2/1/08... The Day A Dynasty Was (Re)-Born

You may have heard… the Los Angeles Lakers host the Orlando Magic in game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. After more than 40 consecutive days of NBA playoff coverage, the last 4 days have seemed just as uneventful as the two week break during the NFL season between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. I blame the absence of action less than I blame the over-analysis of the finals that we’ve all been subjected to…

• "Can the Laker big men contain Dwight Howard?” (They don’t have to… the Cavs just demonstrated what can happen when you don’t play a TEAM game)

• “Will Jameer Nelson return and play?” (Please do, sir… you’re not in top game shape, buddy)

• “Who has the coaching edge?” (I literally laughed out loud when I heard this one)

• A Doctor wrote an essay that concludes that Lamar Odom’s sweet tooth apparently has an effect on his playmaking abilities. Dr. Daniel Amen writes, "I've been telling my patients for years that sugar acts like a drug in the brain. It causes blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired, irritable, foggy and stupid. Eating too much sugar impairs cognitive function, which may explain why Odom doesn't always make the smartest decisions on the court." Uhhhh…. Okay.

• “How bad does Kobe want to win a ring without Shaq?”

• And we can’t forget about the COUNTLESS position by position player matchups on all of the different media outlets. Kobe Bryant vs. Mickael Pietrus? Seriously? People actually took the time to compare these two?

Yes. All of these topics have been covered and debated extensively within the last 4 days.
Well, this blog is not going to provide an analysis/preview of this series. This blog is not going to cover the obvious fact that the Lakers are going to secure their 15th championship in franchise history. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty disappointed that I’m one of only 5 My Lakers Nation members who picked the Lakers to sweep the Magic. And, trust me, that is not based solely on what some may call a clearly-defined bias, it’s just that the Lakers are a much better team. But this blog isn’t about that…
This blog is about the current Lakers squad taking their first concrete steps into that coveted “D-word” territory. That’s right… DYNASTY, baby! It’s hard to believe that two years ago at this time, some Lakers fans were wondering how much time they had left to see “Kobe Doin’ Work” in the purple and gold. Seems like forever, doesn’t it Laker fans? There were actually serious discussions about him going to the Bulls… or maybe even the Clippers (ooh... perish the thought). Check out this article from May 31, 2007. It’s truly scary that Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, and Vince Carter were some of the “alternatives” to the Black Mamba. This was all just 2 years ago, people!
And then, in the middle of last season, a trade occurred on February 1, 2008 that brought Pau Gasol to the Lakers from the Grizzlies, and in the blink of an eye, the Lakers were once again an elite team in the NBA. It would be impossible to overstate just how important this trade was. Not only did they acquire a very skilled big man, whose style of play fit in perfectly with the vaunted triangle offense used by the Lakers, but the team was able to unload the contracts of 3 mediocre players: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, and Marc Gasol (Pau’s brother). Gasol (Pau) helped the Lakers finish the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference (57-25), and the Lakers had a record of 22-5 with him in the starting lineup. Not too long before the Boston Celtics eliminated the Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, I commented to one of my really good friends and fellow Laker fan that this team could eventually be better than the Lakers squad that three-peated between 2000-2002. He thought I was crazy.But this team is deep. Their roster is full of players that could easily be starting on a lot of playoff teams, and they have solid role players that truly understand… well, their role. They’re young, too. Except for Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant is the oldest player on the team at 30 years of age. Most importantly, this team plays and acts like a team on and off the court. When was the last time you heard about any non-game related disputes coming from this team?
After the Lakers lost by 39 points in game 6 of last year's finals and we witnessed Doc Rivers taking an on-court Gatorade bath, I uttered these words, “Revenge is sweet.” And while I am disappointed that it couldn’t happen this year, I strongly believe it will happen next year, meaning the Lakers will repeat, beating a Celtics team that still has Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and an ever-improving Rajon Rondo . The fact that Prince James and his Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t make it to the NBA Finals to play Kobe Bryant and the Lakers again will cause the prince to take his one man show to Broadway… and he’ll sign with the New York Knicks in the summer of 2010. The Knicks will make another major acquisition that summer (I’m predicting Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, or Chris Bosh). Needless to say, the Knicks will get a lot better… so much so, that they’ll return to the finals to face… the Lakers.
(Somewhere, David Stern just “Ji##ed In His Pants”)

It’s an advertising executive's dream come true. Kobe vs. Lebron. LA vs. NY. The decorated, 5-time champion Kobe Bryant seeking his 6th title to tie him with his idol vs. the best 26 year old player to never have won a title. You think puppets were over the top? There would be a Kobe-Lebron musical on broadway… A reality TV show... Their own nightly talk show on ESPN. It would easily be the most hyped, most-televised sporting event EVER. David Stern will have a “happy ending” smile on his face for weeks as the series will undoubtedly go 7 games. And the champion would be… well, just a “repeat” isn’t considered a dynasty, is it?
Just remember you heard it here first.
And no wonder so many people hate the Lakers. Most teams would love it if they won a championship every other decade. The Lakers average a DYNASTY every other decade.

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