CompLAcency

It’s back; Lakers, Celtics.

The historical rivalry returns to where it last took place. The Celtics return to the Staples Centre for the first time since that unforgettable Game 7 where the Lakers captured its 16^th championship, trailing only the Celtics’ 17 titles.

I make no secret of my unabashed love for the Celtics. However, I hold a high level of respect for the old-school Lakers of the 80s. Between 1980 and 1989, the Lakers or Celtics played in every NBA Finals (meeting three times) with the Lakers winning five titles and the Celtics winning three. In my opinion, there is no greater personal rivalry in sport than that of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Not only were they incredible basketballers but also they played with a high level of intensity every game, year-in, year-out. 

That’s what makes me despise these Kobe-led Lakers; their attitude that they can take games off without consequences. I resent their conceited ways, their smugness, and their cockiness.

The Lakers violate all beliefs for a sports purist of performing at your best every game.

What makes it even more bothersome is that not only is it acknowledged but players and fans accept it. Earlier this season on Christmas Day, in what was a nationally-televised match of significant proportions, the Lakers lost 96-80 to the Miami Heat. Inexcusably, they looked lethargic and sluggish. Ironically, Lamar Odom called his team “cocky”. ESPN LA journalist Ramona Shelburne states that the Lakers receive “a long leash from their fans”. Shelburne adds “the Lakers have been this kind of team for the better part of a decade, brilliant when they need to be, maddeningly blasé when they’re bored”.

This would never be tolerable for Celtics fans.

Despite making the NBA Finals, Celtics fans hold bitter feelings about the team’s mediocre effort towards the end of the regular season last year. Boston basketball is promoted on “working-class grit” of hustle and teamwork. It’s the antithesis to the Lakers’ “Hollywood Style” of glitz, glamour and showboating.

The thing that is most exasperating is that despite home losses to sub-.500 teams, including Memphis, Indiana, Phoenix, Milwaukee as well as Friday’s loss to Sacramento, it is inevitable that the Lakers will feature in this year’s NBA Finals. They’re too good when they want to be. Just watch how they will rise to the occasion tomorrow. Rivalries always bring out the best in you. It is what sport is all about.

Nevertheless, enjoy tomorrow’s game as one of the most storied rivalries in sport writes another intriguing subplot tomorrow. It will be fiercely competitive between the two most successful franchises in basketball. The old-school style of defense at all costs will have many salivating. Just to add fuel to fire, Shaq will return to LA, where he won three championship rings. This time he will be wearing Celtic-green.

Regardless of the outcome tomorrow, it will be minuscule to what-could-be in June.

There’s just one thing left to say;

BEAT LA!

Tryin' It Out

The life of a wannabe-baller can be pretty exhausting and very hectic. I’ll make no secret of it; I, like many others, like to emulate my favourite players when I play basketball whether it is Paul Pierce’s swagger, Kevin Garnett’s (KG) intensity, Ray Allen’s professionalism, Kendrick Perkins’ determination, Rondo’s confidence, Glen Davis’ laid back personality or Shaq’s fun-loving attitude.

Last week, my basketball club held try outs in selecting teams for this season. In between tryouts I was kept pretty busy by my routine of daily training and keeping a healthy regime including a diet that left me feeling somewhat like a horse.

I have to give my trainer, Tali, a massive shout out.  We’ve been training since April and to say that I feel significantly healthier and in better physical shape is a major understatement. Honestly, I was of the school-of-thought that a trainer was someone who would just try to keep you motivated by shouting inspirational messages (for example, “FAILING TO PREPARE IS PREPARING TO FAIL!!) while they instruct you to carry out an exercise that you would have been able to do own your own without the cost.

I was proven wrong after two weeks into training where I was shown that working hard might be hardly working in making progress. It’s not just a matter of training hard; you need to train smart.

It’s similar to buying a pair of shoes; sure you can get a nice looking pair of shoes. They look the part, act the part, hell; they even smell the part for a little while. At first they look great as you do your thing on Saturday night. But after a week, those shoes are going to become painful as they become uncomfortable and an inconvenience. You need a pair of shoes that enable you to undertake activities at your full potential. A pair that you can run in, turn in, side step in, jump in. A trainer helps you reach this.

I like to be well prepared for basketball so I like to make sure that I have plenty of energy by eating well throughout the day. Protein is essential. For breakfast, the standard four weetbix with honey, banana and sesame-seed powder hits everything that a morning breakfast should be. I’m a big believer in a good amount of carbohydrates in the form of pasta along with a lot of water and vegetables; my typical day includes a carrot, tomato and cucumber. Stay away from the sugars! Having protein after any workout is crucial in allowing the body to recover muscle and tissue.

When I arrive at basketball whether its practice, scrimmage or game day, I like to be well equipped. My sports bag includes several shirts and towels, as I make no secret that I like to sweat it out during play. Man, you ain’t workin’ if you haven’t got your sweat on! Along with a dozen shirts and towels, I have my shorts, headband, my KG kicks or sneakers, socks, basketball, plenty of water (occasionally a sports drink for marathon sessions), and my notorious and in my opinion, highly coveted Celtic-green IPod with headphones. I can’t stand earphones and that metallic sound they have. It’s just nasty, particularly if you like your beats like I do. My music library covers a lot of genres from folk and rhythm, reggae, rock and pop to jazz. My IPod is definitely predominately hip-hop though.

I like to get in my zone during warm-ups by listening to something that gets me a little amped up and juiced for when I’m on the court. The usual suspects are Gang Star, Public Enemy, Madvillain, Little Brother, NaS, The Roots, J-Dilla and occasionally Jay-Z and Wu-Tang. Sometimes, I like to tone it down a bit with a little R&B/Soul such as Marvin Gaye, The Spinners, James Brown or my favourite, Curtis Mayfield. It all depends on my demeanour for the game. Sometimes I feel like getting funky like Joakim Noah. Other times I’m a bit more determined and intense in feeling like cracking some heads ala KG. I realise they are bitter rivals but that’s what makes them so endearing in that they are so passionate and competitive for the game. As much us Celtic fans resent Joakim Noah, we would love him if he wore green.

In most of my trials I feel offense is wrongly favoured more than defense. For the most part my offensive play is slowly becoming more consistent. Some nights I’ll get twenty points, other nights I’ll stink out the joint by shooting 2-8 in scoring 4 points along with 4 turnovers. More importantly, on most nights I’m satisfied with my D with the occasional missed rebound or rotation. I always value my defense over offense any day of the week. Offense wins games but defense wins championships.

Sometimes things just don’t go your way and as the late and great coach John Wooden said “Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” One thing that should be consistent is effort. 90% of basketball is effort. I always run and hustle regardless of the situation. Running, communication, setting screens, diving for loose balls is hustle and shows your heart. You may not be having your best performance but hustle shows that you are willing to scrap for any of the pieces that will help your team.

Hustle is underrated. It doesn’t show in the box score but it is the most important aspect of any sport. It’s not only team building, it’s also character building.

Look at Kendrick Perkins, one of my favourite players. He gets no respect and is very underrated. Perk gets no recognition for how important and vital he is to the Celtics success. You want proof; just look at that game 7. Add myself to the school-of-thought that had Perk been there for game 7 Celtic Nation would be celebrating number 18. I’m still not ready to go into specifics but I know that if Perk was there, a half time lead of 6 would have been much greater if Perk had been there in cleaning the paint of easy layups and any loose rebounds.

What’s my point to this? I don’t really have one. I can just offer my view point that basketball has served as an inspiration to not only trying to improve my game but also my overall health. I’ve been motivated to exercise more, eat better and think positively.

As basketball legend Bill Walton offered, “Basketball is a glorious celebration of life, of health, of everything that’s good.” It’s just one of the many themes that sport can offer. I know I can never be KG or Perk but it’s a lot of fun trying to be.

In A League Of His Own

This game was termed as "The Clash of The Titans." It featured the Celtics and Spurs who possess the league's best regular season records. The best of the West meets the best of the East. A monumental matchup. Except Rajon Rondo wasn't playing. He played his own game.

Rondo accumulated a video-arcade-like stat line including 12 points on 6-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, 22 assists and 6 steals in a game-high 43 minutes of action. It was his 11th career triple-double and just his third game back after missing two weeks with an ankle injury.

The MVP-candidate also had some huge baskets as he sunk several mid-range jumpers.

"He did it all," Pierce said. "Rebounded. Assisted. Doc's kind of been on him about taking that shot there. And he steps up when he needs to and knocks down those shots confidently."

For a team that has built its reputation on defense, Rondo made the Spurs look pedestrian.

The crowd certainly knew it too as they chanted MVP.

What did Rondo think of his game? "It was easy," Rondo said of his big assists night. "Ray shot 13-for-16 form the field. Paul shot [7-for-10]. [Glen Davis] took 18 [shots and made 10]. Guys made shots today, so nothing special."

Rondo did it with a little help from Ray Allen who shot 13-16 for 31 points. He heated up early after shooting 5-6 in the first quarter for 11 points.

"If it was practice...I don't know if anyone in the league would hit 13 out of 16. He does it in a game," Spurs coach Popovich said. "I think he's pretty good."

Despite the offensive outburst, the Celtics held on to win by two points, 105-103. After 47 minutes of premium basketball, the Celtics nearly capitulated in the final minute. The Celtics had a lead of 105-96 with a minute of play left but a series of turnovers and missed free throws gave the Spurs a final chance. On the final play Ginobili attempted a three-pointer to win the game, but Pierce blocked the shot to seal the win for Boston.

Celtics coach Rivers stated "the fact that we shot 61% and won by two is scary. That shows they're a really good team."

Again, it was the Celtics' defense that won this game as they held the Spurs to 39% shooting in the fourth quarter while they shot 63% themselves.

Davis scored a season-high 23 points on 10-18 shooting while Pierce chipped in with 18 on shooting 7-10.

The resilient Spurs received contributions from Tony Parker and Tim Duncan who scored 18 points each and a combined 16-28 shooting.

The Celtics lead 77-72 at the start of the fourth quarter. Ginobilli scored 20 of his team-high 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Spurs gained a 92-90 lead with 4:50 to play. However the Celts went into their patent lockdown mode to close the game out.

"You knew it was gonna be a nip-tuck game," Pierce said. "You got two heavyweights battling."

The loss marks the first time the Spurs have lost consecutive games for the first time this season, while the win improves the Celtics record to 27-7 to maintain a half-game lead over Eastern conference rivals, the Miami Heat.

Contract Your Ego - The Plea Letter

“I take the game seriously because I’m trying to carry on the legacy that great players before me left. It’s all about competing, about trying to be the best. It’s also important to me to make the team I’m on now the best. I don’t want to go ring-chasing, as I call it; you know, going to a team that’s already pretty established and trying to win a ring with them. I want to play with the Cavs and build a champion.” ESPN The Magazine January 16 2006.

Dear “Chosen One”,

We are forgiving but this is getting out of hand. We wanted to help you but even you’re beyond our help now. How times have changed. You were once showered with love and adoration wherever you travelled. Now you face so much resent and are held in such disgust that gives one the impression that you are the sole reason for global warming.

We know you’re pretty good. At the young age of 18 you were drafted straight out of high school as the number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA. You even signed a shoe contract with Nike before your debut. You’ve achieved so many accolades and received numerous awards; High-school State Champion, Triple Mr. Basketball of Ohio, All-Star, All-NBA, Rookie of the Year, back-to-back Most Valuable Player, Olympic Gold Medal winner.

In just your fourth season in the NBA you led the Cavs to their franchise-first NBA Finals after defeating Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals in 6 games. You were against a 0-2 deficit and in Game 5 you recorded a franchise-record 48 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, to go with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, you scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the team's final 25 points in a double-overtime victory. You concluded the night with a game-winning lay-up with 2 seconds left which left NBA analyst Marv Albert to describe your performance as "one of the greatest moments in postseason history," while color commentator Steve Kerr called it "Jordan-esque.”

You must hate the C’s. They bounced you and the Cavs twice out of the last three playoffs despite so much promise. In the 2007-08 playoffs you scored 45 points in the decisive seventh game. Except Paul Pierce’s 41 points led to a narrow Celtic victory. Then, after gaining the best regular season record for the second straight season, you were bounced again by the C’s who inflicted Cleveland their worst home playoff loss in team history 120-88.  It was the past playoff failures at the hands of the Celts that triggered all the “Summer Fallout” that capitulated in “The Decision”.

Recently, you came out and suggested that the NBA should consider contraction. You pointed out “the league was great (before). It wasn’t as watered down as it is (now).”

Now ask yourself this- “What should I do? Should I contract my overinflated ego?”

Who are you to decide who can or can’t play in the NBA as if you are paying player salaries out of your own pocket like you’re George Steinbrenner.

Who are you to even claim yourself as the “Chosen One”? It sure as hell wasn’t by us.

This is not the first nor is it likely to be the last time that you decide to voice your loud-mouthed opinion as if you’re the Reverend Al Sharpton offering salvation to all of the basketball-damned.

It wasn’t the Decision to depart Cleveland and take your “talents” to South Beach in playing with close friends, Wade and Bosh, that led us to look at you with contempt. After the Cavs fired Mike Brown in trying to appease the Chosen One and his worship, you decided in all your wisdom (if any) to have a one-hour long “special” to publicly upset and disappoint your masses (this doesn’t suggest that we condone any violence resulting from your selfishness). Then to further rub salt into the wound, Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe points out that you and “the Heat threw quite a party” with a wrestling-themed entrance “with confetti streaking down in what was a laughable bit of self-indulgence.” In attempting to defend your egocentric actions, you answered on CNN that race played a role in the backlash to your decision

There’s so much more; you ordered organizers to confiscate video tape of you being dunked on by Xavier University guard Jordan Crawford at your Skills Academy.

You reportedly, strongly considered playing in Europe for Olympiacos if offered a $50 million annual salary. Yeah, what a competitor you are to take all that money and play in Europe. Is it mind on the money or money on the mind Chosen One?

You changed your jersey number from 23 to 6 in respect to Jordan (who our main man was disguised as when he dropped 63 points against the ’86 Celtics) and failed to recognise the impact that Bill Russell had not only on sport but also on Civil Rights. Remember when you said that it’s important to know the history of the game in helping its evolution? You said that you realize that it’s past players who are the reason for where you are today.

This season you “unintentionally” bumped into Heat coach Erik Spoelstra during a timeout in a lose to Dallas. Was it also “unintentional” when you bumped into Cavs coach Mike Brown when you played for Cleveland?

When did you become such a self-centered spoilt-brat who protests every call and carries on with this kind of subversive behaviour? You have become an “egomaniacal, self-absorbed, narcissistic blowhard who calls himself the King” as Tony Massarotti states. Maybe it was after you felt betrayed and unable to trust anyone anymore when your high school coach Keith Dambrot betrayed the team when he left St. Vincent-St. Mary to coach at the University of Akron.

You were once a light-hearted character who played with zest and enthusiasm. We saw More Than A Game. We miss that LeBron. The LeBron that loved his team mates and coach both on and off the court. You were the Fab Five. They weren’t just teammates, they were life friends. Maybe they can help you now.

Your New Year’s resolution should be to be more humble and unassuming. Start by entering this year’s Dunk Contest in LA.

It was our idea that you do the dunk contest to appease your fans and gain some support. We are believers of free will and thought you would have come to the conclusion on your own to enter. You were scheduled to compete in your rookie year but injured your ankle. Think of it as fulfilling destiny. Don’t offer this nonsense and drivel about home court and it being a challenge. You don’t have to win. Just do it for the fans. Without them, you would not be able to make a living. Think of someone else for a change. What would you do without basketball?


Sincerely,


The Basketball Gods

PS. Happy 26^th Birthday. Last question to ask yourself; What should I Do? Should I grow up?