As the NBA’s regular season wound down, I read how the Boston Celtic’s would give their starters some rest rather than try to catch and pass the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference rankings. That alone said much about Doc Rivers’ unwavering belief that his team of aging stars can get the job done even on the road.
It remains to be seen if Doc was right because they went up against a less than 100% Knicks team and are now savoring the home cooking against the Heat.
But who would have thought that the San Antonio Spurs who dominated the regular season; the Los Angeles Lakers, a veteran championship team; and the Orlando Magic, long on potential and short on accomplishments would be dispatched in embarrassing fashion?
Not since the 1999 has the NBA playoffs been so unpredictable. But… I like it. I’m just hoping and being selfish here that my Chicago Bulls go all the way.
It’s like saying, “let the old order crumble and let’s start a new.”
I tried looking for parallelisms in yesterday’s NBA and I have found none. Time was teams cooled their jets and waited for the playoffs before turning on the afterburners. No such thing now. The Bulls did that in ’98. The Lakers at the tailend of their own Last Dance with Phil were not the same.
Whatever issues Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol may have, Kobe did not pick it up. As great as he is, this should once and for all, put him in a separate sentence with Michael Jordan. Once they began their ascent, Jordan’s teams were never swept.
In the chaos of the Lakers’ crumbling, Kobe was nowhere to be found. Make no mistake, I am a fan of Black Mamba but like Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Shane Mosley, he disappointed. Does the chase for six rings (that MJ has) end here?
But in spite of the sweep by Dallas, Phil Jackson’s record and legacy is fine. This devastating loss should not tarnish anything. And what a record he has as a player and as a coach, huh? If he does come back… I want it to be with the New York Knicks. The journey would be complete.
I honestly thought that they’d stampede their way to a third straight title given the players they picked up along the way. They seemed well on their way to that but it would be interesting to find out what happened. Maybe another Last Season: A Team in Search of it’s Soul?
I remember during the Last Dance of the Chicago Bulls, Tex Winter was interviewed by the NBA that was prepping its season video of the Bulls. The inventor of the Triangle Offense said, “I just realized that I am the longest coach that Michael Jordan’s even had? How fortunate can I be?”
The same can be said of Jackson. He’s had Michael, Scottie, and Dennis among others in the Windy City. He’s had Shaq, Kobe, and Pau in LA. Those are going to make some great stories at the coffee shop or while fishing. Or what did Rick Carlisle say, “smoking peyotes?” Bwahaha.
People talk about reloading and maybe just maybe the Lakers need one. But if there are any two teams that need it – that’s the San Antonio Spurs and the Orlando Magic. They’ve clearly run the course with their current rosters.
Even as the Lakers were given the broom, some are salivating over the possibility of landing Dwight Howard. If that happens will lightning strike twice? The last time the Magic sent a center to the Lakers, well, they began an incredible run.
The Magic have jettisoned a lot of personnel in the past two seasons and clearly the current batch doesn’t work. It’s going to be interesting to see what pieces they put together to complement Jameer Nelson and Howard. If they keep them at all.
As for the Knicks, the past year together should help them for next year. Now they know what they can do and cannot do. Now they still need a little help.
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pics by Elas and Andrew Bernstein
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