A Nice Way to Kick Things Off
Friday, June 6th, 2008 by Steven Mitchell
I have to say that college basketball is always more interesting than pro ball, and that I have a hard time sitting through an entire regular season NBA game. The playoffs are a different story though.
This year’s playoffs have been the most interesting in recent memory and Game 1 of the Finals did not disappoint. It had the feel and intensity of the Final Four. We were even treated to some drama with a Willis Reed type moment as Paul Pierce returned and changed the game in the third quarter. I have a feeling this series will not be boring and will be unpredictable.
The one thing I am predicting is that the Celtics’ defense will be able to contain Kobe and the Lakers’ offense. That happened in Game 1 as Kobe was hounded into 9-26 shooting and 4 turnovers. Of course, that was only one game and Kobe has a way of going off on opponents.
Just a little side not, but am I the only one that heard Marc Jackson say on the air that Kobe was on the same level as Michael Jordan. I heard it and I couldn’t believe it. Not to take anything away from Kobe because he is one hell of a ball player, but Jordan was hands down the best player in the league for a 10-12 year stretch. Kobe is very arguably the best player in the league. Actually, I think he is the 3rd best player behind LeBron and Garnett. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at Marc Jackson; he is prone to talking in hyperbole, especially when it comes to the object of his man-crush.
Anyway, I am excited about the rest of this series and think it will go down as one of the best in the long history of this rivalry. It is scary to think that, after the Finals are over, 31 of the 62 NBA titles will have been won by either Boston or the Lakers.
