The SEVEN
8 March 2011
I. Up, Up and Away
If you weren't watching hoops 25 years ago or have never seen the Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakers, do yourself a favor and find some of their games on ESPN Classic or NBA-TV, or clips on YouTube. I don't think it a stretch to say that there has never been a team as entertaining and exciting on the fast break as Earvin "Magic" Johnson and the boys, so much so that people that were not even basketball fans were drawn to their games.
But now I'm almost ready to amend the above statement…in that the Miami Heat have taken fast break basketball to a whole new level in today's NBA. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have such a chemistry together that you find yourself filled with anticipation after any steal, turnover, or long rebound resulting in a fast break situation which - more often than not - leads to one of them flying through the air en route to an alley-oop. And trust me…if I'm putting someone in a category with Magic, they must be awesome.
II. Psychedelic Shack
It was interesting to read that the Boston Celtics were/are allegedly shopping my favorite current point guard, Rajon Rondo, due to the thought that the era of the Pierce/Allen/Garnett Big Three is over and, therefore, it's time to rebuild. First of all, there were few people that disliked the Celtics more than I back in the day, but with that said, up in Boston it's not the Big Three anymore; either it's the Big Four or Rondo and the Big Three. Either way Rondo has to be included.
If you guys feel that a rebuild is in order, try to rebuild on the periphery, easing the current Three to reduced roles - or trade one or two of them to potential contenders…but keep Rondo as the lead guard to rebuild around.
I'm beginning to think Celtics GM Danny Ainge is either on some non-prescription medication or is experiencing judgement-affecting flashbacks from awful memories of getting used and abused by the former "Boston Strangler" of the '80's Philadelphia '76ers, Andrew Toney.
III. I'm Gonna Live The Life I Love
Back in the spring of 1976, when Julius "Dr. J." Erving dunked the final ball in ABA history, putting an exclamation point on the-then New York Nets' second ABA championship in three years, the future looked bright for one of the best - if not the very best - team in the game, featuring the best player in the New York media market.
But then came the summer, followed by the fall of the Nets franchise as a result of the short-sighted decision to sell/trade the Doctor to the Sixers. The Nets have been in perennial re-start mode since…nice young team for a while in the late seventies/early eighties…greatly talented team in the early nineties hurt by the death of Drazen Petrovic and the implosion of their other potential superstars…the Jason Kidd NBA finals years in the last decade…all of which were followed by years of bad play, compounded in recent years by the franchise's promotion of the forthcoming move to Brooklyn years in advance, thus ticking off the Jersey fan base.
Nonetheless, the move to Brooklyn somewhat brings things full circle for the Nets, who may again be featuring the best player in the area in Deron Williams. Admittedly a little tired of Linsanity, Williams recently torched the Knicks for 38, and on Sunday got the Bobcats for a Nets NBA-record 57 points. The only problem is that Williams is a free agent after this season, which means he may not make the trip across the Hudson river after all. My suggestion to new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov would be that now that he has lost to Vladimir Putin in the recent Russian election, he ought come back over to this side of the Atlantic and see to it that he doesn't lose Deron as well.
IV. You Can Be What You Wanna Be
Some other mid-season observations…Byron Scott in Cleveland and Mark Jackson in Golden State are doing great coaching jobs in keeping their teams within shouting distance of the playoff teams…while Mike D'Antoni - who was probably a loss or two away from the unemployment line prior to the ascendance of Jeremy Lin - has got to be back on the hot seat. Yes, Lin helped save his job, but now the Knicks have Lin, and Carmelo, and Amar'e, and Tyson Chandler, and Landry Fields, and the recently returned Baron Davis, and the recently signed J.R. Smith, and sharpshooter Steve Novak, and athletic rookie Iman Shumpert…which means that management will want their coach to make it work. If Mike cannot, he will be gone before too long.
And watch for San Antonio to make a serious run at the Western Conference championship, with the seemingly almost un-guardable Manu Ginobili (who is beginning to show a bit of resemblance to NBC's Matt Lauer) a lot fresher than most players, coming off of time off due to injury.
So we'll hold off - at least for now - on inducting Jeremy Lin into the Hall of Fame, but I do think there can be some comparisons drawn between Lin and baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken. Not that I am predicting that Lin will play 2,631 consecutive games, but I see a similarity in what happened following the MLB lockout of 1994 (canceling the World Series) and the NBA lockout this past summer. Cal Ripken's subsequent eclipsing of Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak helped to redeem baseball in the eyes of the public, along with the 1998 home run battle between Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. Now that Jeremy Lin has become an international sensation, no one is talking about the lockout now.
V. The Greatest Show On Turf
It will be really unusual this fall to watch Peyton Manning in a uniform other than that of the Indianapolis Colts…and in the midst of the discussion about his release due to the impending $28 million bonus he was to be owed, my mother, of all people - who cares not one iota about the NFL - asked if the Colts could not have gotten together with him to re-work his contract in order to keep him in Indianapolis for the balance of his career. I'm not in their boardroom, but were it up to me, I would have explored something along those lines; just seems like in the cases of Bird, and Magic, and Indiana's Reggie Miller, Peyton should have remained with his one team.
VI. You're A Million Miles From Reality
As always, Inside The NBA - with Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, straight-man Ernie Johnson, and newcomer Shaquille O"Neal - provides some of the best and most humorous TV out there, especially for sports fans. I'm looking forward to them bringing their banter to the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament…but meanwhile on the other networks, the comedy is often provided by this bunch of crazy folks running for president this year.
Romney says corporations are people, Santorum says President Obama is a snob for promoting higher education for all, Paul was the only congressman to vote against a resolution in honor of the Civil Rights Act, and Gingrich thinks inner-city youth should be janitors in school. And then a guy they are totally afraid to confront, Rush Limbaugh, calls a Georgetown student unbelievable names and asks for pornographic videos of her. They fall all over each other trying to portray themselves as the one that would engage us into war against Iran the fastest, but can't say a radio host was wrong.
Sure hope Obama is preparing his agenda for his second term now, and not bothering to wait until November.
VII. The Greatest
Forty-one years ago today the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden to fight champion Joe Frazier for the heavyweight championship that was taken from him for his refusal to enter the armed forces in the midst of the Vietnam War. By virtue of his being a brash and confident and principled - "No Viet Cong ever called me n____er" - African-American man, Ali (or Cassius Clay, as his detractors continued to want to call him) was hated by many still burdened with the yoke of racism and, although ultimately the winner in two out of three against Frazier, was the loser on that night of the so-called Fight Of The Century.
Now, forty-one years later, Ali is a beloved icon, and Barack Obama is the President of the United States. Would that the next forty years bring as much change.
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