The start of summer has many different signals: Memorial Day picnics, pools being opened, and school doors being closed. In sports, the green light to summer is the tip-off to the NBA finals. I turned ten-years-old in 1980, so Magic-Bird NBA explosion occurred as I was entering my prime years as a sports fanatic. I was, and am, a Cleveland first guy when it comes to my pro sports teams, but as a kid, I always had some back up teams to root for, especially since the Cavaliers, Indians, and Browns weren’t exactly setting the world on fire. Like most kids, I had a little ‘frontrunner’ in me. The Reds and Dodgers were my favorites in opposition to the Yankee powerhouses. To battle forces with the evil Steel Curtain of Pittsburgh, I pulled for the Cowboys and Dolphins. I do need to mention, that for some odd reason, my little brother Jon always tended to be a ‘backwalker’ (the opposite of a frontrunner?) and root for ‘loser’ teams like the Chiefs and Oilers in their terrible post-Earl Campbell days.
When it came to the NBA, I was only six when the ‘Miracle in Richfield’ occurred, and thus a little too young to savor thrill ride. So my Cavs upbringing was in the prime of the Ted Stephien reign of terror & terrible-ness. So my plan B for NBA fandom was the Philadelphia 76ers and their mega-star, Julius Erving. He was like a superhero on the court with his acrobatic moves! NBA TV recently showed a great documentary on him, and the final scene was a 63-year Dr. J amazing dunking the basketball! WOW!!!!
The Sixers had a nice run in the early 80’s, but that gave way to the epic Lakers-Celtics rivalry that dominated the most of the decade. Boston made the championship series five times in the 1980’s, while the Lakers got there an incredible eight times! And the two dynasties clashed in the finals three times in a four year period. As a hoops fan, you had to choose a side. You were either an old-school Celtics guy: Larry Bird, the old, hot Boston Garden, McHale, the Chief, DJ, Red Auerbach, Danny Ainge crying, some token stiff post player off the bench (Greg Kite and Fred Roberts come to mind),… Or could go with the showtime Lakers: Magic, Kareem, Jack Nicholson, James Worthy, the Forum, Jamal Wilkes, Kurt Rambis’ glasses, Michael Coopers high socks,…
Besides the sweet socks, how do you millennials like the short shorts?
Well, being a Cavs’ fan, I had to try to stomach Larry Bird carve us up six times a year with his smug glare and stylish mullet-mustache combo.
Add on the fact that the Celtics and Sixers were hated rivals, and it was easy for me to side with Magic Johnson: big smile, big personality, fancy passes, and I only had to watch him beat the Cavs once a year (their west coast match-up was always past my bedtime).
I am guessing that a majority of youth walked on the flashy Hollywood Laker side of the street, while the older crowd usually sided with the tradition-rich Celtics. I can remember going to Louisville High School hoops camp wearing a Lakers hat and talking a little trash with my Celtic-loving head coach, Dennis Tucci (now the longtime successful coach at Malvern). Maybe coach Tucci just liked the Celtics wearing his Malvern green!
Since those glory days, many would say that the NBA game has changed for the worse, but, honestly, I think the game is now better than ever. Some old-schoolers would argue that they don’t play with fundamentals anymore. That might be true to some extent; you don’t see many beautifully executed give-and-go’s or up-and-under post moves. Overall, though, I would counter that besides being bigger, stronger, and faster than ever, I think the current players actually are fundamentally better in some areas.
One obvious area of improvement that I see is on defense. Quality NBA teams—that label does not include our Cavaliers right now–really work hard on their team defense and rotations. In the 80’s there were plenty of players incorporating the bullfighter technique and watching their defender take an easy path to the hoop. I also think that the current crop shoots phenomenally from the outside. And the stats back me up. In the 80’s, the NBA 3-point shooting percentage was .278. In the last 10 seasons, that percentage is at .358—an 29% increase! (That, teenagers, is one reason why you take math class! You never know when you need to calculate sports stats!).
I will admit that over the past 3 decades, my passion for the NBA has decreased, mostly due to the fact that I was a total sports junkie as a kid and my love had no where to go but down. I used to watch almost every minute of an NBA finals. I probably didn’t watch that much this entire season combined. But I will say that I am really looking forward to this year’s Finals rematch between the Heat and the Spurs. A big reason is the parallels to the Lakers-Celtics match-ups of my youth. Lets break it down:
In terms of star power, I don’t think that 80s match-up will ever be topped, but the big 3 of both teams this year definitely is a draw—especially with LeBron being the biggest name since Michael Jordan. But beyond the name recognition, both teams play entertaining, quality basketball. That’s due to having talented stars that play an unselfish game with a solid supporting cast behind them.
The dynasty label definitely carries over. This is the Heat’s fourth straight finals, while the Spurs have won the title four times during Tim Duncan’s career. And let’s face it: last year’s finals, especially the final two games, were a masterpiece. I could argue that Ray Allen’s game-tying 3-point shot in the final seconds of game 6 was possibly the most clutch shot in basketball history.
Think about it. If he misses, not only do they lose the championship, but the big three of the Heat likely gets broken up, and Lebron’s championship legacy falls into serious doubt.
And lastly, the re-match element definitely has the Lakers-Celtics flavor. Last year’s match up was the most of a Finals series that I watched—not including the Cavs’ short-lived appearance in 2007—since the days of Michael Jordan and the Bulls. So I am eagerly anticipating the sequel.
Who are you pulling for? And who am I pulling for? Well, I am in the older generation now, so, of course, it’s the Spurs all the way. I am guessing that Coach Tucci would approve!