Old Habits

I grew up a Celtics fan. Larry Bird was the main reason why. He was amazing to watch. He wasn't the fastest or strongest player on the court, but he could absolutely dominate a game. Plus, he could take over a game without scoring. His teammates could not afford to sit back and watch him, because the ball may bounce off of their face. Watching Larry Bird and his Boston teams is what made me want to go out in my backyard and practice my jumpshot. He was (and is) my favorite basketball player.

Having said all that, the current version of the NBA Finals stirs up a lot of old feelings. Boston versus the Lakers. It doesn't matter if it's Kobe and Pau instead of Magic and Kareem. It doesn't matter if it's KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen instead of Bird, McHale and Parish. It's still the Lakers versus the Celtics. It's still Showtime versus Fundamentals.

This series is the best thing to happen to the NBA in a long time. Fans that the NBA had lost long ago will tune in to watch the Lakers and the Celtics. It's hard to be ambivalent about this rivalry...people take sides. I am on the Celtics' side, and I have been for as long as I can remember. I probably always will be, I guess.

I am looking forward to a great series, hopefully won by the guys in green. It's not the same as it used to be, because plenty of the players are veterans new to their respective teams, rather than guys with histories in their current cities. That's one of the things that tends to turn people off about the "new" NBA. But, for the next week or two, I don't care about what people say is wrong with the NBA. As long as the Finals are Boston versus LA, the NBA is alright with me.

Go Celtics!