"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?"
Okay, I'm 24. That means that I never saw Cousy, Russell, Chamberlain, West, Baylor, etc. That means I never witnessed Cowens, Havlicek, Gail Goodrich, Norm Nixon, and The Jones Bros. This means that I was not around when Magic vs. Bird first started as Michigan State vs. Indiana State, and I was very small when Showtime met Gritty in the 80's. However, there's a thing called ESPN, ESPN Classic, and the Internet. I can sit here and say that I've watched all of those games. I've heard all the legendary stories from my uncle and grandfather. I even heard how much my momma loved the Lakers (oh Lord...) and that I had a Magic jersey on when i was 4. I feel that I need to preach the gospel to those that might not truly realize what we are about to experience in the next couple of weeks. The history that is behind this series. Its entirely possible that the series won't match the hype, but to be honest I don't care. I might just enjoy watching all the old clips of the history. I need you to remember...
Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!
Jack Nicholson, Brooke Shields, Woody Allen, Dyan Cannon being in the crowd...
Depiction of Lakers mascot being lynched in the Boston stands...
Magic's hook shot on the top of the key...
The rims being surprisingly tight in the Boston Garden...
Kurt Rambis is all the player Mark Madsen dreamed of being...
ML Carr was the precursor to Randy Brown and Cliff Levingston, but was way better...
That feeling every time Magic led the break you knew you were watching greatness...
That feeling every time Bird threw up a shot you knew it was going in...
How Pat Riley changed the game with his coaching style...(literally)
How Boston interchanged Bill Fitch and K.C. Jones and kept it going...
Know your history, realize that Bruce Bowen's predecessor was Michael Cooper...
Know your history, realize that Ben Wallace in his prime was nothing compared to Bill Russell...
Understand that one reason Wilt Chamberlain okayed the trade from Philly to L.A. was that he'd have the opportunity to play in the Finals instead of being beat in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Celtics...
Please know that Dennis Johnson was a BEAST on the Seattle Supersonics and Phoenix Suns. 4-time All-Star, 5-time 1st team All-Defense, First-team All-NBA ('81-82)The 1979 MVP, World Champion, phenomenal dunker, clashed with both coaches Lenny Wilkens and John MacLeod, all before he was a key member of the Boston Celtics...
Know that the logo is NOT Michael Jordan, it is Jerry West...
John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Charlie Scott, Jo Jo White, Paul Silas, and Don Nelson (yes Don Nelson) were all beasts in the 70's and kept the Green Machine rolling...
The Logo, Wilt, Gail Goodrich, Cazzie Russell, Kermit Washington (the dude that knocked the f*ck out of Rudy Tomjanovich), Jim McMillian, Happy Hairston, and Pat Riley (yes Pat Riley) were all beasts in the 70's and kept the Lake Show rolling...
Understand that you wanted no parts of "Big Game" James Worthy and his goggles. No sir...
Realize that role players are VERY important. That Gerald Henderson, Byron Scott, Cedric Maxwell, Norm Nixon, Jerry Sichting, Jamaal "Silk" Wilkes, Danny Ainge, Mychal Thompson, Greg Kite, Mitch Kupchak (yes, that Mitch Kupchak who traded for Pau Gasol and gave away Kwame Brown. Genius) and Scott Wegman all made contributions to their championship teams in the 80's.
That Red Auerbach is the greatest owner who ever lived...
That the mid-season acquisition isn't a new fad: Bob McAdoo to the Lakers, Bill Walton to the Celtics should've never happened...
That ridiculous trades isn't a new fad: Robert Parish and the #3 pick in the draft, Kevin Mchale to Boston for #1 pick JOE BARRY CARROLL to the Warriors...(Ed's note, How bad does that trade look now? Golden State was probably giddy when they were getting the #1 pick, yet they picked JOE BARRY CARROLL??!?! They could've had McHale alone, yet the Celtics hijacked him and got Robert Parish? That earns a big 5 WTF's!)
Realize that all of the older players in the NBA wanted to be like Magic, and were trained to play like Bird, not Mike...
Understand that the way these two teams are currently constructed, we could be witnessing the re-birth of the NBA. Kobe, Gasol, Lamar, Fish, Sasha and the Lakers vs. Pierce, KG, Jesus, Posey, Rondo and the Celtics. For the record, I don't even like these teams, but I'm damn sure not going to miss any of this.
I'd like to hear your thoughts, favorite memories, or even predictions. I'll have mine on Wednesday...
-Ed.
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