Benis: For this topic I felt it only fair to bypass my lovable (or hate-able) BISdom co-host and reach out to our long-time friend and Celtic die-hard Matty J. So, without further ado, some not-so-brief thoughts on Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Matty J: Well that sucked....a few things before I force myself to think about the draft...
- We had it. And we couldn't close. Sucks but that is the truth. We did everything we could have asked on the defensive end – well except box out. I told myself midway through the 3rd that if we win it, it is because Kobe shot his team out of the game. And that still happened. And it wasn't enough.
- Fucking Ron Artest. Well I am glad he brought something to the table this series, and he played well when it mattered most, in games 6 and 7. Hat tip to him. Fucker.
- Missed Perk, but primarily just as a big body. Can't say we missed him anywhere else except for his rebounding.
- Good game by 'Sheed. Read everywhere already that his body has officially broken down, he was being subbed in and out due to cramps and strains, and he is retiring. If so, thanks for showing up in the playoffs; we will forget about the reg. season due to helping us down when it mattered most.
- Frustrating offensive game. We go up because we went to our two clear advantages: 'Sheed on the block because Gasol couldn't do shit against that and Rondo pushing the ball hard. Neither happened in half 2. At all. Rondo with a very quiet almost trip-dub with 12, 10 and 8.
- Kobe carried that team for the first 6 games. Shat the bed in Game 7. You better be loving some Ron Ron and Pau right now. And he better be loving them also. Have to admit he was killing you guys for a long time.
- Fuck fuck fuck.
Benis: It came to the point where I was yelling at the TV: "No Kobe...pass the fucking ball"...that means yes he was trying to do too much. With that said...15 rebounds. Add to that some lock-tight defense on everyone he guarded (I'm guessing if we go back to the tape rondo scored his 12 against fisher and on the fast break...actually thinking hazily back I'm pretty sure that is the case). Did he deserve the finals MVP? Hell yes for games 1-6. Did he give us the Jordan "I'm not losing this game" moment...no...well maybe. But not in the way we expected. Regardless 5 rings.
So a few other thoughts: I feel ya'll got screwed on multiple calls. And that SUCKS. I appreciate you not bitching about it, but I think it's the truth. Second. God bless Derek Fisher. He has moved into the Robert Horry arena. He's not Robert Horry yet, but if he hits another huge three in the playoffs next year (or three like last night), he might be there.
And finally...Ron Artest. We all know how I feel about what he did to my Pacers. And for that I don't know if I can ever forgive him. BUT he did all he could last night. He played probably the best game of his entire Lakers career last night (all 100 games). And afterwards, he gave the BEST post game interview(s) of all time:
Motherfucker thanked his psychiatrist. He proclaimed that in his head before he drilled that final three he heard Phil saying "No Ron. No. Don't shoot that three." He brought his entire entourage into the postgame interview room. He thanked "everyone in his hood, his rap label, and his wife and kids" in that order. Just amazing. BISdom summed it up best with this BBM: "Anything is possible (thanks to Ron Artest's psychiatrist)." Amen.
Matty J: Well I missed the Ron Artest thing, because I was throwing shit in my bedroom. With that said, totally agree; he was great last night. He has been a force on Pierce the entire series, which we both thought would be the case heading in, but in game 6 and 7 he was a force on both ends.
The officiating was horrendous all series; I didn't expect anything different heading into Game 7. Gasol with waayy too many over the backs that don't get called and some phantom calls going against the Celtics killed us. But when you go to the basket, you get calls, not when you shoot 18 footers with 12 sec. left on the shot clock. So, kudos to the Lakers there.
As for Kobe, I am sure it is a bit bittersweet in his head, as they won, but he didn't get to put a definitive stamp on the series. He had his moments, but I think, in the end, that this will be remembered as his first team series win, which is great for the Lakers, not so much Kobe. No doubt he is stewing on that fact and will be for quite some time.
As for D Fish, he was great for you guys all series, and the Rondo/Fish matchup wasn't nearly as one-sided as it should have been. Part of that was because Fish was chasing Ray Allen all series – and doing a great job, but the other side is Rondo never really got into a rhythm.
As for my boys...the window is officially closed. Sad. Really sad. I am not off the bandwagon, but a lot depends on what happens over the next two months. Rondo is here for five more. Ray is a FA, who is going to get paid somewhere, and if not, he has to be relegated to a little less playing time...Ray killed us for stretches last night – I was telling my wife, when we first got him I thought about what a great basketball mind he has, but man, other than shooting, he is an idiot at some parts of the game. If he isn't spotting up, he is HORRIBLE on the break. Absolutely horrible. As for Perk, he won't be healthy until December, but it always takes a full season to gain confidence. So that is a full year without our starting center. Rasheed is apparently going to retire. KG is wearing down – although he had a very strong series after a slow start. Pierce is still better than most, but he certainly is on the wrong side of his career. We need some youth infused, and we need to hit a HR with our #19 pick. If we do that, and swing a trade for another body up front, we may be able to make another run at it, but it would require some help. Again, BIG TIME hat tip to my boys, I did not think that they had it in them this year.
(Though Benis and BISdom did.)
Benis: First I thought JA Adande summed the game up perfectly:
"Somebody will come across the box score and think this was one of the more hideous championship games ever decided. The numbers won't convey the tension felt by everyone who watched, regardless of their rooting interest or even impartiality."
Honestly what a noble response (by you). And I know I said it before but you HAVE to watch Ron Artest's interviews. He lost it...in a great way...unless it comes out later that in celebration he threw a box full of kittens out of a car going 70 mph Fowl dog style. I have to admit you're probably much more gracious than I would be...but then again I'm guessing the fact that I'm coming to Boston in 10 hours probably has something to do with it. No worries: I left the Kobe jersey at home.
I'll be the first to admit Kobe didn't do what I had hoped...but that's why it's a team game. And maybe that was Phil's toughest lesson to teach him. Which scares me because Phil might step away...and I don't know who else can corral Kobe...oh and Artest...but you get the point. The positive about Kobe's craptastic game is that next year he'll want it just as bad. Not only is #6 on the line, but the quest to be "the man" again is still unfinished. As an open Kobe affectionist (JVG style), I would ask the question what the fuck else do you want from this man? I'll admit it. He's not Jordan. Could he get there? I don't know. But I know one thing (LeBron hater alert) he's the baddest mother fucker since MJ. So let's give the man his due and quit damning him for his (public) flaws.
Lastly (before I'm guessing we have to move on to the NBA draft or you'll hang yourself), I give the C's so much credit. It's baffling how hard they played. I hope sheed doesn't retire because he's fun to have out there...and to hate (even as a Carolina fan). I hope your window isn't closed (though seats in the garden may be cheaper). The NBA needs the Lakers/Celtics...how do I know this? Because I live deep in college basketball country (a.k.a. no one gives a flying fuck about the NBA) and work in an office with predominantly women...and I came into work today (mildly hung over) and was greeted by "I don't know if every NBA game is like that one but man was it good." Didn't really get any of that with Lakers/Magic...or even Cavs/C's...the NBA needs ya'll to be good. As do I...a Lakers fan. So, once again, I hope the window isn't closed.
Matty J: Agree and disagree:
I agree with the fact that it was wonderful to have basketball matter on a national scale again – that is normally reserved for March Madness, but to say that in random places that had nothing invested in the game – such as a small bank branch run by women – to have them interested is all Stern could ask for? The biggest sway in fandom from when the NBA mattered (the Jordan era) to the present has been the loss of the casual fan. Random soccer moms can say that they watched Jordan, and that can't be said about the LBJ/D-Wade era. But, you bring the two most historically significant franchises in the game's history – who just happen to have a heated (although one-sided) rivalry, in two of the top five TV markets in the league, and people jump on board. Now I am sure that the games were less than what was anticipated in terms of execution and the art of basketball, but damn, they were intense. Each game started with such nervous energy that during Game 2, my wife began to ask me why I wasn't pacing or sitting in a catcher's stance two feet from the TV. You give the fans drama, and we will get behind it.
Here is my disagree: no way Kobe learned anything. Zero. If anything, he may have learned to dislike Phil a little more. After the Lakers won Game 7 in spite of Kobe, and with the surprising assistance of Ron Artest, he said all the right things that you say in post game interviews, and everyone was loving the team-orientated Kobe....and then he dropped the line about Shaq. Literally less than 60 minutes after his team carried him to an NBA title, he went back to himself and his place in history. If Wilbon would have said it or even if crazy eyes would have said it, fine, but it was Kobe Bryant talking about himself and his standing amongst the NBA elite. And that is what makes Kobe, well, Kobe. If he isn't that player, the Lakers and himself lose a lot of that swagger. For all of his atrocious shots he took (my favorite was the fade-away three from the corner, while being doubled, with 8 sec. left on the shot clock while a wide open Vujacic was feet away from him on the arc – to be fair, I wouldn't have passed it to Sasha either), if he doesn't shoot those, he's not Kobe Bryant. The same Kobe who killed his team at times was the same Kobe who went on the 19 point barrage in quarter 3 of Game 5, the same Kobe who wants the ball in his hands for every big shot, the same Kobe who probably had more to do with Ray Allen's dead legs and off shooting than anything else. Throw in the fact that all of those offensive rebounds: (a.) had to come off miss shots (b.) become a lot easier to get when you have two Celtics 25 feet away from the basket contesting a jumper.
And to be clear, this is not praise; this is fact. The Lakers are a better team, with that self-absorbed/obsessed egomaniac shooting bad shots and being himself. And this is why the Lakers will challenge for a 3-peat, and it will be difficult to deny them. That is, unless, Ron Ron gets tired of that cold stare and goes Last Boy Scout on him, which we all know is at about even money.
As for my boys, well, pride is beaming right now. The most common theme on messageboards and in the Globe/Herald has been the amount of pride the city and its fans have shown in the team's attitude and work ethic. It wasn't pretty – and at times it was ugly: when the Grizz killed us midseason I sat close to the court and wondered when we turned into the Generals – but the team that finished this season took all its lumps and still showed up every game. They had to play the four best players/teams in the league in D-Wade, LBJ, Dwight, and Kobe, and they almost went through them all. Throw in the fact that we may be witnessing the last gasp of four of the best players of our generation of NBAers in KG, Ray, 'Sheed, and Pierce, and it was a little somber. At the same time, you were proud of how they dug in each day and said "you may beat us, but it is sure as hell ain't going to be easy." Add the emergence of Rondo and the annoying but entertaining Nate and Baby, and this team became the opposite of the 2008 team. Instead of being over-talking, overpaid assholes who were winning for the first time (and weren't handling themselves that well while doing it), they turned into the underdog that, by the end of it all, you respected more than anything else. And if that is their goodbye to NBA glory and they float back to the middle, or age continues to internally decompose KGs knees, Ray's legs, and 'Sheed's gut, then I think, they may be fine with that.
