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I must admit that the combination of being done with school along with this beautiful Georgia weather has caused me to be quite un-disciplined with my writing. Admittedly, I have been spending all of my writing time and then some at the driving range trying to get the golf swing in shape. The hard work in paying off and I have gotten much better. However, I do now realize that I miss writing and it is time to (as Albert Haynesworth once said, but never did) “put my nose to the grindstone” and get back to work.
While watching these NBA playoffs, I couldn’t help but think of the opening line from one of my favorite songs, “My God” by Pusha T. The song opens with Pusha boldly proclaiming, “I can’t be bothered with paying homage to forefathers.” What he is saying is that although he is a rap veteran as a member of the critically acclaimed group, “The Clipse”, he is a new rolling solo and is here to take over the game. He has no time to honor to those who came before him, it is his time now, and he feels sorry for those stupid enough to try to get in his way. Apparently, I’m not the only person who loves this song, because I am convinced that it has been playing non-stop in the locker rooms of the Heat, Mavericks, and Grizzles. I say that because these three teams have been so disrespectful to the old guard of NBA championship contenders and decided that their time is now. When the season, and the playoffs for that matter started, most expected to see some combination of the Celtics, Spurs, and Lakers in the NBA Finals (for the record, I expected to see that Celtics and Lakers). However, it is now obvious that fear of these three teams is now all but gone among other NBA teams.
It all started when LeBron James decided to “take his talents to Miami”, and join forces with Dwayne Wade. They then decided to add one other sometimes significant piece, since the book (and candy bar) is called the “Three Musketeers” and not the two musketeers, they invited Chris Bosh along for ride. They came together for the sole purpose of taking down the mighty Boston Celtics, and take them down they did. They obviously didn’t get the memo (that I sent out) stating that Boston was supposed to win one more championship before they start collecting championship rings the way Bill Belichick collects draft picks. They made Boston look old and rattled, and they promptly eliminated them in five games. As it turns out, the series that everyone was looking forward to seeing, wasn’t very entertaining at all, because Miami chose not to pay homage to the team that inspired them to join forces and form a “Big 2….and a half.” They decided instead to simply whip their a$$.
Then we have the Dallas Mavericks, formerly known as the _allas Mavericks, because they never played any D. But for the first time in my life, this team seems, dare I say, TOUGH! Dallas has been an immensely talented team since Dirk Nowitzki developed into an elite offensive player. However, they have always lacked the requisite physical and mental toughness required to win an NBA championship. It seems as though, that has changed, and what better way to prove it to the world than to not only beat the Lakers, but SWEEP the Lakers in a playoff series. The Lakers are a physically tough team with the likes of Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum, and they possess arguably the most mentally tough player to grace NBA courts since “His Airness” in Kobe Bryant (OK, I deserve some credit for typing his name without calling him a &!%@$). It seemed to me that they broke the Lakers’ will in game one, by coming back from a 16 point deficit and beating them in LA. After that game, Kobe Bryant (I did it again, I didn’t call him a &!%@$) stated that he felt that Dallas could win that series. When has he ever admitted such a thing? This year’s version of the Mavericks is different from the team that squandered a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals to an earlier version of the Miami Heat. In that series, Dirk played like a (insert word that I am avoiding calling Kobe Bryant) despite the fact that he was the MVP of the regular season that year. That playoff appearance, coupled with never reaching the finals again since has solidified his current reputation among NBA players, and fans alike. However, if both teams keep playing the way that they have in these playoffs, Dirk will get a chance to exercise HIS (not everyone else’s) South Beach Demons, while trying to prevent the Big 2-1/2 from winning the first of what I’m sure will be many championships.
Now to the most disrespectful team in the entire league, the Memphis Grizzlies. They actually had the audacity to lose games intentionally at the end of the season to ensure that they got the #8 seed in the playoffs. They wanted to ensure a date with the 61-win #1 seed San Antonio Spurs. How crazy is that?! The Spurs obviously knew that Memphis WANTED to play them, which prompted Tim Duncan to say, “I guess Memphis got the matchup they wanted,” before the series started. Well Tim, they did and they showed why. They obviously had no respect for a 4-time champion that was the best team in the league throughout most of the regular season. They knew that they had the match-ups to take you down, and no one outside of their locker room believed them besides Charles Barkley and me. To quote Pusha T one more time, they “Saw the future, like a car-show floor model” and you weren’t in it. Now they have an opportunity, with a win in this afternoon’s Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, to get to the place that you assumed you would reach, The Western Conference Finals. Don’t worry, you won’t be the only team missing that many expected to see. The Lakers will be absent as well. Hey, maybe you two can watch the games together, just a thought.
Not only has the NBA moved on from the Jordan era, it also seems as though it is now moving away from the Kobe (successful once again at not calling him a &!%@$), Garnett, and Duncan era as well. It is now time for these younger super-athletic teams to take the torch and carry the NBA forward. As I write this (on Sunday morning before Thunder-Grizzlies, Game 7), we know that either the Heat, Mavericks, Bulls, Grizzlies, or Thunder will win the championship this year. None of the remaining coaches have won a championship as a head coach, and none of the principle players for either team, outside of Dwayne Wade, (and I guess you can include Kendrick Perkins if you consider him a principle player, which I don’t) currently own a championship ring. These teams didn’t come here to honor those that came before them, they are here to write their own legacy. So sit back and enjoy it, because it will be highly entertaining.
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