SPORT
A Two-Week Disney Waltz: Thoughts on the 2009 NBA Finals Between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic
/ Jason Jude Chan
06.04.09
The 2-3-2 format of the Finals could also work in Orlando’s favor. If the Magic can take a game at the Staples Center, as they did at the Q (where the Cavs had lost just twice all season), then they’ll have the chance to close out the series at Amway Arena, where they’re 7-2 this postseason. After all, the pressure rests squarely on Kobe and coach Phil Jackson to win the title after losing to the Celtics last year. Heading to Orlando tied or in deficit would present three pressure-loaded games for the Lakers. Then again, the Lakers registered an 8-2 home mark to arrive at this opportunity and the men in purple-and-gold not only had the best road success during the regular season, but an indelible statement game in which they decimated the Nuggets in Denver to advance.
The elephant in the room is experience. None of Orlando’s primary players—Howard, Turkoglu, Lewis—have any Finals background to lean on. While Ariza, Bynum, and key sub Shannon Brown weren’t around for last year’s bout with the heavyweight Celtics, the rest of the Lakers arrive with that memory fresh in their redemptive minds. For one, pesky reserve Sasha Vujacic has refused to wear green since. For another, the Black Mamba—more ferocious and focused than ever—won’t let this prime-time opportunity slip. Kobe not only has a shot to one-up LeBron and halt the multimedia coronation, but can inarguably secure his spot as one of top players of all-time. Even anti-Kobe columnist Bill Simmons proposed that another title puts him in the top 8 and the top 3 guards to ever play the game. For an athlete who often acts like the ultimate automaton on court, this is his moment to do the right thing whether it be fading behind Gasol’s lead for once or rocking into his rhythmic fadeaway. He’ll need to be efficient, but he’ll also need his teammates to produce consistently—Bynum of course, but also Odom, Vujacic, and one of the rotating point guards (Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, or Brown). What makes this series fascinating is how mighty uncertain that last “if” appears, even on paper.
So, the prediction? Simple: In Obama We Trust. Lakers in six.
The elephant in the room is experience. None of Orlando’s primary players—Howard, Turkoglu, Lewis—have any Finals background to lean on. While Ariza, Bynum, and key sub Shannon Brown weren’t around for last year’s bout with the heavyweight Celtics, the rest of the Lakers arrive with that memory fresh in their redemptive minds. For one, pesky reserve Sasha Vujacic has refused to wear green since. For another, the Black Mamba—more ferocious and focused than ever—won’t let this prime-time opportunity slip. Kobe not only has a shot to one-up LeBron and halt the multimedia coronation, but can inarguably secure his spot as one of top players of all-time. Even anti-Kobe columnist Bill Simmons proposed that another title puts him in the top 8 and the top 3 guards to ever play the game. For an athlete who often acts like the ultimate automaton on court, this is his moment to do the right thing whether it be fading behind Gasol’s lead for once or rocking into his rhythmic fadeaway. He’ll need to be efficient, but he’ll also need his teammates to produce consistently—Bynum of course, but also Odom, Vujacic, and one of the rotating point guards (Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, or Brown). What makes this series fascinating is how mighty uncertain that last “if” appears, even on paper.
So, the prediction? Simple: In Obama We Trust. Lakers in six.