Quick Hits

A few quick hits to take your mind off this hazy, hot, and humid Monday in June...

On the NBA Finals: Words cannot properly describe what a fantastic matchup this is. I grew up watching Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson, and reading about Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain. I’ve watched Phil Jackson slowly creep up on, and finally tie, Red Auerbach’s record of nine titles as a head coach. At the same time, I’ve watched the Celtics fall first into disarray and then into irrelevance. No one would have bet a year ago that when Jackson’s next shot at number ten came along it would be the Boston Celtics who stood in his way. This is that rarest of matchups in sports where all the hype, all of it, is true. This really is that good.

And if you are still not sold consider this: The Celtics have 16 world championships. The Lakers have 14 world championships. There have been 61 total world championships in league history. You do the math.

On the Referees: NBA officiating is absolutely terrible, the worst of any major sport. Last night’s game 2 has been widely criticized due to a perceived impartiality towards the home team, and there may be something to that. Ken Mauer and Dan Crawford, two of the three officials on the floor last night, are both on the not-so-short list of incompetent (or corrupt) referees the NBA is currently employing. No game should have such a vast disparity in the number of free throw attempts between teams. But that said, the Lakers have looked to be nothing more than a soft jump-shooting team in these first two games. If you are looking for foul shots then you should be driving to the basket. LA goes home down 0-2, but with the knowledge that they will be the home team for the next three games. Look for a steady diet of Bennett Salvatore and Dick Bavetta on Tuesday and Thursday to ensure this series does not end in 4 or 5 games. The NBA and ABC both know there is far too much money left to be made to let that happen.

On Black Mamba: Kobe Bryant…you are not now, nor will you ever be, the “greatest player on the planet”. There is no doubt that you have great skills. There is no doubt that you were a key component on three world championship teams. But all the great players—Russell, Magic, Bird, Jordan, etc.—all the great players before you have made the players around them, the component parts of the team, better. After watching your Lakers these last two games it is clear that no one’s game is being raised by your own. That is what Shaquille O’Neal did for you…and what you have failed to do since you chased him out of town.

On Bill Plaschke: Anyone who has seen you ruin ESPN’s Around The Horn with your whining and phony liberalism knows you shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Your column in the LA Times is not much better. But you crossed the line on Friday when you accused Paul Pierce of faking his knee injury in game 1. You had no evidence to back up your claim. No actual reporting was done to check the facts. But that didn’t stop you, Bill. By Sunday you had made the situation worse. Instead of admitting that you may have been wrong, or showing any signs of regret at all, you chose to lash out at the Boston fans that had predictably filled your inbox with various insults. You were not being singled out, Bill, you were being called out for making up a story. How dare you then try to play the victim.

Speaking of victims…

On Hillary Clinton: Your concession speech on Saturday may have been graceful. It may have been respectful. It may have even, to some, been believable. But the reality is that no matter how beautiful the speech, it was far too little and much too late. You had one last chance to do the right thing on Tuesday—and you wasted it. Now you are faced with a no-win situation. An Obama victory would almost certainly crush any chance you have left to one day be president, but an Obama defeat would leave you with Democratic blood on your hands. Your sins these last few months are not going to be forgotten.

On ABC: Wow. Your coverage of these NBA playoffs has rivaled CBS’ coverage of the NFL for worst in recent memory. The trio of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson has been brutal to listen to. In fact, it is highly questionable how much of the game of basketball lead play-by-play man Mike Breen even understands. Fouls are missed or blatantly ignored. (Case in point was last night’s technical foul on Kevin Garnett in the first quarter—we’re still waiting to see what happened.) The Lakers last night, to their credit, almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in history. Down 26 points at one point in the fourth quarter, they refused to quit, rallied, battled back, and cut the deficit in half before Mike Breen even realized circumstances were changing and he should stop pretending the game was over. It was an embarrassing performance, both by ABC and the Celtic defense. Where is Marv Albert when we need him?

On Predictions: Nope, sorry, not gonna be making one this time around. This series could still go either way. It’ll be fun enough just to enjoy the ride.