Re: 12 verses 16

[Joe Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Mark Estepp wrote:

> Joe, I knew this is how C's fans will feel, but the reality is that now the
> record is 16 championships Celtics, 12 championships Lakers, and where the
> Lakers were during some of those championships is not relevant to all but
> the most die hard of basketball (Celtic) purists.
>
> Maybe, HOPEFULLY, the Celtic's organization will start thinking about this
> as well, and realize that they have to get a lot better very
> quickly.  Sadly, Red is probably the only one in management to realize the
> significance of it all.....

    I have to agree with Mark. And obviously it is easier said than done for
Boston to rebuild within the salary cap, but the Fakers also have a lot of work
to do (aside from Shaq/Kobe, they don't have a single player under 30 who
projects as even an average NBA player with the possible exception of Derek
Fisher). The irritating thing is, I have a feeling the Fakers will continue to
compete at the championship level just by adding 2-million exception caliber
veterans one-by-one to replace or even upgrade the ones they presently use (Fox,
Shaw, Horry, Harper, Rice...). It helps when you have near first team All
Defensive AND All NBA players at two starting positions. That's a pretty rare
thing.

    As for those five Minnesota championships--all of which I think came even
before Red Auerbach introduced the fastbreak to the NBA, or when Boston
integrated the sport to black athletes--I'm not sure that even the Fakers
organization counts those trophies any more than we acknowledge the history of
the "Original Celtics" (who I think successfully barnstormed out of New York
City).

    In this sense, the Lakers tale of two cities is not at all analogous to the
Brooklyn/LA Dodgers history, wherein baseball was already integrated and fully
established as the national pastime well before they turned the wrecking ball on
Ebbets Field. By contrast, basketball in the "Minnesota Lakers Dynasty" era was a
nascent, stone age, regional sport played by a few stone age era pre-fastbreak
players. It wasn't a very entertaining or inclusive sport (a similarly regional
sport like Ice Hockey had more history and fan popularity). And certainly the
best amateur players didn't necessarily move on to the NBA, since as college
grads they could and would rather take entry level jobs outside of basketball for
basically the same money and with more job security.

    So now if the Fakers want to boast about their dozen championships I say let
them. Actually I believe they are now only 12-12 (.500) in the finals, 2-8 when
the opponent is Boston. The Fakers are so far back in our rear view mirror that
they are even less relevant or interesting than a bug splat on our windshield.

    I hope the Celtics make a breakthrough in the 2000 draft. I love the Celtics
and I know they will get there thing together eventually.

Joe

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