Another season of basketball is in the books and the Los Angeles Lakers reign supreme for the second consecutive season after the most entertaining NBA Finals in recent memory.
I have to admit that I was rooting for the Lakers to win the series. I'm a typical New York fan that cheers vehemently against any Boston team in any sport and that tradition was tested to the max this year because of several factors.
I really don't like the Lakers. While I respect Kobe Bryant and enjoy watching what he can do on the court, I generally cheer against him whenever possible, probably because of all of the unwarranted Jordan comparisons. Plus, to me, the Lakers were the powerhouse team that I loved to hate and I've always been more of an underdog kind of guy.
Still, the Yankee fan in me couldn't bring me to cheer for the Celtics.
The series really had a little bit of everything for every type of fan, and when it was all said and done, even I reevaluated my opinion of one player in particular.
Yes, Kobe Bryant was in typical form for most of the series, scoring 30-plus points in three games. In a losing effort in Game 5, he was the only Laker to show up, scoring a game-high 38 and there was even talk that if the Celtics had closed out the series, Black Mamba still would have won Finals MVP. Accomplishing that feat would have made him just the second player in NBA history to win the award despite his team's losing effort (Jerry West, 1969).
But we expected to see what number 24 showed us. Sure Kobe's team won and he was crowned MVP, but he didn't have any jaw dropping performances that made me ask ‘Wow, did he really just do that?'
The Celtics – the most storied NBA franchise ever – didn't disappoint either.
Sure, Boston sharpshooter Ray Allen broke the NBA Finals record in Game 2 when he made eight 3-pointers to help his team tie the series. But he couldn't hit a shot, much less a layup, following his brilliant 32-point performance AND his team lost the series. His one spectacular game didn't make up for his otherwise abysmal performance.
I think Doc Rivers is one of the best coaches in the NBA and was impressed with the way Phil Jackson preserved his 48-0 series record when his team wins Game 1. But yelling from the sideline is far different than showing up on the court.
While all those factors were tough, nothing was more difficult than cheering for Ron Artest.
Dating back to the brawl at the Palace, I have loathed Artest. He is the reason that casual fans tend to stay away from the NBA. He embodies the "gangster" image that I try and tell people doesn't exist in the sport.
It seems that he has garnered negative publicity for the league I love in every phase of his career, and has seemed oblivious to how his behavior affects everyone else.
Still, I was forced to put those feelings aside for the sake of my hatred for all things Boston in this series.
When I did that, Artest actually impressed me with the way he avoided altercations with Paul Pierce and the way he stepped up in Game 7 after playing awful in Games 4 and 5.
He even hit a clutch 3-pointer in the closing moments of the game to ice it for the Lakers. In typical Queensbridge fashion, however, he followed all that up with the most ridiculous post-game statement I think I have ever heard.
"First off, I want to thank everybody in my hood," Artest said. "I also want to thank my wife, my kids, my family and everybody."
Let me say that I have no problem with him thanking his friends, but to have it be the first words out of your mouth after accomplishing a life long goal is ridiculous.
My first reaction was, ‘Are you serious? You just won the NBA Title and you want to thank your homeboys?'
As I let everything set in and continued to watch his press conference, I realized something. I came to the conclusion that "Ron-Ron" is always going to be who he is.
In a way, that's admirable, but at the same time I feel bad for him. He is just not the sharpest tool in the shed. He can, however, play basketball at a very high level and is one of the best defenders the sport has ever seen.
In the wake of my disappointment with his comments – thanking his psychiatrist and screaming about going to the club – I watched him as he embraced his teammates and saw the utter joy in his face. Suddenly, I was happy for him. It is obvious that he has worked hard to get to where he is and has at the very least cut out all the incidents that plagued him early on.
I may never cheer for Ron Artest again, but after watching him play the way he did in the finals, I guess you can say I have a newfound respect for him… almost.
Questions? Comments? Have a better idea?
E-mail: matthew.parrino@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
