I’m a sucker for tradition.  Game 6 at The Garden (obviously not the real deal) had me captivated from the beginning.  I told my HR manager that I’d have the volume on 58 (ironically the same volume that retirement homes had the game on) from the get-go, and I have to say, I may have kept it there from the opening tip.  The only way to describe it was electric.  The only feeling I have towards the city of Boston is envy.  Is there any place in the world at this particular moment you would rather be (for me right now, it’s 1:48 in the morning)?  The Red Sox, the Patriots, and now the Celtics?  The same Celtics team that the Pacers have chumped out time and time again.  Actually it’s not at all the same team the Pacers team chumped out, but again, it shows how quickly the tide can change.  That is, of course, if you have any tradeable assets.

Kobe came out like he was going to pull a Jordan versus Blazers (not to be confused with the Sega Genesis game Bulls vs. Blazers).  After his quick 11 points, the Lakers were finished.  Boston had sights on a championship as soon as they traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and even after all the hype of the “Big Three”, they somehow got it done.  Great team in a weak conference.  Can’t win on the road.  Tired legs after a long season.  Can’t hang with the offensive prowess of the Lakers.  Too much energy put into winning 66 games.  These were all the reasons why the Celtics wouldn’t win the NBA championship, and they defied all of them. 

The best part of this story is the fact that Paul Pierce, the 10 year Boston vet and original Celtic, emerged as the leader/MVP of this storied franchise.  He’ll also have his number retired in the rafters by 2020. 

Disappointed with the post game coverage, I forgot that I ordered NBA League Pass, which meant that I still got NBATV post-game coverage.  What that boils down to is full press conferences.  Because I can’t even put it into words, I wish you could have heard Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett speak.  I felt exactly what they felt without them even saying a word.  For those who still hate on the NBA, I really wish you could have seen it.  Say what you want, but pure emotion is just that, and some deserving guys set out on a dream and accomplished just that tonight.  When guys walk into the press room and can’t say anything other than “Wow”, you know it’s special.  In fact, I’ve been watching the NBA Finals for 20 years and I’ve never seen the pure emotion that I saw tonight.  My only regret is that I’m not buddies with one of those players because the common theme was that they weren’t going to sleep for weeks.  With Kevin Garnett, I somehow believe that. 

I always hate seeing the end of the NBA season, as it pretty much denounces sports until football kickoff and the MLB playoffs.  This season is different, as for the first time since 1998, good vibes have come out of the Finals.  The NBA is back, and you heard it here 44th. 

Unlike the Celtics, I’ve got to sleep tonight.  I’m also busy looking at real estate in Boston. 

(That last line is for you Larry Legend.  The Pacers future starts on June 26th). 

The Bous Theory:  Where Comparisons to Rambis Happen

“Not only will a Lakers-Celtics series help my NBA ADD, but for millions of people across the country, it’s just what the doctor ordered. ” 

- Bous Theory, May 28th

Despite officials doing all they could to force a game 7 in the Boston-Detroit series, the NBA and sports fans across the country now have a dream matchup for the NBA Finals.  Most of my memories from Lakers-Celtics come from those NBA replays they used to show on ESPN every day when I got home from elementary school.  When I had ESPN Classic, (which is also known as ESPN Darius Miles for it’s wasted potential) Lakers-Celtics games seemed to occupy about 75% of daily programming.  It’s a marketing dream for the NBA, but you have to admit, this matchup is completely out of nowhere.

Last year, the two teams combined to win 66 games.  That’s right 66 games.  The same number of wins that Boston alone had this season.  We can always look at what-ifs and speculate on them when it’s not important, but seriously, what if Boston had gotten a top 2 pick last year in the draft?  It’s important to note that it was pretty much their goal last year to gain a top pick by resting Pierce for half the season and rolling with a lineup of Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Bassy Telfair, Delonte West, Gerald Green, Rajon Rondo, Wally Szczerbiak, and Kendrick Perkins (Basically the ‘08 Minnesota Timberwolves or Woofs if you’re a scrub).  So what if the ping pong balls go in Boston’s favor?  You have to remember that Boston had the 2nd worst record in the league, so odds were in their favor to maintain that 2nd pick.  If they land either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, there’s no way that they ever trade for Ray Allen.  Granted, they could have still ripped off Minnesota, but if they had a future cornerstone in Oden (Which I will point out that Bobby Womack has doubted as a good player since 2005) or Durant, would they have even put all their eggs in their basket for Garnett?  My gut tells me no.  They turn into one of the leagues youngest teams and are most likely looking to deal an unhappy Pierce.  Sure it’s a what if, but you have to admit, it’s pretty legitimate.

Let’s took a look at the Lakers and their what-ifs.  What if Mitch Kupchek had actually let his star run his team and traded Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, and whatever else for Jason Kidd?  You have to remember, this was pretty close to actually going down.  Is there any way that a trio of Kobe, Odom, and Jason Kidd are making it to the finals?  Tony Parker would have run circles around Kidd in that last series and the Lakers would have had absolutely no one to contain Tim Duncan.  They’d probably still have Kwame Brown.  In fact, the Lakers wouldn’t have even been able to hang with the Jazz.  Folks, this is why you have GM’s and you don’t let players run teams.  For the most part, this goes for 80s stars as well.  Just ask Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Kevin McHale, Danny AInge (Before McHale’s assist), and Larry Bird. 

The what-ifs are what they are and it proves that in professional sports, especially the NBA, instant success can happen overnight.  A few lopsided trades here, some star players there, and you’re playing for the championship.  What it does prove is that you absolutely have to have a star player, so don’t get your hopes up just yet if you’re a Pacers fan.   LA has one superstar in Kobe and another star in Pau Gasol.  Boston has a superstar in Kevin Garnett and another star in Paul Pierce.  Anytime your #2 guy would be the #1 on half of the teams across the league, you’re in pretty good shape.  Add both teams #3 guys, Ray Allen and Lamar Odom, and you’re REALLY in good shape.  Wasn’t Ray Allen dropping about 26 a game last year in Seattle?

This is first finals that I’m excited for since the Pacers-Lakers in 2000 and non-Pacers since ‘98 when it was Bulls-Jazz.  I still have a major problem with the 2-3-2 format that the Finals incorporates.  If the entire playoffs are 2-2-1-1-1, why do they change it for the finals.  Sidenote:  For the people who don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, the Finals has the format of two games @ Boston, 3 games @ Los Angeles, and then 2 games @ Boston if permitted.)  If you look at Finals history with this format, we can basically decide the winner after the first two games of the series.  I did my research back to 1987 (the last time these two teams met) and the Miami Heat in 2006 are the only team to ever win 3 straight home games in their hosting duties of the 2-3-2 format.  With three straight games in a row, homecourt advantage really doesn’t matter.  Do you realize how hard it is to win three games in a row against the same team, no matter what court you’re playing on.  If Boston wins the first two games, consider the championship heading back to Boston.  They’ll steal one in LA and head back home up 3-2.  If LA wins one in Boston, it’s definitely going to be another LA championship.  With this 2-3-2 format, we’ll know the champion by Sunday, and that’s really unfortunate. 

Regardless, we got the matchup we all wanted and I think the NBA is truly on it’s way back across America.  Why people prefer Major League baseball over the NBA I’ll never know, but I think it’s about to change after this series. 

What’s your theory?  Let me know via comment or send an email to chad_bouslog@wrtv.com

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I had to do an NBA preview, but I really liked all the comments about horse names.  I say we continue the comment section of my blog yesterday and try to hit a record number of comments.  Let’s shoot for 40.