Who Wears Short Shorts?
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008I am giddy. The fact that Barack Obama has (finally) clinched the nomination AND the Lakers/Celtics finals start all in one week has put me over the moon. Since our future President deserves a post of his own (well, a second post of his own), I will stick with my love of basketball for this one.
Everyday for a week now, I have been listening to sports radio, reading espn.com or the LA Times, and watching Sportscenter to catch the latest chatter on this year’s improbable dream series. Who would’ve thought that at the beginning of the season, we had the disgruntled, trade-demanding Kobe being booed at home, and a freshly minted Keven Garnett in Celtic green looking very much at home. I think the real attraction to this series is how historical it is. This is THE ONE AND ONLY match-up that would have lived up to the hype. Seasons and series like these don’t happen every year…just ask the Spurs and Knicks from the 98-99 finals. (Sidenote: I cannot wait to see the KG / Kobe split screen NBA commercial. This ad campaign was hands-down my favorite of the year…far superior than any beer or Superbowl commercial).
I distinctly remember watching the Magic, Bird, Kareem, McHale duke it out in the 80s and it’s 100% the reason why I am such a die-hard, tried & true, non-car-flag-waving (read: not a bandwagoner) Lakers fan. And like their gym shorts, my love for them has grown more and more each year. I watched the early 2000’s championship parades down Figueroa from my office building…I screamed like a howler monkey when Fisher made the impossible 0.4 second shot to beat the Spurs (while I was working late at the office)…I walked down to Staples Center with one of my best friends Ed to watch games live more than I can count…Heck, I even stood by Kobe during the Colorado fiasco where he was charged for rape (ALLEGEDLY!). Like in any relationship, you survive the highs and lows so that your bond can be that much deeper. So when the pre-season Kobe histrionics happened, I had to take a deep breath and just tell myself, “This too, shall pass.” Through all the changes, firings, hirings, losses, wins, and drama that happened and will continue to happen with this team (I was a Shaq fan at one point, after all), I have stayed loyal and undeterred.
Here we are today on the eve of the first finals game and I am counting the minutes until tip-off. I’m about to pay a pretty penny for some Game 4 nosebleed seats (that are still good, mind you). But I think it’s worth it. Because from the looks of things, by the time I’m a crazy old Chinese lady screaming for her Los Angeles Lakers in the stands, they’ll be playing with full warm-up pants on and the #24 retired jersey will be next to the 30th championship banner in the rafters.
