Better Late Than Never

This is the first chance I've gotten to offer congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning the NBA Championship last week. It is very rare that a team I pick to win it all before the season starts actually goes on to do so. I was very glad to see Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and P.J. Brown (a New Orleans area native) finally win a championship after so many years. I was also happy for Ray Allen (who always has seemed like a class act), Doc Rivers (who I loved watching as a player) and for Glen "Big Baby" Davis (an LSU guy in his rookie year). What made it even better is that it came at the expense of Kobe Bryant. I just can't stress how much I don't like this guy. Yes, I realize all athletes are prima donnas to one extent or another. And he certainly isn't the first to push publicly for a trade. What made that worse though was that he demanded a trade from a team he created. He's the one that pushed for Shaquille O'Neal to be traded to the Miami Heat (where he promptly won a championship). He helped push Phil Jackson out the door even thought Jackson later returned. What's even more annoying about the guy are the comparisons to Michael Jordan. Of course, Bryant has no control over what others say about him but it's ridiculous to compare Kobe to Michael. Is Bryant one of the top players in the league right now? Of course he is. Is he so far above everyone else? Of course not. To insinuate that is so is ludicrous. LeBron James is at least Kobe's equal if not superior. Kobe has benefited from playing in a major market his entire career and with perhaps the greatest center ever in O'Neal. Let's be realistic. If Kobe played in Memphis or Portland or Charlotte people would say he's a good player but nothing special. What does he do that any other franchise player does not? Nothing. Okay, this has become an anti-Kobe rant when it was meant to be a celebration of the Celtics. Sorry, I just can't help it. Kobe really rubs me the wrong way and even worse are the supposedly knowledgeable people who perpetuate the hype. Anyways, congratulations Boston. Hopefully, the Red Sox will continue the Boston party this fall. Too bad the Patriots blew it on their end.

David Stern Gets His Wish

Let me say first that I generally do not believe in conspiracy theories. I especially think it is absurd to believe that sports can be manipulated to fit into a pre-ordained outcome. Having said that, it sure is remarkable that the NBA actually ended up with the Finals match-up it most desperately desired, Celtics vs. Lakers. Of course the Celtics were the cream of the crop in the East. Their only serious competition this year came from the Pistons and the Celtics just flat out wanted it more than the Pistons did. However, by no stretch of the imagination were the Lakers head and shoulders above the rest of the Western Conference. Yes, they were the number one seed but that was only by a game and only because the Hornets faltered the final week of the regular season. They were decidedly superior to both the Nuggets and Jazz in the playoffs but then drew likely the easiest match-up they could have in the conference finals when they got the Spurs. Yes, I know the Spurs were the defending champs and no, this is not bitterness because they ousted my Hornets. The Spurs were lucky to survive New Orleans. Yes, lucky. Just compare their shooting percentages from the New Orleans series to the Lakers series (and the Hornets played excellent defense against them). So the Lakers got the older, less athletic team which had no legitimate answer for Kobe, Gasol, or Odom as opposed to the one that did. Now, did the NBA influence the outcome of the Spurs/Hornets series? I wouldn't say that but they sure got lucky. Now they get the Finals match up that will likely give them their highest ratings since Jordan retired the second time. The ratings in Boston and L.A. alone will probably be higher that last year's bore fest that was Spurs/Cavaliers. So David Stern is jubilant and Kobe gets the spotlight (which is all he really cares about). But my hope is that Kevin Garnett (a more complete player and classier guy than Kobe could ever be) gets his first championship. I won't give a prediction as far as how long the series will last but I will take the Celtics all the way.