The NBA's playoff rebirth continues in the finals, as the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic face-off in a series with more subplots than "Lost" (Probably not).
1. Kobe Bryant gets another shot at a title without Shaquille O'Neal
-- After three titles with the game's then-premier big man, Bryant has fallen in two trips to the Finals, against Detroit in 2004 and versus Boston last year. O'Neal was on board when the Lakers lost to the Pistons, but last year was the Kobe Show, and it ended in six games.
You can call the presumed knock on Bryant fair or unfair, as 2008's finals came down to Kobe versus Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, but there's no denying the pressue on No. 24.
2. Dwight Howard defying his critics
-- After calling out his coach after a loss during the Boston series, Howard has cleaned the glass better the blue stuff, and put a little extra polish on his offensive game. Howard will go up against Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, and doesn't have a ton of help inside, so an outstanding performance could really punch his detractors in the face. Plus, there's that whole title thing.
3. The Magic team against Magic's (former) team.
-- Not so much a subplot as something I think is funny and haven't been able to phrase in a wittier manner.
4. If you believe in NBA coaching, a win would be Phil Jackson's best title.
-- Sure, he's helped teams to the titles with severe emotional issues (Jordan's title the year after his father was murdered), and severe personality disorders (Dennis Rodman in Chicago and Kobe/Shaq in Tinseltown).
I'd submit that this would take some of the sting off the "only won with absolute superstars" criticism. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom will never be mistaken for the Top 50 players in NBA history, and Jackson's had either Jordan/Pippen or Bryant/O'Neal for every run at the O'Brien Trophy.
Again the criticism can't be perceived as entirely fair. Maybe he had two of the most motivated superstars in the history of the game, but Jackson won three-straight titles with Chicago from 1991-1993, then six-straight in years he coached (1996-1998 w/ Chicago, 2000-2002 w/ Los Angeles). Hard to argue that success too vehemently.
5. Conference Power
-- The conversations about conference dominance are creeping back into the picture. After the Spurs and Lakers claimed five-in-a-row for the West by 2002, they've gone back-and-forth since. If Orlando can win, it can help validate the East as the stars' conference -- Howard, LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Garnett, Pierce, Bosh, etc.
6. Officiating is still terribly inconsistent
-- If you think the NHL can't get out of its way, take a peek at the NBA playoff crews. It feels like you could decide outcomes just based on who is officiating that night's game. The Tim Donaghy thing certainly dances through your mind from time-to-time, but the biggest problem is that the basketball which has been so good could be great if the players had any idea what fouls were going to be called.
7. Adam Morrison versus J.J. Redick
-- As Page 2's Bill Simmons astutely pointed out: It's arrived! Sure, Morrison hasn't dressed in a uniform for the playoffs, and Redick averaged 6.2 points in 21 minutes per game. And you thought the Duke/Gonzaga debate was thrilling!
Ah, the 2006 draft class. I'd like to use this moment to make fun of our former intern, Dan, who laughed at me for liking the Celtics selection of Rajon Rondo at No. 21.
phil gets plenty of credit, and he could use a title without starting fives full of superstars
06/04/2009 1:08PM
NBA
Could NBA basketball be less interesting? It has poor shooting, inconsistent officiating (as pointed out above), traveling is allowed, if not encouraged, and WAY too many timeouts per half. It takes 20 minutes to play the final 30 seconds of a game!
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