I know these are serious times. Fascism is clearly in the air in the United States, and it is not certain our oligopolistic republic will survive. I try to laugh about it, as if Trump is just a horse loose in the hospital, but, again, these are serious times.
However, I have to say out loud I was so angry at the Lakers' squad last night, after watching how the Miami Heat played like the Boston Celtics of the 1960s, while the Lakers played, well, like the Lakers of the 1960s--and then having to watch Danny Green do his Frank Selvy impersonation as he clanked a wide open three from the top of the key in the closing seconds that would likely have won the game.
The signs of a Lakers' collapse in these NBA Finals should be apparent, and that, even if the Lakers win this series, this may be the worst Finals Lakers' team since the 1960s. Those 1960s Lakers' teams were famous for losing to the well-coached Celtics in the Finals, despite having the amazing duo of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor--if you have to look up who West and Baylor are, then, this is just ancient history to you, so just trust me on this one, okay? :) Anyway, if you want to understand why the Lakers kept losing to the Celtics in the 1960s, you should take the time to read Roland Lazenby's biography of Jerry West, which contains some of the most amazing insight into professional basketball strategies from the 1950s through 1980s. For those who won't read the bio, I'll say it simply: Lazenby analyzed the losses, and, with great research into the stories from that time, plus some interviews with survivors, said Auerbach's strategy in those Finals was this: He let West and Baylor score like hell for much of the game. But, then, in the fourth quarter, he had the Celtics double team the duo, and put the pressure on the largely rusty, and not as great, background players to either win the game or choke. Auerbach knew the Lakers did not have star players after West and Baylor, and those other players simply missed their shots or their defensive assignments, or not cut to the basket for a driving score--while Auerbach kept his team playing together as a team, and knowing their roles. As some who know me know, I remain a deep fan of the legendary football coach I still like to call St. Vince. However, Red Auerbach must rank as at least the greatest NBA coach of all time.*
All season, I have said I did not think the Lakers were a championship team because I saw too much inconsistent, non-championship play from the rest of the team. However, as I watched the Lakers' role players playing well in much of the playoffs, I have almost gotten used to the idea that the Lakers could win everything this year. Last night, though, I saw what I was worried about all season long. While the pre-game and game commentators at ABC--who cannot hold a candle to the always brilliant Chris Webber on NBA.tv and TNT--were saying the NBA may as well crown the Lakers now, I was full of foreboding. I don't know what series the ABC commentators and analysts have been watching, but I knew the Heat had played the Lakers hard throughout Games 2-4, and the Lakers were lucky to be up 3-1. Last night, the Miami Heat role players did what they were supposed to do, while the Lakers' role players were tight for much of the game. Lebron's close-out performance was simply not enough--and it was a close-out performance by almost every single measure. And let's put it as bluntly as I can: AD had a good game, too, but, if the Lakers did not have LeBron James, the Lakers would have lost last night in a 25 point blowout.
I hate to say it, but I don't see this situation changing in Game 6. All, and I mean all the pressure is on the Lakers right now. Somewhere, last night, Red Auerbach lit up his victory cigar, and there is no Celtics' fan worth his, her, or their salt who wants to see the Lakers win their 17th NBA Championship (tying the Celts for most NBA Championships). What happened last night may be the start of the second 3-1 collapse of a team in the NBA Finals, which would be ironic, since LeBron James was the leader of a pesky Cleveland Cavaliers team that beat the august Golden State Warriors in 2016 by coming back from a 3-1 deficit--the first time that had ever happened in an NBA Finals series.
If I was LeBron James right now, I'd be trying to figure out how to get confidence back into the rest of the Lakers' team, starting with Danny Green, and not be yelling at them for choking--as I am sure that is running through James' mind right now. Maybe, if I was James, I would be telling Frank Vogel that now is time for Vogel to get angry at the entire team, and let James then pull the team to come together in a show of confident defiance.
Otherwise, I see no way the Lakers can beat what is a better overall team, which is this year's Miami Heat. Remember, this is the same Heat team that stomped, and I mean, stomped, on the team "everyone" (including me) said was this year's team to beat, the Milwaukee Bucks led by the superstar known simply as Giannis. Anyone who still thinks this Miami Heat team is too young and inexperienced is not watching what I have been watching. The team which was coolest throughout last night's game was the Heat--not the Lakers.
Oh well. Onward, and hopefully upward for the Los Angeles Lakers. As for me, I have homework from my teacher course night classes, as those who know me know I am now teaching high school history by day, and trying to ensure not returning to being a lawyer--though if an NBA team wants me as an assistant general counsel, I'm ready! :)
*Auerbach's strategy even worked after Auerbach ascended to the general manager position, and he put the also legendary Bill Russell in as the first black coach in modern US professional sports history. The Lakers' loss to the Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals remains miserable for Lakers' fans of a certain age, and for Jerry West most personally. Before the start of the 1968-1969 season, the Lakers miraculously acquired the single most individually dominant player, Wilt Chamberlain, to form what, again, "everyone" thought was now a championship trio. Yet, the Celts-Lakers Finals series in 1969 came down to a seventh game, and the Celts, improbably to nearly all observers, prevailed. In the last five minutes of that decisive game, Chamberlain refused to play hurt in the fourth quarter--though there is also evidence the Lakers' then-coach (who I refuse to name, as I consider him a jerk) refused to let Wilt back in the game, saying to Wilt the team had played better without Wilt in coming back from a deficit at that point in the game. I remember the game vividly because it was in that 1968-1969 season, as an 11 year old, I fell in love with Jerry West's Lakers--and I have remained a devoted fan ever since. Jerry West represented, to me, everything I admired about the game of basketball, and, while players like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, and now LeBron James, have eclipsed West's consummate play, West does remain The Logo.
