So, I just recently presented the entire STAR WARS saga (so far) to my 6th grade students. It was a huge success, and believe it or not, I picked up some new things--despite having seen the films dozens of times.
One of the things that was most interesting to me about the Prequels was that they continually showed the fallibility of the Jedi Order and its members--specifically, the issue of attachment in regards to the Jedi.
On the one hand, a lack of attachment allows a Jedi to put their mission first without having to worry about the safety or welfare of loved ones. This has much in common with the concept of superhero secret identities. If one has nothing to lose (or nothing known), one cannot be as easily compromised by one's enemies.
But on the other hand, is it realistic to expect anyone to be 100% selfless and without attachment? And if Anakin was allowed to have a normal relationship with Padme, couldn't he have gone to the Jedi Council for help with his visions? Maybe he doesn't end up going to the Dark Side if this is the case.
And what of Luke? He and Leia wouldn't even exist if not for Anakin's attachment to Padme. Clearly there are upsides to this attachment.
Both Anakin and his son Luke struggle with this issue--probably due in no small part to their Jedi training starting so late in life. Both disobey their masters in regards to attachment and suffer serious emotional and physical injuries (right hands) because of it.
But, ultimately it is Luke's attachment to his father that saves Vader from the Dark Side as he disobeys Yoda's and Kenobi's orders to kill the Dark Lord. What's more is that Vader's love for his son saves Luke from Palpatine and is probably the biggest reason he is able to return from the Dark Side and become Anakin Skywalker again.
So, attachment causes pain for the Jedi, but also is the reason the Force is brought back into balance.
Can't wait to see what's coming in 2015 with Episode 7.
"I have decided to continue with Kobe, continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles," Fisher said in a statement. "While this may not be the most lucrative contract I've been offered this offseason, it is the most valuable. I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin."
"I took time to consider all my options, many not reported in the media," Fisher said. "I listened to every coach, every general manager, even potential teammates in order to make the right decision and I thank every one of them. At the end of the day, there's one person I could not turn away from.
"Kobe Bryant asked me to stay but supported whatever decision I made. He and I have played together for 11 seasons, came into the league together as kids, and has been loyal to me even when others had doubts. We have won five championships together."
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.
Considering the defending champs have at least started to once again resemble what might turn into a championship-caliber team. How about those qualifiers, huh? Some have said--and I agree with them--that OKC just might be the toughest opponent LA would have to face in the West, especially if Phoenix actually does get over on the un-dead, will-need-a-stake-through-the-heart Spurs. In any case, Kobe's looking healthier and the Jazz are simply overmatched in this series.
The weirdest thing is that I'm now finding myself rooting for the Celtics--well at least as long as they're playing the Cavs. Of course there's the Shaq angle. Regardless of his "glorified roll player" status, you know the dude will think he has one over on Kobe if the LeBrons win it all this year. Yes, Shaq, that means just as much as Robert Horry having more rings than MJ. You and Playoff Bob must logically be the better player...ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..gravy-trainer.
But LeBron just bugs me. Sure a little bit of it is the fact that he legitimately has surpassed the Mamba as the best in the game right now, but I'll still take my chances with 2005 Kobe (you know, the one who went for 81). And there are other things, like the entitlement issues dude seems to have--as granted to him by the press. He's not guaranteed to win a single championship, let alone multiple titles, so can we please stop calling him The King? It is after all a biblical reference pretty far removed from a basketball player who won't shake hands with a victorious opponent who just ended his season and chose not to be at the birth of his second child because he'd been there for the first one?!? (I'm glad I'm not his 2nd kid).
And what's with the injury thing? He keeps saying he's not going to use it as an excuse. Great, then stop bringing it up every five minutes!
But probably my favorite thing is the number change for next year. He says he's changing from 23 out of respect and no one else should wear the number either. Then why did you wear it to begin with? Is this new-found respect? Did you just learn about MJ's career? That sounds a little far-fetched until you realize that he's switching to 6--a number made most famous by Bill Russell and Dr. J. What, have you not heard about them or do those guys not deserve the same respect as philandering gambling addict? It's mind-bottling...
At least with all the football news lately, some of the attention has been diverted from the debacle we're calling the Lakers' 2010 playoff run. The K-Bros predicted a repeat of last year's Rocket series for the entire playoffs, but unless the Lakers show on Monday night that they can win when they have to (something we really haven't seen this year at all), there might only be one round.
Seriously, I'm already trying to picture who's coming in next year to replace some of the non-producing slugs on the current roster. And yes, things might have been different with a healthy Kobe and even a shred of continuity for this year, but this certainly doesn't feel like a 1-8 matchup. Of course, that might have something to do with OKC having the same record as Boston and that they would've been a 4 seed in the East. Any ideas? Somebody talk me down...
New Giants or Same Giants? Lincecum has been ridiculous, Zito's actually starting to earn his salary, and we've seen flashes of hope from the offense. But we still don't score for Cain and I think I'd do a better job in the rotation's 5 spot. Madison Bumgarner anyone?
Seahawks are making some noise Wasn't sure about the Whitehurst deal, but McCoy and Clausen dropping like millstones makes me think Carroll might know a little about NFL QB's. Liked the draft picks--especially Golden Tate. (See below) and loved the pick up of LenDale White. Only about 4 more months until we know if any of this worked!
Speaking of the Kamenetzkys, these guys just got a billion times cooler by responding to one of my recent email queries. Check out the text below:
Hey guys, love the blog and the podcast. But I have one gripe, as insightful as you two often are, why have you not called out the Spurs on their continually ridiculous classification of Tim Duncan as their "Power Forward?" Despite the fact that the dude is the biggest guy on his team, guards the other team's center, spends the majority of his time on the low block--with his back to the basket, and played CENTER in college, San Antonio calls him a PF so he can start in the All-Star game over a healthy Yao. Phoenix did it with Amare, but you wouldn't let them have it. Give San Antonio the business please. Thanks.
Hey Craig-
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
For their regular blog address, click here. For their podcast, click here. I highly recommend both for the serious sports (i.e. Lakers) fan.
Last, but not least--enjoy the following video montage:
