA Finals, but managed to throw Dallas completely off their rhythm. This time, the Mavericks did the same thing to the Heat.

            That was a stinging loss, and seemed to redefine the Heat. Miami were suddenly seen as underachievers, as arrogant and immature, and lacking the strength of character and self-possession to win it all.

            It has been a long year, and Miami received a lot of criticism along the way once again, every single time that they faltered. The most recent one came in the last palyoff series, when they really struggled against the Indiana Pacers, a team that they were supposed to defeat easily. So when the Heat lost Game 2, and then got blown out in Game 3, with Dwayne Wade infamously completely losing his cool on the floor, it seemed that maybe the Miami Heat had hit a new low. Experts and non-experts alike were all predicting the end of the Heat before even the summer comes. Nobody thought that they would bounce back, including yours truly, the one writing this article right now.

            Yet, bounce back they did. Big time. Suddenly, LeBron James was playing his best basketball, following one banner game with another one. Dwayne Wade cooled off from his Game 3 implosion, and began to hit his stride, and just like that, the Miami Heat started looking like the team that everyone had feared they might be when these two guys would work together and make the most of the talents that were brought to South Beach. It also bodes well for them in these playoffs, and particularly for the next round, because it means, essentially, that they have overcome a severe test, and shown some character and fortitude in the face of adversity. They were complimenting one another on the court, and the Heat finally looked like they were playing up to their potential, for once. That, after seemingly everyone voiced their concerns regarding whether this team possessed the maturity to overcome such difficulties. By coming back from down two games to one to essentially convincingly sweep the Pacers the rest of the way, after it seemed that they were down and out, says something about this team.

            So, as much as I would love to predict a Celtics win in the Eastern Conference Finals and another trip to the NBA Finals, I simply cannot. Boston is old, and likely in way over their head against a Miami Heat team that is only now beginning to come together and gel. They surge because they are playing their best basketball, and that's scary. Miami, if they continue playing the way they have been playing, should take this series in five. 

The NBA Playoffs: The Western Conference Finals

         The Western Conference Finals this year features a very intriguing match-up: the old-style and established veterans and former champion San Antonio Spurs, with such marquee names as Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Ginobli, against the young and rising Oklahoma City Thunder. Will veteran leadership win out and hold the surging Thunder, or will youth be served? Will Oklahoma City break through and reach the NBA Finals, or will the Spurs manage to keep them at bay, and relegate them to remaining with the status of the team of the future, or next year’s team? 

Both teams look good, and I mean, scary good. Oklahoma City got to the Western Conference Finals last year, as well, but they fell to the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. They rebounded from that loss to have an excellent season this year, running with the elites and generally seeming to hold the best record in the league, until San Antonio pulled it away from them right at the end, to earn the top seed. But Oklahoma City swept the Mavericks in the first round this season, exacting a sweet measure of revenge from their disappointing exit in last year’s playoffs, and they then dismantled the Lakers in five in the next round. Those are some big names to have beaten, but now, they are facing their toughest challenge yet. 

For their part, the Spurs look scary. They finished the regular season with a flurry, on a strong winning streak to clinch the top record in the league, and they hardly have been seriously challenged in the Western Conference playoffs so far, having swept the Utah Jazz in the first round, and then managing to sweep the young and surging Clippers in the second round, and should be as well rested as possible – which could very well benefit the older, veteran Spurs, and possibly even cool off the red-hot Thunder. Just as a side note, this was a strike shortened season for the NBA, and remember that the last time that happened, the Spurs were the number one seed and won the championship, making it look easy, back in 1999. It was their first ever championship, and they have added three more rings since, so perhaps history is on their side. They are going into this series at full strength. 

So, who has the advantage? Experience is definitely an advantage for the Spurs, but the Thunder went this far last year, an d have not only gained some very valuable playoff experience each of the last two post-seasons, but they have shown remarkable composure under intense pressure often times. They also are a very deadly team even when they seem dead in the water, having had numerous come from behind victories in the first two rounds of the playoffs, including Game Two against the Los Angeles Lakers, when they were down by seven and seemed destined to lose, only to have a remarkably quick turnaround to pull off a very unlikely comeback for a 2-0 series lead. They did it again in Game 4 on the road, and that proved to be, for all intents and purposes, the backbreaker for the veteran Lakers. 

Still, the Spurs are hotter and quicker than those Lakers were, who seemed to have all sorts of problems throughout the season, so you cannot say that this will be a repeat of that series, for all intents and purposes. Also, the Thunder will have to start this series on the road. That might, or might not, make a difference. 
Ultimately, this is a close call, and I will say outright, that I would not be shocked no matter who wins this series. It is a tough call. My instincts tell me that the Spurs, with home court advantage, should be able to apply enough pressure on the younger Thunder to be in solid position heading down the decisive stretch later in the series, and that the Thunder will not find the ability to so completely dominate the early part of the series, that a victory is never really in question, like they did against the Mavericks and the Lakers. It certainly seems unlikely that the Spurs would be able to completely dominate OKC like they did their first two opponents, either. This team will force the Spurs to turn it up a few notches. I am going to guess that this will be a long series, probably going back and forth. It should go at least six, and possibly will head to a decisive Game 7. My head tells me experience should prevail, and that the Spurs will eke out a narrow victory against the Thunder, but something tells me that OKC is hitting their stride at just the right time, and that they are more ready than ever before for this kind of a challenge. This one is very hard to tell, and I hesitate to make a prediction, but I will anyway: 
Oklahoma City will probably pull it off and head towards their first ever NBA Finals. Youth will be served.

"I Say GO! You Say NETS!"

I went to the final home game for the New Jersey Nets on Monday evening, against the Philadelphia 76ers. It included a tribute to many former New Jersey Nets players, dating back from the earliest days of the franchise's move to the Garden State, and right up to the 2002 Eastern Conference Championship squad that celebrated a ten year anniversary.

I was amazed to be reminded that the incredible 2002 championship run had reached the ten year anniversary! The very best basketball game I have ever seen, let alone been to, was then. Game 5 of the first round series between the Indiana Pacers and the Nets. New Jersey had not won a playoff series in eighteen years, and the Pacers always were a dangerous team to have to play against. You never knew when Reggie Miller would ignite the team, when he would come alive with an incredible string of three pointers to serve as a dagger in the heart to so many teams. He had one of those nights again that night, but the Nets managed to overcome and persevere, surviving that game in double overtime to clinch the series, and then going on to eventually capture their first ever Eastern Conference Championship, before eventually losing in a sweep to the dynasty Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. I already wrote about

Over the years, I have been to many Nets games. I have seen a number of remarkable players don the Nets uniform, including Jason Kidd, Kerry Kittles, Kenyon martin (K-Mart, as he if often known as), Vince Carter, Derrick Coleman, Kenny Anderson, Chris Morris, Stephon Marbury, Jayson Williams, Keith Van Horn, Deron Williams, Kris Humphries (he of Kardashian Wedding fame, or perhaps rather infamy), Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, PJ Brown, Alonzo Mourning, Sasha Vujacic, and one of the most decent and charitable guys to ever play the game, Dikembe Mutombo. Those are some incredible guys to have played for the team over the years! Chuck Daly used to be the head coach, not that long after his successful championship runs with the Detroit Pistons, during their "Bad Boys" days. Byron Scott was coach during their Eastern Conference Championship days in the 2002 & 2003 playoffs. Unfortunately, none of those guys ever won an NBA Championship ring with the New Jersey Nets, although some came much closer than others.

I have also seen some great and memorable visiting teams, as well. The most notable were the Chicago Bulls in April of 1996, as they were en route to an NBA record 72-10 regular season record and a fourth championship in six years. They would go on to win six overall. But I also saw the Lakers in the days of Kobe and Shaq and Phil Jackson, and more recently, saw the Lakers most recent championship squad, as well. The championship Houston Rockets of the mid-90's, the 1999 San Antonio Spurs, the reincarnation of the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons in the mid-2000's, the 2008 Boston Celtics, the most recent championship team of that storied squad. I saw some major stars on many of those other teams as well, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem "The Dream" Olijuwon, Robert Horry, Kenny Smith, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, KJ Kevin Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Latrell Sprewell, Karl Malone, John Stockton, David Robinson, Tony Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Antoine Walker. Some of the famous coaches include Larry Brown, Phil Jackson, Greg Popavich, Rudy Tomjanovich, Jerry Sloan, and a number of others, as well. There are probably some players and coaches I am forgetting, to boot! It was often a truly

Perhaps one of the most entertaining aspects was just how far the Nets organization would go to keep the home fans entertained. There were acrobats doing their thing, flips and all sorts. Sexy dancers doing their routines, sometimes shedding some of their clothes. There were always t-shirt giveaways, and there also was always some mascot or another. Hell, in the 1990's, when attendance was very low on average, and the team really had no huge history to fall back on, the gimmicks that they pulled to try and entertain were outright damn comical! I still remember Barney the Purple Dragon getting in a staged, pro wrestling style fight, where he was getting destroyed, only to come back and destroy his opponent, and then dance around arrogantly afterward. Yes, not all of the PR stunts that they pulled were winners, and that one was almost so stupid as to be funny enough to put tears in my eyes. More often than not however, these gimmicks tended to be over the top. The enthusiasm that the PR forced upon people did not match the general indifference with which it was received.

One that I remember particularly fondly was a chant from a guy with a very deep throat, who would shout, "I say go, you says Nets! GO!"

Maybe a few people would respond, "Bets", without much relish.

But the deep voice would not be denied, and he kept the chant going strong. He would repeat, "GO!"

Someone would scratch their head and mutter under their breath, "nets".

The voice would keep going and gong, like the Energizer Bunny, and to the same complete lack of response. It was almost comical, and to me, seemed almost to encapsulate the reality of what the New Jersey Nets were, unfortunately. People just did not get all that fired up, even, really, when they were enjoying their pinnacle of success about ten years ago.

Still, it must be said that it was a privilege to have had such ready access to a professional basketball team, and so close to home! I know that locally, the Knicks are the far more popular team, and traditionally, they are the team that has the richer, fuller history, having won championships and enjoyed far more successful seasons, had bigger stars, etc.. But the Nets represented New Jersey, and they managed to enjoy some good runs at success, as well.

As for the game on Monday, my brother and I mused, on the walk over to the arena from the parking lot, that it would be fitting if the arena were only half full, with a few thousand people showing up. But as it happened, there were a lot of people there, and mostly, it was filled with Nets fans! There were some 76ers fans present, but they were a tiny minority.

Still, that tiny minority got to walk out of the arena happy, because their team finally clinches a playoff berth that evening. They earned it by managing to win big over the Nets. So, while the arena being full maybe was uncharacteristic of the Nets, the fact that they lost, and lost big, was indeed a fitting ending for their time in New Jersey. Not that they were always losers there, but just the majority of the time. The vast majority of the time even, it seemed.

So, Go Nets?

Yup, they're gone. It's official, now.

Game Review: Washington Wizards at New Jersey Nets April 6, 2012

The first ever basketball game that I ever attended was way back in 1987, when my parents gave my brother, Dave, his birthday gift. He had requested tickets to see a basketball game, and we went to Madison Square Garden in New York to see Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls take on Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks. This was about four or five years before this would be considered a marquee matchup.

The second one that I ever went to was a number of years later, and by that time, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks had, arguably, the best rivalry in basketball – although Michael Jordan was on the first of his three retirements. Of course, that was not the game I saw the second time around. It was the New Jersey Nets back in the spring of 1994, as they hosted the then Washington Bullets, who have since changed their name to the Wizards, after pressure that the term "Bullets" conjured up too many unfortunate images and reminders of violence for a city that always seems to rank among the most violent cities in America. Some years later, Michael Jordan would wind up playing for them, as well, although by then, he was really just a shadow of what he once had been. But that is another story.

So, my first Nets game, the first of many, came in 1994. The next year, I would go to quite a few games, and over the years, I have been to enough that I lost count.

Ironically, this year, I went to perhaps more than any other. That, of course, is the result of dirt cheap tickets. There was one game that I took my son to against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and I bought the pair of tickets for $2.10. That is $1.05 per ticket, with no tax and no shipping charges! A couple of bucks for a pair of tickets to a professional basketball game in 2012! I spent five dollars on parking, a relative bargain, and yet that was twice the price paid for the tickets! Hell, the gas that I used to drive back and forth was probably more!

So, with prices like that, I made a point of loading up, because really, the Nets are moving, and that opportunity simply will not be there for very much longer. At least, it will not be so easy to get to games. I figured it was time to take advantage of these things while the opportunity is there.

Last night, I took my son to another game, and it was the Nets versus the Washington Wizards. The same franchise that the Nets played the first time I ever saw them, now eighteen years past! Perhaps I have come full circle?

The Nets have struggled all season at home. Perhaps that has something to do with this being the last season where they can call New Jersey "home". But their struggles were not in evidence last night, as they bolted out to a solid lead, and played sharp throughout, en route to a convincing 110-98 win.

At times, New Jersey held a lead of over 20 points, but it stayed more or less at around 10 through much of the game. It was the most solid end to end game that I have seen the Nets win in a long, long time. Usually, they have to eke out a win. Of course, it helps that the Wizards are one of the worst teams in the league, and one of the few that actually have a worse record than the Nets do.

Perhaps the signature moment came when Chris Singleton of the Wizards managed to steal the ball and broke away for what looked like it was going to be an easy dunk, only to badly miss. It must have been very embarrassing, but it really seemed to encapsulate the night for both teams.

There are still a few games left for the Nets, and a few games for that matter, that I will be attending. However, it was the last New Jersey Nets game that my son and I will be attending, and that was a bit sad. Still, a nice way to end it, with a convincing victory. With the Nets, you never know if that will happen again! 

The Cheapest Tickets in New Jersey

Took my son to another Nets game last evening, after an absolutely hellacious weekend, and a Monday that seemed almost to be the cherry to top it all off with. There was a point when I almost thought of not going.

But I do love to go to these events, and the Nets are not going to be in town for more than five or six weeks more, tops. No way that they are going to the playoffs, obviously. They are seven games out, with maybe fifteen or so games left. It is not mathematically impossible. But the way that they played last evening, it was clear that they are just not that good of a team.

They came out flat, allowing Cleveland to jump out and grab the early momentum, and they made good use of it, taking a double digit lead early and dictating the tempo of the game. New Jersey was clearly cold and looking completely lifeless.

It did not help, of course, that there were only a few thousand fans attending in a mostly empty arena. That has always been a perennial problem, of course, but this season, evidently, it has reached ridiculous proportions, as offended New Jerseyans, angry at the impending move to Brooklyn, have made a point of boycotting the games. Ticket prices have literally bottomed out. No joke, I paid a grand total of $2.10 for the pair of tickets yesterday. They were not the greatest seats, but really, how better to spend a couple of dollars, which amounts to basically spare change in most people's wallet? It's a joke.

Perhaps what is even more of a joke is that, given the prices, the games are still so empty and bereft of people, let alone enthusiastic support. It is a strange situation, of course.

I have never paid so little for tickets to a professional sporting event, and it was not a preseason game or anything! It was a regular season game, and late in this season, relatively speaking. I mean, tickets looked cheap, and I figured that it might be an opportune time to see a game. However, the cheapness of these tickets even took me by surprise! How do the people that actually bought these tickets make money, anyway? Is it really a protest against the move? When I mentioned it to a coworker, he almost screamed out that I overpaid! Overpaid!! At $1.05 a ticket, and he is claiming that I spent too much money. Apparently, on StubHub, tickets are on sale for – get this – 1 cent! I mean, what the hell? Granted, the Cleveland Cavaliers versus the New Jersey Nets in 2012 is hardly a marquee match up. Neither team is likely to qualify for the playoffs, let alone have a strong impact later in the season. But still, it is a professional basketball team at the truly elite level! When will I ever be able to get tickets to any such event for literally a couple of bucks and change again? It's 2012, after all, and that's less – significantly less – than what a gallon of gas presently sells for. So, yes, I loaded up on tickets, some good, some not so good (like last night), figuring it would not be a big deal if I paid a few bucks and then wound up not being able to attend the game or games. But no single game was as cheap as yesterday's, and just out of principal, I made a point of going to it. Even parking was cheap, at $5.00, which was more than double what I paid for the tickets, of course. Between that and gas, I paid probably far more on this stuff than the actual tickets!

Anyway, back to the game.

The Nets were being badly outplayed, and it became an uphill struggle for much of the rest of the game. They did claw their way back, and even had a lead at some points, after falling behind pretty badly in the first half, and largely staying there throughout that early part of the game. So, it seemed like they were going to pull it out when they had a lead with minutes to go.

However, perhaps they exerted so much energy on the comeback, that they had little left in the gas tank when the game was tight and the result on the line. Cleveland was able to regain control with a strong finish, and they showed the killer instinct that the Nets have not had in quite a few years now, ever since the days of at least Vince Carter, and perhaps more the days of Jason Kidd, and two consecutive Eastern Conference Championships and NBA Finals appearances.

Those days sometimes feel like ancient history, however, and perhaps never so much as last night. New Jersey has some talent, but they just cannot seem to put it all together. They have bad luck, true. Perhaps their biggest producer, Brook Lopez, is basically out for the entire season. This move, and the negative fan reaction, understandable in many ways as it might be, certainly could not help. A few days ago, the Nets seemed a shoe in to pick up Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic, which would likely have made them instant contenders. Instead, seemingly out of nowhere, he decided to finally end all of the drama by remaining in Orlando, but this meant that the drama in New Jersey continues until the team relocates to Brooklyn.

Who knows? Perhaps when the move finally takes place, and the team is solidly entrenched in their new home, they will have better luck for Brooklyn. Until then, however, the Nets are still in New Jersey, although clearly, they have one foot out the door, as they have these last three or four seasons in particular.