Sometimes it’s hard to step outside of your own perspective and see what the rest of the world is seeing. This sounds like the content of a completely different blog, or like the monologues at the end of every episode of ‘The Wonder Years’ or ‘Scrubs,’ but trust me, this idea is entirely relevant and applicable to Werewolf Bar Mitzvah.
Okay, so, ask yourself which NBA playoffs series you think is the most exciting? Got it? Okay, great. Well, I would say that the Lakers – Nuggets is easily the most stirring, as it includes three of the top four scorers in the league; the Lakers who fought their way to the top of the Wild Western Conference; the playoff-hungry Nuggets who clawed their way into the 8th spot and can score 160 points in any given game; Pau Gasol newly installed in L.A.; the star-studded Staples Center crowd; Carmelo Anthony’s DUI three days before the series; Kobe jumping over Aston Martins; and countless other off-and-on-the-court stories. With this much substance, in addition to the usual level of excitement accompanying post-season hoops, I have no doubts as to why this is Clinton versus Obama for basketball fans. But is it really?
With the Lakers up 3-0 in the series, having won every game by at least 14 points, I’m starting to wonder if this is more like a number 1 seed in the NCAA tourney playing against a #16 seed with Cinderella dreams. Every other series has each team winning at least one game, even Celtics vs. Hawks, which pits the team with the best record in the league against a team that’s 4 games below .500. Those match-ups at least make things interesting. A Lakers sweep would be sweet serenity for us in LakersNation, but little more than an afterthought to foreigners. On second thought (and upon reading the five lines of coverage this series gets outside of L.A. and Denver media), I can, without fear of blasphemy, say that this is a pretty boring series.
I recently realized that my affinity for this type of Lakers dominance has gotten me so excited that I’ve tricked myself into thinking that I’m watching great basketball. I’m always gonna be stoked when the Lake Show’s rollin’; I’m never gonna get sick of post-victory confetti at Staples Center; and I’m just as reluctant to pass up tickets to KB24’s high-flying point parade as he is to pass the ball at all. I always want to see them succeeding; but basically, I love the Lakers so much that it’s hard for me to see how dull things become when they play well.
I saw a US NAVY commercial that said, “The journey is the reward” and to that I tipped my hat.
So I think the Lakers should pump the brakes a lil’ bit, you know, make things a little closer, a little more exciting, more intense, suspenseful….make things – ahhh - fun. In 2004, the Lakers lost in the Finals, but at least it was fun to watch because we won a game. Being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns the last two seasons gave me some my favorite playoff memories ever because we won some of those games. So why not let the Nuggets win a game or two? Why not take the scenic route home? Why take the inland I-5 North when you can take Highway 1 up the coast?People say losing builds character, and losses can be moral victories. By extension and inversion, does that mean that winning destroys character, and that victories are moral defeats?
Well, Coach Phil Jackson has a great barometer for gauging the proper Zen, Chi, or Karma levels, and we all know he has a nose for success and he knows when to win. With that said, I’ll leave the navigating up to Phil.
Until next time, stay hungry and stay humble. Stay tuned Monday night to see what Game 4 has in store. Hopefully a moral(e) victory for Denver
Horus
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