Author: leftcoast

Have you ever tried to get your girlfriend or wife to watch a basketball game with you on T.V.?  You would swear you were pulling teeth, right?  Well, I had to sit through a “Desperate Housewives” marathon, along with “The Hills”.  The only redeeming factor is that they have some good looking chicks on there.  I don’t get why basketball is so foreign to some women.  It has world class athletes, drama, and is a relatively easy sport.  My girlfriend is the worst at trying to speak metaphorically.  She makes me more confused than when I start sometimes.  Recently, she tried to explain “D-H” to me using metaphors that I can’t honestly even remember.  I looked at her the same cocked-head way a dog looks at something strange.  She challenged me to describe the NBA to her in terms she would understand.  So I did.  I thought I would share.

I will go ahead and eat some crow for what I said about the Golden State Warriors.  I, like 95% of basketball fans, totally wrote them off of even winning a game in this series.  When they win game 6 and win this series, it will be even more of a reason to totally disregard the NBA regular season.  I can’t remember the last time I had more fun watching a series.  To be perfectly honest, I have only kept track of one other series so far this year, the Suns and Lakers.  But the past week and half, especially after the game 1 shocker, I have completely built my life around when the next game of this series is.

It’s a funny world we live in when players like Mark Madsen, Beno Udrih, and Darvin Ham have NBA finals rings, and Karl Malone, John Stockton, Reggie Miller, and Charles Barkley don’t.  Of course those first names are the typical 10-12 men on championship rosters who also deserve rings, but there is something to be said for the greats who never win championships.  Charles Barkley has said that he doesn’t believe that him never winning a championship diminishes his career any, nor does it to Karl, John, or Reggie.  He may be right, but why did he go to Houston?  Why did Karl go to L.A.?  To win a championship, right?  This year actually saw two great players win that elusive championship, Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton.  Two players who in their prime may have been one of the top ten players at their respective positions ever.  Did anyone really predict 10 years ago that Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning would take bench roles in order to win a championship?

I’m very glad that I decided to wait and hold off on writing the “end of the NBA season, start of the playoffs, MVP award” article.  The internet and newspapers are full of predictions for the playoffs, who deserves the MVP, and all that other hogwash.  I figured I would wait and see how things panned out with the first round of the playoffs and take a little time to reflect on what I have learned about professional basketball.  This sport is both cruel and beautiful.  These playoffs have sent me on an emotional roller coaster ride.  Up and down.  Jubilation and depression.  Excitement and boredom. Shock and predictability.  I don’t know if I have ever been this enthralled in a basketball postseason in the AJ era (After Jordan).  It is only fitting though that the top 3 MVP candidates this season have provided the most intrigue in the playoffs.  Kobe vs. Nash, and LeBron making us all witnesses.  The enticement of a Hallway series between the Clippers and the Lakers (how many premature articles did you read?).  LeBron and Gilbert playing the “anything you can do I can do better” game for a whole series.  A fantastic series so far from the Clippers and Suns in Round 2. Finally, the Cavs…I repeat…the Cavs giving the Pistons fits right now… (Deep breath)…here we go.