Reflecting on What I Learned

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.For all intents and purposes I am going to try and be as impartial as I can when I talk about “the Black Mamba.”  Key word: try.

 First topic…the MVP.  I can’t stress this enough that I thought 3 guys deserved to win the MVP this year.  Steve Nash of course, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James all had stellar years.  I can’t take anything away from them and what they did this year.  They all had teams with not-so-great supporting casts, and managed to lead their respective teams to playoff berths.  Each player had a career year as far as statistics go, and they were all All-Star starters (with LeBron winning the MVP).  These three manage to dominate a game in completely different ways.  Nash is the playmaker; he sets up teammates, gets them open shots, and has the best court vision of anyone in the league.  Kobe is the scorer, if you can’t count to 81 I’m sure the Raptors can.  LeBron is a mix of both, he takes over when his team needs him to score, and he is versatile enough to trust his teammates to hit open shots.  Dissecting these three and the MVP race will be made into a book one day, but to put everything to bed…Nash deserved the MVP.  He lost a starter from last year to free agency (Richardson), a trade (Johnson), and injury (Stoudamire).  He helped 3 career reserves have career years (Diaw, Raja Bell, and Barbosa).  Finally, he led the Suns through a tough division with 3 other playoff teams in it (Kings, Clippers, and Lakers) and won the Pacific Division.  He is absolutely invaluable to the Suns organization.  The MVP has absolutely nothing to do with your public image, or the color of your skin.  If it did, then how do you explain Allen Iverson being an MVP?  I’m not saying Kobe and Allen are bad guys, but Allen’s reputation when he won the MVP was salty just like Kobe’s has been post-Colorado.  To give Kobe his props, he was the MOP, most outstanding player this year.  One last thing on the MVP…at the beginning of the season where did you have the Lakers ending up? Lower seed in the playoffs? Maybe a division title? What about the Suns? Lottery team right?  I rest my case.

Second Topic…Round 1.  I will remember only two series’ from this year’s first round, the Cavs and Wizards, and the Suns and Lakers, respectively.  The Cavs and Wizards were phenomenal.  LeBron and Gilbert Arenas put on a clinic on how to score the basketball, LeBron had a triple-double in his playoff debut, and two game winners in critical games in the series.  Lets not forget about game 6 where LeBron gave Gilbert a little pat and said, “you miss these, and its over”, then made a crucial pass out of a double team, trusting his teammates to make the play, then D-Jones killed the Wizards with a three after sitting for 47 minutes and 50 seconds.  As cliché as it sounds, it was like Jordan giving it up to Kerr for the game winner against the Jazz.  Sure it is early to make the connection because MJ has six rings and is God, but for me it isn’t too early.  LeBron James resembles the one player in this league that you could argue might have been better than Michael Jordan…Magic Johnson.  I see it.  I was young watching Johnson and the Lakers, in my teens watching MJ and the Bulls, but LeBron is making his case, and he is only 21 years old.  Michael Jordan hung it up when he was 35 (the second time) that means we could have 14 more years of the King.  

The best series so far has got to be the Lakers and Suns series in the First Round.  Through the first four games of the series, Kobe Bryant had the NBA universe saying he deserved the MVP.  He delivered another game winning, momentum changing, confidence shattering, stomach punching shot that sent the Laker faithful into a frenzy.  The Clippers-Lakers battle was all but set.  The Lakers needed to win just one of three, and how could the Suns even show their face in the Staples Center again after what happened in Game Four.  Steve Nash had lost the game twice for the Suns.  He was shaky, inconsistent, and used poor judgment in three straight games.  This was not the actions of a two time MVP.  Kobe showed his versatility in those wins, not scoring anywhere near his average over the season and involved his teammates to get those wins.  Somebody forgot to tell the Suns to just roll over and die.  Get `em next year when you get Amare back to full health.  You had a good season and made believers out of a lot of people.  You will be back.  Not these Suns.  A blowout in game 5, and a really good WWE clothesline from Raja Bell. Game 6 back in L.A.  A great battle, a clutch shot from Tim Thomas, and we go to game 7, in Phoenix.  Alright this was supposed to be it, Kobe’s defining moment.  The game he would prove his worth in the NBA pantheon of great players.  All of his personal life drama, his feud with Shaq, feud with Phil, MVP snubbing, ball-hog name calling, and adolescent bickering with Raja Bell was going to motivate Kobe to have the game of his life.  Um…3 shots in the second half? “I was sticking to the game plan to try and get my teammates involved.”  In case you don’t speak Kobe the translation is, “I don’t know who I was in games 2, 3, and 4.  It was an out of body experience.  I tried to be myself again in games 5 and 6 and the first half of 7.  But then I figured the only way for me not to get blamed for choking a 3-1 series lead was to not shoot at all and score one point in the second half of the most important game 7 of my career.  You see, I’m a scorer, if I don’t score my team loses.  I put the ball in the hands of my teammates to try and come back in the second half and they couldn’t do it.  Maybe next time they will appreciate me and my ability.”  If I’m off on the translation please tell me.  By the way, the Suns won Game 7.

If I had it my way I would like to see Cleveland and Phoenix in the Finals.  But Dallas looks really good.  I wouldn’t give up on the Spurs, but Dallas is not going to blow a 3-1 lead like the Lakers, especially with a game in Dallas.  Miami is really weird.  They struggle with the Bulls and sleep walk through game 1 against New Jersey.  Then they dominate the next 4 games.  It’s back to the Eastern Conference Finals for Shaq and Flash.  Phoenix and the Clippers has not disappointed by any stretch.  I really think it is going to 7 games and then it is a toss up.  I just think that nothing can shake the Suns anymore, they have overachieved all season, and they just find a way to win.  Even with bone head mistakes by Steve Nash and Tim Thomas on Tuesday night, they still won.  The Clippers have one guy with loads of experience (Sam Cassel) but I don’t think it is enough to beat the Suns in a game 7.  They played 3 straight elimination games against the Lakers and won them all. Finally, as crazy as it sounds what would happen if the Cavs beat the Pistons?  The odds on favorite to win it all goes down against a talent deficient (except for one) team.  The Cavs are just gritty and gutty.  The Pistons didn’t look good at all in games 3 and 4, and LeBron really didn’t have that great of a game 4 and they still won.  The changing of the guard in the Eastern Conference may be happening right now.  I don’t want to get premature on the Pistons though, when it comes down to it, I still think they are the team to beat.

Call me a bandwagoner all you want, but my sentimental pick in the playoffs was the Clippers.  I have never, and will never root for a team with L.A. or Anaheim in front of it.  But my reasoning is valid.  The Clippers were the San Diego Clippers during my lifetime, albeit for 3 seasons.  Since only the Rockets have been in San Diego and moved on and there is no team here, my lineage for liking the Clippers is righteous.  I have only bought 2 jerseys in my life.  One was an O’Neal Orlando jersey when they went to the finals, and a token white-guy sport cliché, a Larry Bird jersey.  Ever since Shaq moved to L.A. I never rooted for a NBA team like a hometown team the way I did for the Magic.  Of course until now, for the Clippers.  They are not the L.A. Clippers; they are simply the Clippers to me.  I have finally found my NBA team that I will root for the rest of my life.  After stints with the Sacramento Kings (circa 2001-2003), Phoenix Suns (Barkley years, and last year), and Seattle SuperSonics (Payton, Kemp days) I now have a team that I will root solely for…the Clippers.  

P.S. I really wanted them to play and beat the Lakers.  It would be like little brother laying the smack down on big brother.