An Open Letter to the Basketball Gods

Dear Sirs (or Madams…however ironic that’d be),

You’re truly awesome beings. You’ve been generous enough to bestow upon us an incredible sport; one that combines artistry and athleticism unlike any other and has kept legions of fans enthralled for generations. You’ve given us plenty to celebrate over the past 117 years; so many compelling rivalries, dominant dynasties, colourful personalities, courageous underdogs, fearless heroes, cunning villains and players who simply never fail to amaze us with their talents. Those you provide for are relentless and occasionally ungrateful in their pleas and demands, but you somehow almost always managed to deliver.

For all the hard work you’ve put in over the past few years, especially after a scandalous crisis that could’ve shredded the league’s credibility passed with little commotion (…let us pray it stays that way…), you deserved a vacation; a chance to relax and just let the game be. You could’ve easily just cooked up any other plain ‘ol season to appease your faithful subjects, but instead you went balls- out and gave us a season to truly remember. We have so much to thank you for, it’s hard to know where to start. So it might as well be at the beginning:

For Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, the Al’s, Jamario and Big Baby; all the rookies who represent the future of the league and the potential they bring.

For the offseason madness; the Kobe saga, the Celtics’ rebirth, the Bulls’ confusion. For the trade demands, lawsuits, coaching beefs, job threats and fresh rivalries that built up unrivalled promise coming into the season.

…and for delivering on it.

For Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire, two beasts who emerged as the league’s dominant big men and are still young and improving every year. For the fear they impose on those in their path and for every abusive throwdown that’s left a helpless victim cowering in their wake.

For the mere presence of the New York Knicks. Their stubbornness and stupidity in affairs both on and off the court made them a walking punchline all season, a role they graciously accepted through simply appalling basketball. Knicks jokes became almost cliché by about midseason, but they were never in short supply.

For the Portland Trailblazers, who after years of futile attempts to legitimize themselves, took the league by storm this year, nearly making the playoffs after losing their supposed saviour. They played exciting, inspiring ball and brought respect back to a franchise that’s been crippled by disappointment.

For the Celtic’s backup cast; the supporting players who were so heavily hated on by everyone and their grandma, who everyone said would be Boston’s Achilles Heel. The same ones who immediately stepped into huge roles and delivered, shattering any doubts about their ability to hold their own amongst three superstars. And for the Lakers’ bench mob; the supporting players who were so heavily hated on by their own leader. The same ones who stepped up and made him trust them for the first time ever.

For the Indiana Pacers, a team that even amidst a prolonged streak of boring, sub-par basketball can keep us amused with tales of injury-inducing locker room outbursts, high-speed shootouts on crowded downtown streets, and providing shelter to wanted murderers. Well played boys.

For Dikembe Mutombo; his immobility, his voice, his essence.

For Josh Smith, J-Rich, Iggy and all the other high-flyers who kept our eyes wide, jaws dropped and made Court Cuts worth watching every week. Also for every lumbering oaf that was unable to get out of the way.

For an awesome All-Star weekend fitting of a New Orleans revival, the proverbial cherry on top of an outstanding season for the Hornets that brought cause for celebration to a city that desperately needs it.

For the Rocket’s historic win streak, which turned the West on its head against all odds and served as one of the best among many underdog surprises this season. 22 wins amazed and inspired, leaving us all to wonder what might’ve gone down if Yao hadn’t first.

For the trade deadline swapping spree (and the incompetence of Chris Wallace). It made for an exciting twist to the season’s stretch run on many levels, shaking things up for several teams and getting Larry Hughes the hell out of Cleveland.

For the Western Conference. Never before has so little separated the competition as they swapped spots for months in a thrilling race to the postseason. Even as the East teams were engaged in a crucial battle for late lottery picks, the Bestern kept things interesting.

For Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett, four players who had legendary campaigns and could’ve easily laid claim to the MVP trophy. They were indispensable to their teams, leaving us mere mortals awestruck by their excellence.

For the Playoffs, which gave us several near-upsets, breakout performances, heroic victories and noble defeats. We saw a dynasty fall, an era of incredibly entertaining basketball come to an end and the re-affirmation that the Mavs are few cards short. Most importantly, we saw two teams rise out nowhere to become the class of their conferences in less than a season, restoring dignity to the league’s most storied franchises and, in Boston’s case, making sure that the better team won.
For all this and more,

Thank You.

Celtic Pride: Boston Wins It

The Boston Celtics have won the Larry O'Brien Trophy, finishing off the Lakers in the most thorough ass-whupping ever seen in a clinching game. I'm not even gonna talk about game six and what transpired because it was so disappointing, the most anti-climactic finale to an awesome NBA season. I still don't know what the fuck went on with the Lakers in this series, they never really looked like themselves, especially Kobe, who looked to be segregated in the offense far too much.

But whatever. What it all comes down to is Boston wanting it more: they thoroughly outplayed the Lakers and punctuated the biggest 180 in league history with a title. Good on 'em. Can't really argue with a team full of likeable players who fought through infinite expectations, naysayers and a tough road to the Finals winning it all. Watching the look on Garnett's face as he clutched the Larry O after these years was almost enough to excuse the irrelevance of this game's second half. I'm happy for him and Pierce, to a slightly lesser extent Ray Allen, and to a much lesser extent Glen Davis. They were an awesome team this year, and it's fitting that the squad everyone was hyping going into the season is now the one everyone's saluting. Even though the Finals wasn't the ultimate showdown we all expected, we can rest our heads knowing that a truly deserving king has been crowned.

So that wraps up the season. Things could still get wild over the next few months with plenty of trade talk, a deep draft and plenty of free agents to be had. We'll keep you posted on rumors, break down trades, and try to make the offseason interesting. The NBA Top 50's dropping soon, and hopefully a few other things too. Stay tuned.

...It Might Be All Over

Well folks, we're staring the end of the NBA season square in the face. Confronted with the task of preserving the hopes and dreams of every basketball fan for an epic Celtics/Lakers Finals, LA began game four looking more like themselves and appeared to have a handle on things, even with Kobe in a deeper slump than Eminem. But in another bizarre twist, Boston proved they could erase 24 points as easily as they could surrender them, suffocated the Lakeshow in the second half and now find themselves a win from the 'chip.

I have a sick feeling the Celtics are going to close it out tomorrow. This series seemed destined for seven epic games and even though it's been infinitely more exciting than its predecessor, I still feel cheated. For the first time in my generation's lives there was a showdown between the L's two most storied franchises for the title; it pitted an offensive terror against a rock-solid defense, each led by superstars with everything on the line. Maybe I was being greedy but I wanted (almost expected) seven games, a few overtimes, a 50 from Kobe, an epic comeback...well we almost got two, but I digress...So far, Boston's been hurting LA and are clearly more ready for the crown while the Lakers look worn out from the long road behind them (remember only two of them have ever played this much).

It's a shitty reality, but the season may well be over by the next post I drop; LA's confidence has been severely violated after suffering the biggest collapse in Finals history on their home court. Their survival now depends on them making another kind of history: becoming the first team ever to climb out of 3-1 hole. Given the way they've been nonchalantly drifting in and out of games, they're screwed. Boston's just been too tough, capitalizing on crucical possessions and focring LA to bungle theirs in both the comeback games. They're playing better ball and have to be more confident even on the road.

Who knows though, maybe I'm way off and Kobe drops 45, Pau grows and spine, Sasha keeps the lights out and this maybe becomes a series again. But if the Celtics do win their 17th title Sunday night, a worthy champion will be crowned. Three superstars came together to sacrifice the spotlight for a shot a the ultimate goal that had eluded them for ages. They snuffed doubts about their depth and chemistry, nurtured the young talents around them and led the best turnaround ever. The Big Three all deserve rings more than pretty much anyone else right now and I'd love to see them win it...in seven games.

Lakers Win, Still Far From Trophy

Surprising nobody, Los Angeles came out firing in Game 3 and held off the Celtics to cut their Finals deficit to 2-1. What came as a huge surprise was how it happened: Boston seemed to dictate tempo during a sloppy, defense-minded contest that the Lakers lost a grip on for large stretches of the second half. I was sincerely expecting a blowout; a severe pounding that shook the Celts, but a win's a win, and for the sake of a more competitive series, I'm all for it. LA needed a more convincing win to level the momentum, and Boston's still probably fully convinced they can steal one at Staples. Given the way they've played at home during the playoffs, that on its own might be enough to win the title.

A few parting shots from last night's game:

- The Lakers (particularly Kobe) started this game exactly how they needed to. Clearly fired up by the home crowd, they took it to the hoop rather than settling for jumpers, fought for loose balls they gave up in Boston, and stopped playing Dirk to the Golden State of the Celtics' D. Kobe got his Lebron on at the stripe, but at least he was getting there. It was because of this start that the Celtics felt the need to stay home, permitting the Lakers to make it rain later in the game, which brings me to...

- Sasha Vujacic. What the hell. I got a huge kick out of this guy proclaiming himself "the Machine", but his play's been backing it up. The guy's become a strong defender and lights-out bomber who can create shots for himself and no longer forces treys. If I had a vote for "Best Breakout of the Playoffs" (or if that award actually existed), he's got it.

- Pau and Lamar, will you please stop playing like two of those flamingo lawn ornaments. You seldom establish position when shots go up, snooze on D and finished around the hoop with all the offensive prowess of Andy Varejao last night. You're better players than this, and your squad needs you next game.

- Tell-tale sign that the Lakers still need to step it up: they barely won this game with KG and Paulette taking serious backseats on offense (actually, Paul was stuck in the trunk). Trust that a team's two best, hungriest players won't do this often, so don't take it lately.

...And from around the L:

- Tim Donaghy, you are truly a piece of diseased hyena bait. You got into hot water with the mob, admittedly tampered with the outcomes of games to save yourself (fucking over millions of fans and bettors, not mention the athletes who live and die for this game), and now in a further deperate attempt to serve yourself, are trying to blow the whistle on a bigger refereeing conspiracy just as you fall off the face of the Earth. Words cannot express how much I hope you wind up in a cell with a muscle-bound basketball gambler.

- I hope I'm far from alone in welcoming Vinny Del Negro back to the court. One of the classier guys the league's seen and one of the few Spurs I don't have anything bad to say about.

- Word around the league is that Deroit's desperately trying to land Carmelo Anthony, the irony of which is both crippingly painful and absolutely hilarious.

- The league recently announced it will begin fining players who incessantly flop next season. It'll be ineteresting to see how often this happens and how the league will govern such a subjective rule. I'm glad the league's finally making players think twice about making a dirty play, but Manu's undoubtedly died a little inside.

- And finally, welcome to Free Agency, Adonal Foyle! Enjoy the pay cut buddy.

Don't Call It a Comeback - Celts Take 2-0 Lead

....It was almost, just so damn close to a legendary comeback that would even the series and make for the best start to the Finals, hell, probably ever. 22 points in less than seven minutes, eroded by flurry of threes and the kind of killer instinct the Lakers lacked as they listlessly drifted through the first three quarters. The fact that they almost won this game is a testament to how far below their potential they've played. It wasn't to be though; they had buried themselves too deep. For 40 minutes, Boston played smothering defense, executed on offense like we've expected from LA, and got a huge game from their bench. They likely aren't the better team but have stright up outplayed the Lakers, and now head to Staples for three games ahead of them, but with two W's beneath them.

The Lakers' offense has looked out of sync all series, and although they hit half their shots, they executed poorly. There's been too much idling, too many open cuts missed, too many rushed decisions, too much confusion. They need Kobe to penetrate more; get to the line and keep the D honest on their shooters. The Lakers were soft on D too, letting Rondo get into the paint far too easily to create wide open looks. Lamar and Pau disappointed me again on the boards; they let the Celtics hoard too many loose balls they had no business getting to. They barely lost the rebounding battle but if LA had toughened up and owned the glass they very well might've won this game.

Boston didn't do too much wrong in this game...well aside from their nearly-historical 4th quarter meltdown, they played as well as you can against the Lakers, beating them very badly at their own game. They moved the rock like a crack hustler, totaling 31 assists on 36 field goals; their passing broke LA down for the second straight game. They kept the Lakers off the line (albeit thanks, in part, to some suspect no-calls) and protected the paint well. 35 points from the bench, including 21 from Leon Powe (!) didn't hurt much either. They need to maintain better focus in the coming games, but 40 minutes of domination eventually outweighed 8 minutes of Doc Rivers' personal hell and Boston survived.

So the Lakers hobble back to their homecourt, facing a must-win Tuesday night and many issues with their play to address. They've been a disappointment; playing, as Phil Jackson put it, "the worst we could play" and then having the nerve to tease us with nine-tenths of the greatest comeback in playoff history. LA knows it can play better, and now they need to, before this series winds up like this game.

Carry on Tradition: C's Take Game One

Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have each spent over a decade playing professional basketball, labouring endlessly on good-at-best teams in a futile struggle to find the NBA's promise land. The allure of a title run brought them together, and they quieted nay-sayers by putting team before self and supplementing the growth of their inexperienced surroundings. After survivng a few close calls in the opening rounds, the "Big Three" as they're incessantly called, made it: a potentially once-in-a-lifetime shot at hoisitng basketball's most coveted trophy. Only a formidable foe and four victories stood in their way and one could assume the C's would be supremely motivated to take game one at home. Sure enough, Boston wasn't to be denied and took the opening contest after a close battle that the 98-88 final score belies.

The latest bout in the NBA's greatest rivalry was a back-and-forth slugfest for 44 minutes; the C's by-now-trademark defense forcing LA into questionable shots and preventing them from playing the up-tempo style they rode to the Finals. Kobe didn't look nearly as comfortable in this game and the Celts (word to P-Double) did an excellent job containing him. The Lakers' supporting cast filled the bill for the first 24 minutes, but disappeared in the second half. They bricked jumpers they've routinely buried and by the end of the game, you could tell Kobe felt as though he had to win this one himself.

The Celtics are to be saluted for their efforts, especially KG, who dropped 24 and 13 in his Finals debut, racked up an insane amount of hockey assists, and set the tone for a defense-oriented game whose pace played out to Boston's advantage. His back-court save in the fourth compeltely caught the Lakers off guard and led to a huge basket, just one of several momentum-shifting plays he delivered. Ray Allen shot poorly and passed poorly (still got his 19 somehow), Kendrick Perkins was a non-factor and the 15 and 7 the Kia Rondo gave them seems almost pedestrian at this point, but because Boston was able to slow this game down, and due to the hustle and toughness the whole team brought on D, they were able to win.

...And then there's Paul Pierce's Willis Reed moment in the third quarter, an instant classic that highlighted an exciting first game. Pierce left the game in agony after being mauled by a clueless Kendrick Perkins on a loose ball, hardly able to walk and leaving every Celtics fan's throat in a knot. He returned minutes later to a heroic ovation with a "we're not losing this game" glare on his face, then proceeded to bury two triples that cemented Boston's lead and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Though the Lakeshow never really got their offense grooving, what killed them in this game was defensive rotation. Whenever a body came over to help on KG, the opposite wing was slow to recover, which surrendered Pierce's 4-point play, his back-to-back jacks to close the third, and James Posey's dagger in the closing minutes. I mean these guys were wide fucking open, had all the time in the World to get a good look. When you're playing on the sport's most hallowed ground, you can't allow that shit to happen. Also, memo to Pau Gasol: body up on the glass. Your decision to let the best rebounder in the series (who had eaten you in particular on several occasions) waltz into the lane unopposed left your team in a hole too deep to rise out of, and your helpless mug on a poster shot so vicious your grandkids will clown you about it.

LA was just shook last night; they didn't look like themselves. The brick-laying, the unusual defensive lapses, the mis-cues on offense and eventual reliance on a one-man show; they played like the fucking Cavs. Nobody was really outstanding for them (Phil included) and you have to expect a better effort from them for Game Two. I don't want to call it a must-win but LA's better off leveling the series before they head back home. I've heard much about the Lakers "peaking at the right time", but Boston's grown stronger through their early bumps in the road this postseason, and are proving their timing, not to mention their play, ain't half bad either.

Game Over: Detroit Axes Lil Flip

Flip Saunders has an impressive track record as an NBA coach. Throughout what by today's standards are lengthy tenures with the Timberwolves and Pistons, he's won 60% of his games and made four trips to the conference finals, but on the flip side, he's lost all four of them and never truly associated himself with anything beyond mediocrity. Apparently, Joe Dumars wants more from his bench boss and has quite understandably terminated Mr. Saunders' employment.

This move makes sense, purely because Flip never seemed like that popular a guy in Deroit. Over the years he's repeatedly made questionable decisions down the stretch of close games and inspired his team to play on the level of their opposition better than any coach in the league. He possesses all the charisma of a dried-up, dirty sponge and was publicly denounced by his team's emotional leader several times.

Detroit needed to shake things up, and Flip's consistent inability to inspire greatness made him an obvious casualty. Saunders failed to gain respect from his players and it showed in their inconsistent play. For a team who's lost its footing atop the East, that's just not gonna fly. He'd be a good fit for a boring team looking for a competent coach with a proven track record, maybe the Pacers or somebody who won't be winning much anyway.

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