The headlines across America read: “The Matchup We’ve Been Waiting For.”
Of course, they’re referring to the Boston-Los Angeles NBA finals. Sportscasters everywhere are quick to bring up the history of each of these two dynasties.
My problem is, so much of the history being discussed happened so long ago. Don’t get me wrong. I love history. If it were not for history, sports would lose a lot of its meaning. But for me, a bunch of meetings in the ’50s and ’60s don’t wet my whistle. These two teams haven’t met in the finals since 1987. I was a year old, and a nice percentage of you were not even alive yet. Woo-hoo.
However, this is a very interesting series to me, not because of the ancient past – I don’t remember Larry Bird playing, nor do I remember Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It is not a knock against those who do, but for me, the history just is not enough.
I’m into this series because of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. Because of Pau Gasol and Paul Pierce. And Derrick Fisher and Ray Allen (can I sub Rajan Rondo or Kendrick Perkins please?). That is what makes the series interesting and meaningful to me. It is a matchup of some of the best players in the game, and with Kobe playing, maybe the best player in the game. It has nothing to do with the past.
These are just two of the best teams this season, playing for it all. There was no grand or master plan by the NBA – the best teams won. What kind of conspiracy is that? None.
Sports history is interesting, and our childhood has so much to do with it. To me, the Denver Broncos with John Elway was the team that got the job done in the playoffs, not the choke artists so many of our elders remember them. The New York Yankees are perennial contenders, despite the fact that they haven’t won a World Series in almost 10 years. Joe Montana was some scrub on the Kansas City Chiefs and Wayne Gretzky played for St. Louis and New York, not Los Angeles and Edmonton.
The teams that were good – dominant – during our childhood, our sports development years, are going to be good, in our opinions, for a long time. The Chicago Bulls should still be good, with or without Michael Jordan. The Detroit Red Wings are still good.
Same goes for the teams that were bad. Am I the only one who is still shocked the Patriots ever started winning Super Bowls? Be honest. This was the first year in the history of the NFL that the Pats beat my Redskins. The Atlanta Hawks are a joke (how many years did they miss the playoffs?), despite almost beating the Celtics this year. The ultimate example might be the Tampa Bay Rays. That team used to be a joke, and it is still hard to believe they are contending for an America League East title. And to an untrained eye, many are still not believers.
I am excited about this basketball playoff series between these two great teams, but I am not excited to see a million clips of 1980’s players wearing short shorts and playing a totally different brand of ball. I am sure when I am in my ’40s and ’50s I will feel differently, but that does not change the fact that Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are the guys you saw for the first time on ESPN Classic, not ESPN.
– Keith Lavon can be reached
