I had long ago come to grips that the Lakers would win another NBA title this year -they are just too deep. I was however not prepared for the awkwardness that would accompany such a victory.
On the makeshift podium erected at center court, NBA Commissioner Stern presented the Larry O'Brien Trophy to the 2009 equivalent of Beavis and Butthead. These guys were the owners sons. I think Dr. Buss was pheasant hunting in Argentina or something and couldn't make the series so he sent his boys. I half expected the word "dude" to come of son #1's mouth during his acceptance speech. ABC had the good sense to not allow the 2nd son to speak at all and cut right to interviewing the Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson. That the trophy would be presented to people the sporting world knew nothing of was creepy. For all we knew, these guys could have tied Dr. Buss up in the back, SAID they were his sons, and orchestrated the whole thing. Great gag if it turns out to be true.
I also found Kobe Bryant's postgame enthusiasm and playfulness to be somewhat contrived. I mean it's not like he has EVER been known as a good teammate. On the contrary, he has been universally disliked due to his surliness, selfishness and aloofness. Then again, he quit going to school after the 12th grade and quit taking classes years before that. Simply, people don't love Kobe because he writes poetry or does complex ordinary differential equations.
Another annoyance is that he has to foolishly compare himself to the Diesel all the time. Everyone knows that Shaq was the glue that held those first 3 title-teams together and it killed, killed, killed Kobe that Shaq picked up #4 in Miami without him. That Kobe has now won #4, in his own teeny weeny little pea brain he justified his greatness to himself. Sure Kobe is a great ballplayer, and has a great nickname, The Black Mamba, but bottom line, he's just a shitty teammate. In fact, I'd rather lose with Dwight Howard than win with Kobe. Ouch.
As in all good fairy tales, Kobe's season-long scowl had turned into a smile by the end of the game. He jumped into the air when the buzzer went off and was giddy like a 7 year old at Toys 'R Us. He was a hugging, high-fiving, knucklebumping machine. Teammates hugged by Bryant weren't sure what to make of this new Kobe - but it's not like they are deep thinkers anyway. They hugged back.
And what is the deal with all the suits having to hug the sweaty players? If I'm a coach, no way I'm going to hug anybody with that much sweat dripping off them (task repeated a dozen times). It's just gross man. No one likes the smell of wet wool let alone sweaty wet wool. Or am I the only person that thinks of this?
The US Open is this week. When that wraps up we officially enter the dead zone. We'll be in sports limbo until the NFL kicks off in early September - sure there will be a few Grand Slams littered throughout the summer in golf and tennis, a few thousand baseball games, but the meat and potatoes of sports will disappear for a few months. Time for us sports fans to take a breather - restock the fridge, do laundry, pull weeds, change the oil in the car....all things on the to-do list that never quite got finished.
The Lakers? Yeah I know we'll have to hear all about their greatness for the next year - maybe longer.
It's okay - I just tune 'em out.
1 comment:
wow, you are alive
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