The future will be bright in L.A.

By: Vince Vitale

Despite Boston's six game dominance of the Lakers, their future still looks bright. Especially considering the fact that they made it to the NBA Finals without Andrew Bynum. Drew was their starting center at the begining of the year and will be back next year, along with the all of other starters. Now close your eyes and imagine--Fisher pushing point, the closest thing to Michael Jordan at the other guard, and the versatile Lamar Odom becoming a dominant small forward. Pau Gasol will most likely slide down to the power forward spot where he belongs and Bynum will return to the starting line up. He will be the dominating inside presence that the Lakers lacked this year. He will compliment the frontcourt players so well, that the team can only become better. The Lakers will surpass Boston's bench because Cassel and PJ Brown will likely retire. Kobe will have another MVP type season and the Lakers will begin their quest to becoming a dynasty.

Now the important thing is keeping the pieces of the puzzle together. Look for Laker management to draft a scoring type combo guard to come off of the bench. As the West continues to get older, the Lakers can remain the favorite. Steve Nash is past his prime, so the Suns aren't the same threat that they used to pose. The same case can be made for Tim Duncan and the Spurs as well. The Mavericks have chemistry problems with their team and New Orleans is still one peace away from contending. Meanwhile in the East, Detroit should fall apart soon--for better or worse, and the Cavs need to find the Robin to Lebron's Batman.

With all this being said, a repeat of this year's Finals are very realistic as of right now, and I see the Lakers getting their revenge.

Boston takes Game 1, how can the Lakers rebound (no pun intended)?

Once again, the Boston Celtics are able to take the first game of a series on their home court in a 98-88 win over the L.A. Lakers. It seems like the Celtics are always able to play an energetic game in the opening game of whatever series that they're in and it seems to be a key win for them in every series in these playoffs. That Game 1 win is always important to them because they have yet to take complete control over a series as they were able to win each one in six games or more.

But how key was this one against the Lakers?

Well, the Lakers look like they are the only team that won't give Boston any stolen opportunities to allow them to take control of the series. The Lakers aren't like the Pistons who seem to be the only team in the NBA that can't take momentum into the next game, unlike the Lakers who can use momentum from a good win and use it to make the kill on their homecourt. It didn't show in the series against the Utah Jazz much, but they were still able to get the job done there. And don't forget the impressive, knocking off of the '07 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. In a series that was predicted by many to be the toughest for the Lakers by going six, if not seven games. But the hungry Lakers were able to take advantage of the fatigue shown by the Spurs from rounds one and two.

That is what the Lakers will need to do in order to top off the Celtics. It's safe to see that the Celtics are a team that you wouldn't want to face on their homecourt while they are up in the series because that's where they have done most of their damage throughout the regular season, and even the playoffs. They've only lost one game in the postseason at TD Banknorth. That was against the inconsistent Pistons who had the best chance to give the C's the most trouble, but they couldn't take the energy from Game 2 and send it back to their homecourt where they allowed the C's (a team who couldn't by a win on the road) to steal away TWO games on the road. Not cool at all.

The Lakers are similar to the Celtics when it comes to playing at home, but they've shown more consistency on the road than Boston has. That is really the one and only advantage that the Lakers have over the Celtics. The Celtics are too good to assume that the match ups that the Lakers have against the Celtics are an advantage because that's not true. It showed in Game 1 that the match ups may be a little difficult for the Lakers.

The Lakers will have to do what all of the other teams that faced the Celtics couldn't do, and that's actually STEAL a game at TD Banknorth. The Pistons didn't steal Game 2 away from Boston, rather more than they just won it because they didn't take advantage of that win. That is all the Lakers will have to do in order to make this series come out in their favor.

Lakers vs. Celtics Rivalry Renewed?

By Jake Wessel

At the conclusion of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the whole NBA front office must have been high-fiving each other as their wish for Lakers-Celtics has finally come true. In a rivalry that captivated NBA fans in the 80’s and thrusted the NBA into prime time, it has also passed baseball as the second highest rated American sports league. Now in a two-decade long wait, the rivalry is renewed and the NBA can start counting its money as the advertising and the games themselves will rack up some major ratings and money. This is a rivalry that is one of the few that has transcended the sport by bringing in more viewers, by having two teams year in and year out playing for the championship. Bringing in two guys, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who were some of the first NBA players to gain advertising promos for McDonalds and such thus getting the NBA more spotlight and gaining a wider audience. The Lakers and Celtics were the ones that were in large part, responsible for the popularity increase in the NBA in the 80’s. It’s no secret that the actual rivalry itself ranks with the greatest rivalries of all time, like the Yankees/Red Sox, Michigan/Ohio State, Redwings/Avalanche etc.. So how does the Lakers/Celtics rivalry get to rank up there with aforementioned above? They had everything in terms of being an all time great rivalry.

They had prominent figures on their respective teams, which the casual NBA watcher would recognize. Thus, they were able to reach those viewers to get a larger audience that other teams might not have been able to draw. They were totally opposite teams in every aspect to their game plans, types of players they had, coaches, all the way to the actual cities they represented. On one side you have the blue-collar working class Boston Celtics that played great team defense ran traditional plays and were scrappy. O the other side, you have the Hollywood flash and flare, show time L.A Lakers that ran teams out of the building with lights out shooting and countless fast break points. Those attributes and description of the teams and cities can be added to their leaders, Larry Bird of the Celtics and, Magic Johnson of the Lakers.

On one side you have Larry Bird who was a country boy best noted by his lights out jumper and clutch abilities, while he was a quiet guy who led more by example than by words. He embodied his team image by hard work, getting loose balls, steals and rebounds; just plain and simple scrappiness. He also had the clutch shooting and plays that only Michael Jordan can compare to. Then you have Magic Johnson who was outgoing loved giving interviews talking to reporters, and possessed skills that the NBA hasn’t seen before and hasn’t seen since. I don’t feel bad saying that he was the most completely skilled basketball player the NBA has ever seen. It can be noted first that he was a 6’9 point guard which is unique in itself, then add that he was quick, made insane passes and could shoot from anywhere on the court; you really had the most dangerous player in the league. He could have played every position on the court and excelled at each. So when you have popular players conflicting game styles, players, and cities you have the makings of an all time great rivalry that dominated the 80’s.

So then fast forward 21 years and you can see why this is so huge in the fact the NBA’s greatest rivalry is renewed. Even with an obvious different roster and playing styles. You have Kobe Bryant who can solidify himself as the true best player in the league by winning his fourth championship ring. Then you have three players in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen That have been criticized in their career for not being able to get it done in the playoffs and win that all elusive NBA championship. Also being able to continue the legacies of the two most decorated and noted NBA franchises will provide everything needed to have successful and notable Finals series. This is just what the NBA needs in a time that ratings and popularity has leveled off and is in need of a spark that only a Celtics/Lakers Finals can produce.

2008 Celtics-Lakers Finals have big shoes to fill

By: Byron Parker

The Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers...this is the way that it was supposed to be for the '08 NBA Finals. Conspiracy or not, that is the way that it has turned out and now we have a highly anticipated match up for the NBA Title.

This is a rivalry that was built in the early 60's and kept on until it died around the early 90's. Since then, every match up between these two teams haven't been as intruiging as the years of Bird, West, Johnson, Russell and all of the other stars who made this match up one to always watch. The years have gone by and now we find ourselves anticipating a series that hasn't been more hyped than the last time these two teams met in the NBA Finals--21 years ago. Yes it has been a long time since we've seen the Lakers and Celtics in action for something that is more important than just a regular season win--these are two of the most successful franchises in sport's history going against each other once again, for an NBA Title. It's way better than another Cavaliers-Spurs series, or a Pistons-Spurs series only because of the business aspect. With NBA ratings going down in the past couple of years, the NBA needs something like this to bring it back to where it's supposed to be. The interest level has plunged and now the chances of it skyrocketing are very high with this particular Finals match up.

Let's not get carried away with this though. With all the hype surrounding this series, it all comes down to the players.

Will they be able to make this an intruiging series?

Will the outcome of this series bring back the old days when the tension between the two teams was high?

This years Lakers and Celtics teams have HUGE shoes to fill. There is a lot of pressure on these two teams--not because they are playing for an NBA Title, but they are being relied on to bring back a rivalry that was once the face of the NBA. It seems like a lot of people, including David Stern, are depending on them for a boost in the interest level of the league. We've seen the commercials with highlights from the old games be compared with Kobe and Garnett to build up the anticipation of the series. But at what point does it get too "over-hyped"?

The pressure for this series to be similar to the ones in the 60's-80's is high and we don't know what to expect. As of now, there is no beef between the two teams that could make it more interesting. That is what was great about the former match ups between these two. We saw a lot of physical play on the court and it was fun to watch. But with a league that seems to be full of "softer" players these days doesn't make me look forward to a typical basketball game. The players on both teams don't seem to be the kind of players who would trash talk, in order to make the series more interesting to watch.

It is no secret that Boston is a much more physical team than the Lakers are and they've shown that all season (and a few times during the playoffs). What can we say about the Lakers being physical?

They tend to be more focused on winning the game rather than trying to make it more appeasing to others, which is a good mentality to have going into a highly anticipated series such as this. There is no need to make bad decisions because of what people want to see. That will just furthermore prove how much the NBA is staged. But with the Lakers being the way they are and the Celtics being the way that they are, how will this fair out with the rivalries from years ago when both teams had just about the same mentality?

It won't. These two teams can't allow the pressure of trying to be like the old guys get to their heads, because there is no need to fake it in order to make this an interesting series. They have to renew the rivalry rather than continue it. The days of Bird vs. Johnson, West vs. Russell is now over. This is a new era in the NBA where it is only right to play like you need to instead of play like you want to.

We definitely want to see the best possible series, but without the comparisons. With all of the comparisons being made between the two TOTALLY different era's, how dissapointed would everybody be if one of the team's were to be swept?

All of the unnecessary hype goes right out of the window and now we're looking forward for it to happen again. There is a pretty good chance that these two teams could meet in the NBA Finals again for the next several years, but let's not get too carried away in the hype. Not saying that this will be a great series because everybody on Earth should be tuning into every game of this series. It's just that we have to let the series play out to become its own rivalry, instead of trying to turn it into one that hasn't been around for over 20 years.

NBA Playoff Match-ups: Western Conference

By: Byron Parker

The Eastern Conference Playoff Preview may have been boring because…well, it’s the Eastern Conference. But the West is looking very strong and a lot of great match ups look to make this year’s playoffs very interesting. So with that said, here is a look at the match ups in the West.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
Both of these teams have two things in common…they both consist of stars. The team that has proven that they can use them right is the Lakers. Lakers coach, Phil Jackson has had star powered teams like the Lakers, so he knows how to coach them. On the other hand, Denver coach, George Karl just doesn’t have the same resume as Jackson does. He may have made a lot of playoff appearances with some really good teams, but his coaching criteria don’t stand up to what Jackson has done. Let’s take a look at the teams. The Lakers has really made an unexpected run into the No.1 seed in the West. The Kobe Bryant drama was the main focus going into this season, but all that has been buried and they’ve made a tremendous run. The explosion of Andrew Bynum has probably been a tremendous amount in Kobe urging to stay put in L.A. and try to succeed there. When he went down, Pau Gasol became a Laker and it seems like all they’ve done is just win. Gasol was the best thing to happen to this team since Kobe, and the two together just make opponents look weak in every aspect of the floor. They can dominate inside with Gasol who is putting up almost 19 points a game and shooting 58% from the floor since he became a Laker. They have a terrific outside game as they ranks amongst the top 10 in three point shooting with 37%. And who else but Kobe would you love to have on your playoff roster. The way Bryant has played this season, it’s not hard to tell that he is hungry for that championship ring. He is in the running for the MVP award and has put up staggering numbers this season. He is well deserving of the award. Denver has not showed the consistency that you’re typically looking for in a championship caliber team. Their losses that they suffer are sometimes questionable and it’s hard to tell if this team deserved a playoff spot over the high energy Golden State Warriors. But that won’t stop them from competing. Denver is a high scoring team with superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. They are second in the league in overall scoring with 111 points a game, and they will be going against a team that gives up a significant 101.3 points a game. The problem is that Denver is ranked at the bottom of the list when it comes to the opposition scoring…2nd to last to be exact. And the Lakers rank among the top of the NBA in scoring. It is obvious that defense has been an issue for the Nuggets, and it would be hard to pick them over the Lakers. Denver does have the potential to give Los Angeles a fight but their season play has yet to prove that they are a legitimate playoff contender, rather than a playoff appearance. L.A. is just too powerful for Denver; from the starters to the bench. It will take defense for Denver to pull off an upset but that is not their game. Locking down the big man Gasol can give them a chance. A potential Defensive Player of the Year winner, Marcus Camby may have to complete that task. We’ve seen Kobe by himself and that makes the Lakers nothing but an average (Western) team. If you shut down one of the weapons like Gasol, that’s what they’ll become. One problem is that the Nuggets are just an average Western team. So that still wouldn’t give them an automatic series win. The Lakers look to take this one.


New Orleans Hornets vs. Dallas Mavericks
The Hornets have made an improbable run to become one of the elite teams out in the West, thanks to MVP candidate Chris Paul. What he has done for this franchise is give it hope for years to come. The Hornets are really a good team when you compare them to other teams out in the West. They pretty much have all of the weapons to be an all around good team. Paul is just the dream point guard to have. He is able to do so many things with his skills; drive the ball to the basket, shoot the three pointer, set up and create plays, distribute the ball and play superb defense. Tyson Chandler is Paul’s right hand man. Chandler lurks in the paint, waiting for somebody to drive the ball in on him as he has the ability to intimidate people. He is the go-to guy in the paint who really helps Paul’s assist total by being able to score easy baskets. Peja Stojakovic is one of the best three point shooters in the NBA, shooting a stellar 44% from outside. With Paul creating open looks on a nightly basis, Stojakovic can sit all day from beyond the arch and knock down the three. And David West is sort of like the professional version of Michael Beasley (note: I said “sort of”). He really is an underrated player and he has all type of skills that is significant to the Hornets success this year. His 20 points and 9 rebounds a game really goes under the radar. This is almost like an all fantasy team. You won’t be finding it difficult to lose your weekly match ups with this squad. The Dallas Mavericks have struggled with the addition of Jason Kidd, but they seemed to have turned it around towards the end of the season. It all looked bad when Dirk Nowitzki went down and they were in danger of missing the playoffs. Dallas went 5-3 in his return and it helped them motor themselves to a 7th seed. Only to face the Hornets really look like they have the better team. The experience is one thing that will DEFINITELY play a role in this one. The Mavs really have the edge in that category, and so does Dallas coach, Avery Johnson. This may not have been the type of season that he pictured, but it still is a respectable one. But the Mavs are itching to make it deep into the playoffs this year, especially after and early exit last season in favor of the Golden State Warriors. The Hornets are a way better team than last years Golden State team. But Johnson has a nag in turning up the intensity level in the playoffs. So when it comes down to it, the Mavs have the mental edge over New Orleans. That is not a reason that they will win though. This series will go tight and both teams will play hard. Even though Jason Kidd hasn’t looked is sharpest in a Dallas uniform, he is eager to get to the championship this year. The match up between both teams may delay Kidd and co. eagerness until next year. This will be a great match up that could possibly go all seven games, but New Orleans is physically too strong on the floor. Maybe the story would be different if the Mavs still had Devon Harris.


San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
This is one of the greater match ups in the Western Conference playoffs. Both teams went strong to finish the season and strengthened their seeding. San Antonio ended the season winning 12 of their last 14 games. Phoenix turned around their dreadful slump winning 5 of their last 8. After making the trade which brought Shaquille O’Neal to Phoenix, the Suns looked pretty good. The problem was that they played pretty weak. But Phoenix coach, Mike D’Antonio looks like a genius because he was able to take the slow moving Shaq, and incorporate him into a fast, running team. How he was able to do it is beyond many, but he did it. But instead of making Shaq play with the type of offense that he isn’t really used to running with, D’Antonio has basically turned him into a role player to play in the paint. He is now relied upon for defense, rebounding and easy baskets. He has been shooting better from the floor at 61% and has become a better rebounder with 10.6 a game. Despite the record with Shaq in the lineup, they’ve really become better than what the numbers say. They now look like a team that can contend with all of the other Western Conference teams again. But the San Antonio Spurs are coming off of a championship and they still have the mindset in getting another one. As much as it has been said, we all know that experience plays a humongous role in a team’s ability to perform come playoff time. That’s why the Spurs are heavily favored in this first round match up. They have the most experience in winning which is something that they can take into this series against Phoenix. But what does Phoenix have that San Antonio doesn’t? They have experience in losing. Unlike the Spurs, the Suns have yet to exceed their expectations in the playoffs. And unlike the Suns, the Spurs have exceeded people expectations. This seems to be the year where nobody is expecting the Suns to make a run deep into these playoffs. With the tough playoff losses that they’ve suffered over the past couple of years, D’Antonio should have finally learned the thing he needs to do in order to accomplish what he needs done. And the magic piece is really Shaq. He has the most playoff experience and he can really get this team mentally prepared for this match up against San Antonio. With him finally able to play better with his new team, their new look can get them past the Spurs this year. Let’s not call it an upset though. These two teams are basically evenly matched. If anything, Phoenix has the better all around performers. Experience plays a role on San Antonio’s side. But the experience from losing with the same team (in Phoenix’ case) has enabled them to learn from their mistakes in the past couple of years, and this is the time that they can capitalize on them. The Suns should be able to knock off the defending champs. (BTW: Suns took season series 3-1)


Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets
With all the hype surrounding the Western Conference playoffs, this will probably be the one that goes under the radar. It’s hard to tell if this will end up being a boring series, or an intriguing one. Houston really has the storyline in this one due to all of the ups and downs to their season. The bad start, the Yao Ming injury, the 2nd longest winning streak in NBA history, the struggles after that, then the clinching of the 5th seed. Then you have the Utah Jazz who started off the season hot, then played mediocre ball, then got hot again…so on and so forth. So both teams tended to show inconsistency this season, more from the Rockets. Houston really hasn’t been shown any respect from their great season, but that gives reason why they can be make their opponents eat it in the playoffs. When it comes to Tracy McGrady, he has yet to win a playoff series in his NBA career. As much as it would be a sight to see him cry again, he won’t allow that to happen again. The Rockets proved that they didn’t need Yao Ming to compete in the West. When everybody wrote them off after the injury to Ming, they decided to not let that bother them and they wound up becoming playoff contenders. They were able to knock off tough opponents during their improbable 22 game win streak. They now have that on their resume but the Jazz have gone under the radar in the several weeks. They are one of the best home teams in the NBA (37-4), but their road record is pitiful (17-24). So that goes to show that home-court advantage will play a part in this series. Luckily for the Jazz, they have home court advantage in this one. As much as the Houston story may touch a lot of people, the Jazz really have a terrific team; they just tend to underachieve at some times. That is no reason to count them out of this one because if you look at all of the match ups in this series from position to position, Houston really can’t touch Utah. Utah is sort of like New Orleans when it comes to depth and weapons. They have the watered down version of Chris Paul in Deron Williams, their outside game constantly remains a threat with shooters like Okur, Kirilenko, Williams and Korver, and their inside man Carlos Boozer just knows how to dominate as an undersized power forward. Will Houston make this one close though? Most definitely. Houston has the mental game down pact, but Utah coach Jerry Sloan is the veteran in this one. Going up against the first year coach, Rick Adelman of the Rockets gives the Jazz an advantage going into this series. We might be blessed to see another emotional press conference from T-Mac this year.

Get ready for these matchups because every one of these WILL be fun to watch!

Kobe only scores six, and the Lakers still win?

By: Byron Parker

If Kobe Bryant only scores six points in a game, how will the Lakers win? Bryant is basically the backbone for the Lakers organization and holding him down to low numbers would cause the team to somewhat struggle, depending upon who's in the lineup. With Andrew Bynum in, there would still be hope. The big man has finally developed into his role in the paint and he's done a tremendous job. Bynum has the potential to be an every night double-double man for the team, so if Kobe struggles, Bynum is the next resort. What about the team without Bynum? Who are they gonna depend on now?

Last night was Pau Gasol's debut in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey. Gasol had a huge night, putting up 24 points, 12 boards and 4 assists. He immediately showed his impact to the team in just one night. Gasol gave us a sign of things to come later on in the season. Yeah, it helped that Fisher put up 28 last night but that's almost a once a month thing. You can't expect him to contribute offensively like that on a regular basis. You can expect it from Kobe and Gasol. There's nothing better than to have a reliable big-man in the paint waiting for the ball so he can put it in the basket. Gasol did a lot of that last night against the New Jersey Nets. And taking all of the pressure off of Kobe gave this team a new look. Most people will say that the Lakers won't work without Kobe. They're right. But would the Lakers work with just Kobe on his own? Not exactly. Relying on one man night in and night out is not how a team wil become successful because if Kobe were to have a bad night and the team lost the game, will you blame him because he didn't have anyone to support him? That just puts more pressure on him to perform better in the next game. You saw that with the few games that Kobe didn't have Bynum. But with Bynum complimenting Bryant in the lineup, Kobe didn't have to put up big numbers and he sometimes even found himself outscored by his teammate. That is what Bynum brought to the table.

Next to him was Kwame Brown. Due to the circumstances of Brown being a "not-so-good" player, I will not go off on a tangent about him. What I will do is compliment the Lakers front office for bringing that extra piece to the team that they needed. Pau Gasol.

I don't believe that he will be a one night wonder because we all know the skills that Gasol posesses. He's a rebounding machine, a go to guy in the paint, and he even has a short jumper in his arsenal. The guy can score and there's no doubt that he will give the Lakers another threat on the floor. If an NBA team has the ability to hold a star like Kobe to just six points and still lose, then that doesn't mean that they suck. It just means that the Lakers are no longer worried about depending on Kobe to get the job for them.

As much as I would like to write the Lakers up as the favorite to win the West, I still can't. Remember, we've only seen Kobe and Gasol; not Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. It should be no problem with these three finding a way to mesh with each other, but they'll have to learn quickly. With Bynum out for several more weeks, he'll return around crunch time. This is when the Lakers will need to get serious and prepare for the playoffs. It seems as if they're already serious but once again, all of them will have to be able to work with each other, especially Gasol and Bynum. Gasol is coming in for the moment to play the same role as Bynum did when he was in. When Bynum comes back, will he go back to his old role or will Phil Jackson find a different role for him? Hopefully for the Lakers, it won't take that long to get these two acclimated to their spots. It really shouldn't though. Since Bynum hasn't yet to establish his short jumper and Gasol has, there is a definite chance that Bynum will remain at the center position and Gasol will goto power forward. Working around the ball to these two will be a little difficult. Since Kobe has learned how to not be a selfish player, there's no worrying about what his job will be. As one of the best clutch shooters in the game, he'll most likely be the one the Phil depends on to set the tone at the beginning of the game and finish out the game. Bynum and Gasol will be the big men that Derek Fisher and Bryant can rely on to get the ball to for some scoring down low.

Gasol is great for this team. I can say that over and over again. I will be excited to see what he can do for this team for the rest of the season. This team is already playoff bound but with Gasol, they're now championship bound.

Figuring out the NBA...

By: Byron Parker

We all know that the NBA is such a predictable league. Things that happen year in and year out seems like thay are just conditioned to occur. The NBA has not yet found a way to obtain the same ratings that they once had back in the dynasty days of the Lakers, the Celtics and the Bulls. So it seems like things are set up purposely to try to bring the NBA back to its silver and golden days. Many don't want to believe that, but it's somewhat true. You can see it from the way the officials make calls in tight playoff series, the way schedules are set up, and even the way trades are made.

The NBA has a habit of trying to turn the league into what it doesn't need to be. And David Stern isn't really the one to blame for that. Stern has done a tremendous job dealing with issues in the league, whether you don't want to believe it. The Tim Donaghy betting scandal has been put under the radar, and Stern has dealt with that issue with pure proffesionalism. He didn't let it get out of hand like many others expected it to.

But I personally think that there is a conspiracy in the league, involving the GM's. Many general managers are former NBA players; either ex-teammates or ex-rivals.

Take a look at the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin McHale. Former Celtic who played in the 80's along with players like Larry Bird and Robert Parish. These three were known as the "Big Three" of their time. McHale was active during the Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 80's. If it wasn't for the Lakers, the Celtics would've had the best starting five in the NBA at that time. Their starting lineup consisted of himself, Bird, Parish, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge. Guess where Danny Ainge is at now. He's the GM of the NBA's best, Boston Celtics. Now as former teammates, Ainge and McHale has to have some sort of relationship outside of their playing career.

So it's understandable how the trade of Kevin Garnett to Boston was worked out. Maybe Ainge wanted to re-live the glory days in Boston by bringing KG there. But something had to be done in order to bring Garnett there, right? Garnett was complaining that he didn't want to play for Boston. Look at him now though. He's in a Celtics jersey enjoying life, and now he's been talking about how he's always wanted to be a Celtic. I don't know how he automatically changed his mind, but he did. It may have had something to do with the communication of the two front offices. So now with the emergence of Garnett in Boston, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA. Thanks to the whole trade deal between two former teammates from the glory days.

Pop Quiz: Which NBA team just made a trade that now has them picked as favorites in the Western Conference by a new gang of bandwagon fans?

Correct, the Los Angeles Lakers (don't take credit if you didn't get that one right). The Lakers basically traded away a bunch of bums/potential bums for an all star in Pau Gasol. We all know Gasol will definitely be a help for the Lakers, and with the development of Andrew Bynum, the Lakers are now an elite team in the West. We haven't seen them play together yet, so we still can't write the Lakers up for anything, even though lots of people, including myself are ready to give them the title in the West.

So who's behind the whole trade?

Jerry West who was a former Laker, is now the President of Basketball Operation for Memphis. A former superstar in the NBA who has been the cornerstone for what the NBA stands for. West was also the general manager for the Lakers in the Celtics-Lakers days. These were the days when McHale and Ainge were playing. The rivalry was heated at this time, and a key player for the Lakers was Mitch Kupchak. He was on the Lakers team, along with Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Byron Scott. Wonder what Kupchak is doing now? He is the general manager of the Lakers!

So while Jerry West was the GM of the Lakers, Kupchak was playing for his team. There had to be chemistry between West and Kupchak in order to bring Gasol to L.A. This deal went down, similar to the KG trade in Boston. A whole bunch of garbage players went to a team that now have a chance at the NBA title. Garnett was traded to Boston in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash considerations, Boston's '09 first round draft pick, and the '09 first round pick that Minnesota traded to Boston in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade of '06. Gasol was traded to Los Angeles for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, draft rights to Marc Gasol and two first round draft picks. Sounds like Boston and Los Angeles gave up about the same.

The Gasol trade has me thinking that Mitch Kupchak wants to re-live the same glory days that Danny Ainge is trying to re-live in Boston. Something tells me that the NBA wants this to happen as well. Hey, I'm sure a lot of people want this to happen too. Who else wouldn't want to see the Lakers-Celtics renew their rivalry? Imagine both teams, fully healthy in the 2008 NBA Finals. Sounds sweet doesn't it? The ratings would boost to an all-time high, and the NBA could possibly have a chance to become what it once was. Let's face it. When the San Antonio Spurs are in the Finals, it's flatout boring to watch, because who most likely is going to win? But Kobe, Bynum and Gasol vs. Garnett, Allen and Pierce...that's something to watch!

I know what you're thinking at this point...
"Where the hell are you going with this?"

Isn't it a coincidence how the NBA works nowadays? They wonder why people don't care much for it anymore. Stuff like this is making the NBA false. It's almost becoming like a ''staged act''. Former NBA players are attempting to re-live their lives through their players. People want things to be what they once were, but the more they try, the stupider it looks. Look at last year's playoffs. Everybody wants LeBron James to be "the next Michael Jordan." Not saying that this played the entire role in the Cavs ability to get past Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the refs did give LeBron a lot of calls that weren't really necessary. It is a shame that refs base calls on the amount of respect that they have for that certain player. It's true. But as soon as LeBron gets to the finals, the refs can't LeBron those calls because they were facing the "well-respected" Spurs. So the Cavs ended up getting swept. What a disaster. The NBA found themselves in a whole on that one, and they ended up getting nothing out of those playoffs. Is it a conspiracy? Yes it is! I promise you that. The NBA is almost at ESPN's level. The level of self-promotion has gotten ridiculous.

If GM's have to make trades to their former teams in order to liven up the NBA, then that's pitiful. If referee's have to lean their calls towards a specific team/player to liven up the NBA, then that's pitiful.

Maybe it will all work out for the NBA in the long-run, but when it does, I will know that it is all just for the ratings. The NBA no longer has the integrity that it once had. It's nobody's fault either. Like I said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the recent trade that just went down because it could possibly be a reset button for the NBA. They might be able to re-capture all of the fans and we may have something to look forward to every season. Every season will be different, no matter who goes on which team.

Regardless of all the bull, I am and will forever be an NBA fan. I just won't respect some of the things that goes on in the league. The NBA is funny now, and I can do nothing but laugh.