Lakers? Celtics? Some could care less. Some just want to see basketball. Some don't like watching blowouts. Some just hate it when superstars sulk on the bench and give up. Some also hate it when regular stars act like they're 2 years old and pretend to be injured so they can get their diapers chagned in the locker room. Some just want to see Sasha Vujacic because they are girls and they think he looks so adorable. And then some just think that the Machine is AWESOME.
So, the NBA season is at long last at its conclusion - with the Boston Celtics crowned champions. As a lifelong Laker fan, the fact that the Lakers unexpectedly reached the Finals serves as no consolation to the agony of watching the Celtics (THE CELTICS!) take the trophy. But now, 24 hours later, I've been able to digest the season as a whole a bit better.
Us Laker fans started the season scared out of our minds that for the first time in eleven years, we would be without the one constant that kept us hoping and believing - from Kobe's rookie season and his audacious airballs against the Utah Jazz, to his improbable buzzer beaters against the Portland Trailblazers to clinch the #1 seed, from his off court troubles in Eagle, Colorado, to his 81 point game against the Rapters - Kobe Bryant's excellence between the lines was never, ever in doubt. And yet, the threat was very real. We were about to enter a period of extreme unknown, a period when Kobe Bryant would be wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey. To deny that every Laker fan had already resigned themselves to the fact that Kobe was going to be traded would be dishonest. Even if most of us said, "No, it'll never happen!", deep down inside we knew that the trade demands were very, very real.
So now, sitting here a year and change later, to be disappointed in losing the NBA Finals...it's a good place to be, all things considered. Now don't get me wrong, once I realized that we had a shot, I was all in and fully engaged in winning a championship, and anyone who was with me watching these playoffs knows full well how pained I was when we first blew game 4, and then failed to show up in game 6. But I also know that to be a Laker fan means to be constantly spoiled by greatness. The pieces are there, but like MJ's young Bulls who couldn't get past the Pistons, like the Shaq era Lakers under Del Harris, it takes a few years of adversity and growth to find the fire that we so sorely lacked in Game 6. It hasn't been that long since our last championship, we just made the finals, and with a few new pieces, a little improvement over the summer from our youngsters - we are looking at a new Laker dynasty.
Fret not, Laker Nation. The Purple and Gold is back.
Kobe Bryant, you said in the post game interview you had some very good shots that didn't go down for you. But c'mon Kobe, we all know you're the only person in the NBA who thinks those shots are easy, but you can easily get those shots any time you want. You looked like Kobe of old, forcing shots, not passing, not running the offense. Your teammates were completely out of sync, they need you to get them involved. And not just by piling up your own assist numbers, but by giving them the simple pass and giving them the confidence that you trust them.
Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Vladimir Radmonovich, please, defense does not end until you secure the rebound. Please, you forced plenty of poor shots and showed solid defense... until you let Boston grab 10 offensive rebounds including the exclamation put back jam by KG in the closing minutes.
Lakers, please calm down and show some poise. The entire game you guys looked confused, rushed, puzzled, and completely out of sync. The Boston crowd and team energy totally disoriented everyone on the court leading to poor passes, rushed shots, and a serious lack of focus (I'm talking to you space cadet).
Please! Please! PLEASE! Run your offense and focus on how you can improve. You guys were ALL one step behind Boston in game 1, it's obvious who actually did their homework. Regroup and steal one on Sunday. And Phil, please play Trevor Ariza.
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