I came home just in time today to catch the end of the Oklahoma City-Memphis Conference semi-finals game seven.
No, you didn’t read that wrong. The Thunder and Grizzlies really did just play for a spot in the Conference Finals.
Although the game wasn’t exactly an ESPN Classic, that really isn’t what is important to me. The mere fact that these two teams are playing at this stage of the playoffs, with so much on the line, is truly remarkable.
Throw in the fact that both 21st century Western Powers, the Lakers and Spurs, have already bit the dust, and this whole thing feels a little bit like a fiction novel.
These teams didn’t just bite the dust; they bit it hard. The number one seeded Spurs, with their suddenly creaky looking big three (Duncan, Parker, Ginobli), lost in five quick games to the upstart Grizzlies in round one.
The Lakers, expected to reach the Finals for the fourth straight year, suffered a similar fate. They didn’t just lose to the Mavericks, they got annihilated. Dallas took the brooms out against LA, and swept them to another universe in the last game, winning by 36.
A lot of NBA people weren’t happy about this. A lot of NBA people feel the game is all about the stars, and in some ways, they are right. Even casual fans will come out to see the established stars, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, or Dwight Howard.
People love to see the big names, and associate the game with these players. The NBA does obviously need its stars, but sometimes, at least for me, I think we need a break.
The Western half of the 2011 playoffs has given us that break.
While watching Kobe Bryant go into Mamba mode at the end of the games is nice, sometimes we need a switch. Instead, we now get to watch Zach Randolph bully and bruise his way to the bucket, or Kevin Durant hit a beautiful leaner off a screen.
Instead of watching Tim Duncan’s calming presence and do-whatever-it-takes-to win play, we get to watch Dirk’s sublime scoring and touch. The old guard has been replaced, and it’s nice to see some new faces.
The East is even getting in on the action a little bit, as the Celtics Big three are already on vacation. No more snarling Kevin Garnett; now we get the determined, just-try-and-stop-me look of Derrick Rose.
In most other sports, everyone always talks about how the salary cap is ruining continuity, ruining dynasties. The NBA doesn’t have this problem. The Lakers, Spurs and Celtics have won 10 of the last 12 championships (not counting this year obviously), and some people want to see this sort of dominance in the other major sports.
These folks want to see us go back to olden days, where the Habs and Yankees were winning championships every second year, and the Celtics and Lakers took turns with the trophy.
Not me, though. I love a good underdog story, and I love new faces. People can talk about history and consistency all they want, but sports are about excitement. When I look up and see Dallas-OKC in the conference finals, it puts a smile on my face.
Golden State-Charlotte for the 2012 title, anyone?
