Basketball, on its face is a simple game; much more checkers than chess. The core aims are clear, unchanging, and most important, few. Put the ball in the basket when on offense; prevent your opponent from doing so, if on defense.
Yes myriad concepts and intricacies are sometimes overlaid on top of these aims. Moreover, depending upon the talent level involved, the game can unfold in an almost blindingly crisp, beautifully symmetrical fashion. When played at the highest level, one can watch some of the most amazing athletes on the planet run, jump, pivot, and shoot a spheroid, 29.5 inches in circumference, 9.39 inches in diameter through an 18 inch diameter hoop with a net 15” to 18” in length, suspended 10 feet above the court. Oh did I forget to mention, they play defense too.
From time to time, I compose a post about basketball, my favorite sport. Occasionally, I have even reference my favorite teams. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), that is and has always been the Los Angeles Lakers; a storied franchise. The NBA has had 64 Championship Series; the Lakers have appeared in 31 of them. That’s 10 more than the team that has appeared the second most times; the dreaded Boston Celtics. The Celts have won 17 Championships, while the Lakers have won 16. Their combined 33 NBA Titles account for more than half of the previous 64 NBA Championships. No other team has appeared in more than 9 Title Series (Philadelphia
By now, if you take note of sports at all, you must know the Lakers were swept dismissively from the playoffs…with extreme prejudice! Obviously, a team that joined the NBA in 1948 has had its share of high points as well as low moments. However, last week’s four-game sweep by the Dallas Mavericks has to rate as a prime candidate for the nadir of the proud and highly successful franchise.
As sports fans know, getting swept, in any round of the playoffs is a humbling, if not humiliating experience. In the Lakers’ case, they entered this year’s playoffs as defending Champions, and tied (with the Dallas Mavericks) for the 4th best record in the League. The Mavericks are a fine team. Losing to them may have surprised some, but it was not in and of itself shocking. But the way they lost, particularly in the close-out game, was unarguably stunning.
I am reminded of my beloved North Carolina Tar Heels (my favorite college basketball team), and their most recent post-Championship season. Without going into details, it was ugly; one of their worst seasons ever. The Lakers’ season was not so horrific, but their season-ending performance was a different story. The entire Series was disappointing; the finale was simply embarrassing. In fact, while it is cathartic to confront head-on this sad episode in Lakers history, the term embarrassing hardly does justice to their season-ending performance.
Athletic competition, like any test, is fraught with challenges. At the end of most contests, there is a winner and a loser. More often than not, the better team prevails. In this instance, the Mavs not only won, but left no doubt as to which team deserved the distinction, better team. The Lakers dropped four consecutive games, and in doing so, lost the series, via sweep, and with it, any chance to complete their second Three-peat. That was disappointing. But in far greater indictments, they failed to maintain their composure, gave up with a quarter to play, and lost, at least for that day, anything remotely resembling their dignity. Add to that, the Mavs' reserves scored 86 of their 122 points, which matched the total for the Lakers' entire team in a 122-86 beat down. In route to the rout, Jason Terry shot 90% (9 of 10) from behind the 3-point line, while Peja Stojakovic shot 100% (6 of 6).
Over the course of the series, these failures were particulaly evident in the cases of Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum, all of who earned Flagrant Fouls and ejections during the series. But it's a team sport; no free passes. This was a collapse that left no Laker without something for which to atone. Kobe Bryant, the team's resident super star was never consistently super; missed big shots when the team needed the magic only stars provide. Pau Gasol, Robin to Kobe's Batman, was effectively rendered the Invisible Man. Derek Fisher, the wily and historically dependable veteran couldn't make a shot the entire series. Finally, Phil Jackson, the Zen-master coach made uncharacteristically inexplicable calls. In 20 years as an NBA Coach, Jackson's teams reached the playoffs every year. He won 11 Titles as a coach (most ever), 6 with the Chicago Bulls, 5 with the Los Angeles Lakers, and 1 as a player with the New York Knicks. This is expected to be Jackson's last year coaching; too bad. There I said it. Oh yeah, another thing; GO HEAT!
Over the course of the series, these failures were particulaly evident in the cases of Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum, all of who earned Flagrant Fouls and ejections during the series. But it's a team sport; no free passes. This was a collapse that left no Laker without something for which to atone. Kobe Bryant, the team's resident super star was never consistently super; missed big shots when the team needed the magic only stars provide. Pau Gasol, Robin to Kobe's Batman, was effectively rendered the Invisible Man. Derek Fisher, the wily and historically dependable veteran couldn't make a shot the entire series. Finally, Phil Jackson, the Zen-master coach made uncharacteristically inexplicable calls. In 20 years as an NBA Coach, Jackson's teams reached the playoffs every year. He won 11 Titles as a coach (most ever), 6 with the Chicago Bulls, 5 with the Los Angeles Lakers, and 1 as a player with the New York Knicks. This is expected to be Jackson's last year coaching; too bad. There I said it. Oh yeah, another thing; GO HEAT!
It may be too early to say with certainty, but it appears we may be witnessing a changing of the guard as far as the NBA status quo is concerned. The Lakers, two-time defending Champions and three consecutive time Finalists are, as the TNT Crew, Kenny, Charles, and Ernie say, “Gone Fishing,” or in other words, done for the season.
The dreaded Celtics, Finalists last year, and Atlantic Division Champions this year are down 3-1 to Miami Dallas Atlanta Hawks Normal
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Fisher
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Jackson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Finals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Fisher
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Jackson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Finals
http://www.sportro.org/news/los-angeles-lakers-defeated-by-dallas-mavericks-with-the-score-of-122-86-odom-and-bynum-ejected-in-the-fourth-quarter.php
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2011-05-08-mavericks-lakers_N.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pau_Gasol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Terry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peja_Stojakovi%C4%87
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/unc-m-baskbl-body.html
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