In the midst of final take home exams, extensive studying, and catching up on readings I never got to, I could not help but sit down to a Sunday afternoon of basketball to accept the depressing realities of the NBA Playoffs.
First, the series that promised to be the best of the first round turned out to be a warm-up for repeat champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers toyed with the Blazers for an unnecessarily traumatic ending, as Robert Horry’s trey finished Portland’s season.
Are we still in America when a team cannot be bought? Portland is a city where NBA talent goes to get swallowed up into an egotistical, technical fouling free-for-all.
Ruben Patterson, Derek Anderson, Dale Davis, Shawn Kemp, Bonzi Wells?it doesn’t matter how many budding stars the team gets its hands on, the Blazers are destined to fail. It’s only a matter of time until Kenyon Martin dons the black, white and red.
Another team with a wealth of talented personnel, the Dallas Mavericks, finished off the Timberwolves, who sputtered out since they were all the buzz of the first half of the season with a 30-10 start.
If a team can knock off the Lakers, it’s the Mavs. With a run-and-gun-style offense and a deep bench, Dallas has the artillery.
As for the Eastern Conference?why even play the race to see who can get swept in the NBA Finals? I liken the situation in the East to the annoying leadfoot at a stoplight.
You know, the guy who hits the gas and accelerates once the light turns green, only to slam on the brakes when the next stoplight is red.
Why put forth the time and effort when it’s not going to matter? Just like street dragsters, to look cool.
Why don’t the eight Playoff representatives just line up and play a game of speed (or lightning, depending on where you’re from) to see who goes to the Finals? Or maybe a game of h-o-r-s-e?
Would it matter? I think it would make for some interesting television. Then again, FOX doesn’t do basketball.
Take, for example, the two teams from last year’s Eastern Conference finals, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers barely avoided a sweep at the hands of No. 3 Boston, thanks to 42 points by Allen Iverson. The Philly win was just delaying the inevitable.
I guess the losses of George Lynch and Jumaine Jones have done more damage than meets the eye.
As for the East’s other representative from a year ago, the Bucks couldn’t turn one more All-Star into even a No. 8 playoff seed, as they sat out the Playoffs.
Why can’t NBA Commissioner David Stern allow Western Conference bubblers Utah, Phoenix, Seattle and L.A. Clippers to simply jump conferences?
It would make things much more interesting, and it would give vets like Stockton and Malone the breath of hope to reach the Finals and rekindle lost dreams of NBA Championships past.
But I have to come to the realization that any team is going to be hard-pressed to top the Lakers. It’s all academic.
Rory welcomes feedback at: [email protected].