matt weighs in

Welcome back, folks. Been a long time since I rapped at ya. NBA Finals are here, with game 1 about what I thought it would be. Some rustiness from both teams, missed shots that are normally made (I’m looking at you, Kobe), refs making too many calls early on, Celtics defense stifling Kobe’s game, although he did make his teammates look pretty good through three quarters, Pierce and KG showing up at big moments (I loved the two-handed follow-up dunk by KG – I’m serious, I stood up and hit my hand on the ceiling) and, finally, the Celtics pulling out the victory.

I’ve been having a hard time understanding why 75% of the predictions I’ve seen have picked the Lakers to win in 5, 6 or 7 games. This still may happen, but after Kobe, I would take KG over Gasol, Pierce over Odom, Allen over LA’s Euro sharpshooters and the Celtics D over the Lakers O. In the first half, Ray Allen looked like he hadn’t played in months, in that he had great hop in his step, driving to the hoop, good ball-handling and playing decent defense on the other end. This bodes well for the green.

Also, I’ve heard Pierce getting ripped for being carried off the court, riding in a wheelchair and then coming back as though nothing happened. I don’t understand this. Trainers had to be in his ear not to get up, not to do any further damage, telling him to have it checked out in the lockerroom, etc. That he came back doesn’t mean his knee is fine. I doubt he could play today, but I thought it was handled right. No reason to be a hero on this stage. Be safe and move on.

I love that the Celtics and Lakers are playing in the Finals again. I’ve read analysis that this is the greatest rivalry in sports, going back to the 60s (others say it wasn’t a rivalry until 1985, when the Lakers finally beat the Celtics in the Finals) or that it isn’t a rivalry anymore, since they haven’t met in 20+ years and the Celtics have been bad for so long.

We can’t deny the history between the two teams, since they won 8 of 10 titles back in the 80s when Bird and Magic played, but I’m a big believer that rivalries are more for the fans and communities these days, not the players and coaches. In the 80s, it was a great rivalry, in that most of the players from each team played against each other each year for 5+ years. They beat up on each other year after year, playoff after playoff. Now, free-agency and coaches getting fired yearly moves loyalties too soon for rivalries to really set-in for players and coaches.

The media asks the current players about it, and they respect what the two teams playing each other meant in the past, but I need to see what this series brings, what their games next year bring and then have them meet again next year in the Finals to bring this rivalry back to what it was 20 years ago.

With the great players each team has now, there is no reason to believe 2008-2010 can’t be just like 1984-1987, complete with Hall of Fame players and coach, physical play, great performances, and players having their legacy defined by what happens when the Lakers and Celtics meet on the court. The NBA…where history happens.