If someone had told me in October, or even in April that I would be more excited to watch Game Six of the NBA Finals than I would be to watch Game Six of the Cup Finals, I most likely would have: laughed, called them a lunatic (or something like that), laughed some more, requested a portion of whatever hallucinogen I would assume they were on, then walked away, laughing.
But that's the reality. As I sit here with the Bruins leading 4-0 in Game Six of the Stanley Cup Final, I'm still marvelling over what was the best NBA Finals in recent memory. And the game on the television in front of me right now ... meh.
This year's Cup Finals has been less than stellar for me. With the Vancouver Canucks playing for a championship, the inevitable bandwagon jumpers have reared their ugly faces, the same jumpers that were "die-hard" Flames fans in 2004, "die-hard" Sens fans in 2007, and "die-hard" Oilers fans in .. whatever year it was they went to the Finals. People who I know for a fact have not watched a single NHL game in the regular season and probably a similar number up until ten days ago are perched firmly on top of their soap boxes cheering as loud as they can for the Canucks even though they probably couldn't name any players on their roster not named Sedin or Kesler or Luongo.
If that's not bad enough, this series has been chock full of everything I absolutely hate about hockey. Cheap shots after the whistle. Cheap shots before the whistle. Incessant chirping. Repeated diving. Taking shots at the oppostition through the media. It doesn't help that the two previous games in Boston have been over by the end of the second period, and I currently sit the first intermission with Game Six looking to be wrapped up, again in the Bruins favour. To me, it's almost unwatchable hockey.
The NBA Finals were a completely different story.
After Miami won the first game fairly handily, we were treated to five unbelievable basketball games. Four of the five went down to the last minute, and more than one went down to the last shot. It was the kind of basketball that I love to watch: when it seemed the game is getting out of reach, the other team goes on a run. The first four games were a defensive clinic by both teams, the next two saw one or both teams score over 100 points.
I will admit, my decision to watch the Finals was motivated in part by my desire to see Chris Bosh and the Heat lose. I will admit that part of me was grudgingly cheering for the Mavericks (I'm a Spurs fan by the way) so I could finally see Jason Kidd win a championship. But after the first two games, I was hooked. It had nothing to do with the Heat failing or the Mavs winning, it was the desire to see some great basketball.
It was the fourth quarter battles that kept me coming back. Eagerly awaiting the final twelve minutes to begin. Eagerly waiting to see if Dirk will be able to shake a 4-20 start with the championship on the line. Eagerly waiting to see if D-Wade will be able to keep pace. Both players, and both teams had their fourth quarter triumphs, but in the end, it was Dirk Nowitzki who would get the better of the Heat, cementing his status as one of the best basketball players of all-time. It has been a long time since I watched every game of an NBA Finals, but suffice to say, I'm glad I did.
Seeing Jason Kidd, one of the best guards of our generation and one of my all-time favourite players, win a championship was something I was really happy to see. I looked up some of the records he holds and it's hard to dispute that he is one of the all time greats at his position, a status now cemented with the addition of an NBA Title. I didn't realize he had amassed 15,000 points, 10,000 assists, and 7,000 rebounds over the course of his career, the only player in history to do so. But when I think about how long he has been in the NBA and the teams he has played on over the years it actually makes sense.
Way to go Jason, you've earned it.
-matt
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
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