Unless you live in an NBA city where they still are playing, the idea of a Kobe/LeBron, err, I mean Lakers/Cavs NBA Finals, is enough to make you giddy.
I know there's 14 other cities that would love to see their team in the Finals, but come on, let's be honest, would there be anything better than seeing the two best players in the NBA attacking each other for seven games?
The storylines of the two individually are great, not to mention what would happen collectively.
Kobe, getting close to the end of his prime, is looking at his best chance at a title, with all the pieces there for his first non-Shaq ring. Kobe is looking at ring number four and a spot in the top 15 of the greatest of all-time, and Los Angeles would be bringing the hardware back to the West Coast and redeeming last year's Game 6 embarrassment.
In Cleveland, years of let-down and despair would be put on the line.
A few weeks ago, I met someone who was visiting from Cleveland. He never said he was from Cleveland, he merely mentioned he was from LeBron Country, and that was enough. I knew where he was from and he knew that I knew where that "Country" was located. After about five minutes of basketball talk, I asked him, is the city excited? He looked at me, and as if I could see Michael Jordan's shot in '89 and Edgar Renteria's seeing eye game-winner in the '97 World Series, he said, "it's very low-key, we've been disappointed before."
Even with arguably the greatest player in the world, LeBron Country still doesn't believe they can win it all. Imagine the weight on James' shoulders, on the Cavs shoulders. For James, it's an opportunity to surpass Kobe as the best in the game right now. If he outplays Bryant, if they were to meet, there would be no discussion, Kobe would be in the rearview mirror. If he wins his first title, he'd be ahead of everybody on the ring list. Not only are the LeBrons vying for the title, but also for a little redemption of their own. Two words: Spurs sweep.
How many national pundits would just stare at the TV and drool when trying to analyze the contest? How many bloggers would spend June gushing about the series? If ever there was a time for print media to make a comeback, it would be during this series.
It's the perfect storm of the glitz and glamour of L.A. against the hard-nosed, blue-collar city of Cleveland. In an era where everyone knows the meaning of downsizing and recession, there's no doubt this Finals would bring everyone a much-needed escape.
But hold on, there's another side to this coin that must be mentioned.
Conspiracy theorists are already at it. The most "aware" of the bunch are already predicting some fishy officiating if either team is close to elimination.
I'm not trying to make excuses for certain teams losing to other bigger, more marketable teams, but there are some interesting events that have occurred over the years.
2002, Kings/Lakers, Western Conference Finals — Watch the series again, and you come away not blatantly saying there were some shenanigans, but much like sitting down for a home-cooked meal from someone not adept in the kitchen, something just doesn't smell right.
2003, Timberwolves/Lakers, Western Conference First Round — In the middle of the year, David Stern made an unprecedented move, changing the first round of the playoffs from a five-game series to a seven-game series. Many believe it was to help an increasingly dysfunctional growing Lakers team make it past the first round with fresher legs to win its fourth title in a row. In Game 4 of the series in Minnesota, the Lakers found themselves with a 25-6 edge in free throws in the third and fourth quarters. Even with that advantage, they lost in overtime.
2006, Heat/Mavs, NBA Finals — Up-and-coming star Dwyane Wade got an obscene amount of calls and turned the NBA Finals into a whistle-blowing convention. Some couldn't help but notice Mark Cuban on the other side of the bench. After Dallas stole the first two games in Miami, the Mavs held a 20-point advantage in Game 3. Miami would make an amazing comeback and win the next four games to take the title.
Before everyone goes crazy backing their team, I am merely giving you details of where there have been some questionable officiating with larger market teams as the beneficiaries. I hope this doesn't happen this year.
Sure, there's a lot that can happen between now and June. The Knicks made it to the Finals as the eighth seed. Detroit upset the Lakers in 2004. It's sports, and as the old cliché goes, anything can happen on any given night. Let's just hope the anything isn't a slight against the NBA and its officiating.
But if it does, will I care? Kobe/LeBron in the Finals, who would?
Leave a Comment