Wow, just wow. I had a feeling that the 09-10 NBA season was going to be something special, but I never would've guessed it would come down to the fourth quarter of GAME 7 in the Finals. I did predict Lakers over Celtics in 6 back in October, but that was just a shot in the dark. What really happened was a far more dramatic series than anybody saw coming. That being said, let's take a look back at my predictions for this year and see how I did on the other stuff:
10)Yup, the Big Fundamental was called a Power Forward by the Spurs again. No big surprise here. Of note though, was my email conversation with Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN LA who agreed with me on the point and had this to say:
Certain battles are bigger than all of us. Haha.
I kid. I know I've talked about the absurdity of the PF designation for Duncan before, but it is, as they say, what it is. For TD, he's been slotted there for so long, nothing will change it now.
Oh well. Thanks for the note, and of course, for listening to the show/reading the site. We appreciate it.
Brian
Speaking of ESPN LA, how great is it that in its inaugural year, it gets to cover a Boston/LA Finals? The Lakers seem to have a knack for the historical, what with this also being the 50th year in Los Angeles.
9)Did Rambis really regret taking the T-Wolves job? Well, let's see: 15-67 regular season, Ricky Rubio choosing Europe over the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and yeah—it's really cold there during the NBA season. Maybe he's a “glass is half-full” guy.
8)On the other hand, the Clippers and Hornets jobs did open up—as did Cleveland, Atlanta, Philadelphia and New Jersey. In my opinion, each of those are at least as attractive as Minnesota. And of course, the Lakers job might open up, but more on that later.
7)No, Shaq didn't gloss himself the “Big ____.” In fact, I'm not sure what Shaq did this year—other than get hurt again. At 37, he's just not an impact player anymore. I for one, am hoping he realizes it soon. I'd prefer he just retire and get his jersey hung up at Staples. What else does he have to prove? By the way, if you didn't see this great article on Shaq's true Laker legacy, here's your chance.
6)No feud for Carter and Howard either. I guess I should've seen this coming—especially from a notoriously soft player known for disappearing during crunch time and a guy seemingly more interested in having a good time than actually winning. By the way, if that's not true of Howard, then why isn't he training in the offseason with Hakeem instead of Kobe? Kobe wins the Finals and sets out to improve, Dwight loses and stands pat regarding his offensive repertoire. Speaks volumes about both of them.
5)Yup, Wallace got a lot of T's—almost was disqualified from a Finals game because of them. AND he coasted through the regular season. Bill Simmons, noted Boston homer, even went so far as to call him his “least favorite Celtic ever.” But there he was in Game 7 with that unstoppable turnaround J and smothering D getting his team THIS CLOSE to #18. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.
4)Nope, Bynum didn't make the All-Star team. He did increase his scoring to 15 PPG and pulled down 8.3 Rebounds (both up from last year), but although he had impressive stretches, he also had some lulls which ultimately cost him the All-Star nod. But dude stepped up against Boston and was a huge factor when he played despite having the bum knee. This will be an interesting offseason for him as LA must decide whether or not to trade the 22 year old with huge upside and injury questions for a 26 year old Bosh who might not fit in (if we can even believe the rumors). I'm not making the decision, but if I was, it would come to down to this question—who makes me better for the next 3 years? The Lakers are a veteran team, and although it would be nice to possibly have a secure future with a guy who won't hit his tradition center prime for another 8 years, you've got to win now while Kobe is still in his prime. It should never come down to "win now" or "win later." You're the Los Angeles Lakers. Free agents will always want to come play for you.
3)I won't say that Ron Artest was an unqualified success, but the Lakers don't win the title this year without him. I loved Trevor Ariza, and was sad to see him go, but no way he plays Pierce as well as Ron just did. But the most ridiculous part has got to be a tie between Ron being the best player on the floor in Game 7 and thanking his psychiatrist in his post-game interview. (Speaking of postgame...)
The script couldn't have gone any better for Ron and the Lakers this year.
2)LeBron won regular season MVP, but his team flamed out again in the playoffs. More and more we seem to be seeing a schism (how's that for a 50-cent word) forming between teams built for the regular season (Cavs, Mavs, Suns, etc.) and those built for the playoffs (Lakers, Celtics, Spurs). Then again, it could just be the veteran talent's just that much better with teams that play into June.
1)And yes, the Lakers beat Boston—not in 6, but in 7 games to claim their 16th title.
Many people have stated that repeating is much harder than the first one, and the Lakers were certainly no exception to this. What I found most interesting was how this year's team resembles the '01 Champs. Both teams struggled with injury all year. Both teams added a potential combustible teammate (Isaiah Rider and Ron Artest) and both had something to prove for having not beat the previous year's champ who had been unlucky with injury (San Antonio lost in the first round in '00 because of Duncan being hurt, while Boston lost last year with Garnett out.) And somehow, the repeat validates the previous year's accomplishment. Yes, you were good last year too. Hey, you can only play who's in front of you anyway, right?
So, now it's officially the offseason, but of course there'll be intrigue: Will Phil go or will he stay? If he goes, Byron or B. Shaw? (Experience and new system vs. inexperience, but keeping the system intact) What will we get in the draft? Where do the free agents land? What trades will go down? But for now, I'll just kick back and enjoy the spoils of an incredibly entertaining and satisfying season and try to enjoy the journey a little more next year. Seriously. Kobe's been in the League for 14 years already. We've got to appreciate this dude while he's still doing stuff like this. Out.
