So much was unique about the Lakers’ championship run in this year of the bubble, the suspension of play, the interpenetration of NBA business and progressive political action, the back-to-back erasures of 3-1 series leads by the inspired Denver Nuggets. So much that we might fail to appreciate the degree to which we were witnessing the majestic raising of the bar for dominant duos in league history, just as the Lakers’ 16-5 playoff record proved their greatness.
Bob Liss
Love Stories: Black and White, His and Hers, Then and Now
Bob Liss gives love for love in this review of Earl Monroe’s history of basketball…
Merry Christmas from Kevin Durant and Draymond Green
The monetary and the military
They get together
Whenever it’s necessary
They’re making the planet into a cemetery.
—Gil Scott-Heron
Christmas Day, and did I need a gift! Feeling—ever since Elektion Day as if I am living somewhere between under a dark cloud and in a ratcheting-up concentration camp, I thought maybe I could still derive some pleasure—if not solace—from the long-anticipated NBA Finals “re-match” between Cleveland and Golden State.
Overkill
Hard to argue with lefty sportswriter Dave Zirin’s point that players should be free to determine their own venues, but Kevin Durant’s move to the Warriors strikes at the heart of what makes professional sports interesting; dare I say “worthwhile”? Competitive balance and team cohesiveness.
Currying Favor in College Ball
I. Anticipation
With the NCAA tournament (March Madness) beginning only two days after the high school team I help coach was eliminated from the California state tournament, I figured I’d finally have a chance catch up on what’s happening with college ball. After all, even with the NCAA’s being increasingly exposed as The Evil Empire, c’mon, ya hadda love college ball. If you knew anything at all, you preferred it to the NBA, scorned those who did not. But not in the newly-dawned Steph Curry Era!
Enigma & Genius: On Lebron James and Draymond Green
After a grueling six preparatory weeks of the NBA Playoffs, basketball fans and Lebron James followers alike had a week off before the Finals began. After conquering the Eastern Conference, King James seemed as worn out as I felt, but one could hope that the rest would be as rejuvenative as the two week mid-season rest he gave himself for his thirtieth birthday, after which he returned to his own self, turning around what looked like a disappointing season for the returning Odysseus of Northeast Ohio.