Comin' For That #1 Spot

Well folks, the offseason's officially in full effect. As teams scramble like madmen to clear cap space for the impeding superstar exodus of 2010 and leap across the immense canyon separating the league's elite from its commoners, many high-profile names are checking distant propety listings. We've already seen four premiere players (...well...if you're inclined to give Jamal Crawford and Richard Jefferson that much credit) switch area codes, with no shortage of musings about moves yet to come. Certainly some of the moves made early in Thursday's draft would suggest that there's a blockbuster or two in the works, but regardless of what the rest of the NBA plans to do to catch up, its strongest contenders took decisive steps toward the title they crave .

The Spurs went out and grabbed a fourth wheel to balance their offensive attack; adding a physical slasher who can give you 20/game, while giving up a bottle of Pine Sol and some Burger King coupons, never hurt anyone. Jefferson definitely won't fill Bowen's shoes as a defender, but he's a major upgrade, giving the Spurs more size and athleticism, not to mention more than a Steve Kerr-equse offensive presence. As this team becomes less and less Timmy D's, they need talent around him to contend, and they just traded two washed-up big contracts and a big man they can easily replace via free agency. Even if I don't see Jefferson thriving like he did with J-Kidd in Jersey, it's hard not to like this move. Way to take perfect advantage of the Milwaukee Bucks' never-ending implosion. If their injury-prone Big 3 are hurt again next year, the blow won't be as severe; they're probably closer to the title than any team the fucking Mavs ever just put out in the first round.

Meanwhile, out East, the two titans learned the hard way that the Lakers are much better than they are (I still think the Cavs would've fared better, but I digress..), and bodied up; both lowballing rebuilding squads for All-Star calibre players at ten cents on the dollar. Orlando prepped for the Turkish Michael Jordan's departure (..man...that still cracks me up to this day. I still don't know what I find more offensive, the fact that he'd compare himself to His Airness, or how, upon brief contemplation, it's completely true) by adding some Vinsanity to the mix. I like it for many reasons; Vince is a better scorer, better ballhandler and rebounder, not necessarily a worse passer and gives them a second marquee name. I can only pray that Carter's learned a lesson about leadership and humility since his child's antics in T-Dot; all indications are positive but this will be his first time playing for a legit contender; it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

The Cavs, however made the biggest splash (pun completely intended), luring The Big _______ to his first non-vacation-magnet NBA city and pairing the League's most most dynamic talent with its most imposing persona. Cleveland knows they very well might need to win a title this year to keep Lebron, and rolled the dice for all the marbles. I think this was the best trade, not because of my sworn allegiance to King James, but because the Cavs gave up the least and addressed their glaring weakness. They now have a post presence on both end of the floor; one who finishes much better than Anderson Varejao and won't be tossed to the curb like last week's garbage by Dwight Howard. Big Z won't have to play as much and Lebron will average another 2-3 assists per game by default. Not only does this make basketball sense, but blesses Cleveland with the presence of the most playoff-tested warrior left; one who's won four titles, taken three teams to the Finals, and can be the ultimate locker room catalyst. His co-existence with LBJ will be fascinating; Cleveland was already my favorite team to watch, but now I'm openly going to question the sanity of anyone who sees it differently...and let's not even get excited about the oh-so possible Kobe - Shaq/Lebron 2010 Finals...in fact nobody even mention it until next June, it can't be jinxed.

...And then there was One

It's all over. The collective dust from months of anticipation and endless epic basketball battles has settled, leaving the team any fan with a shred of common sense assumed would be the last one standing. The Lakers shut the door on a Magic squad that played hard (losing a couple close games that could've drastically altered the series) but ultimately didn't have the consistency,experience or skill to keep up with LA. Orlando didn't have the constant open looks and minimal D12 opposition the Cavs offered up, looking out of synch and tentative throughout large stretches. You could tell that their entire rotation was popping their Finals cherry.

Orlando now heads into a season of relative uncertainty, with Hedo Turkoglu reportedly opting out of his final year and the bench-unfriendly Rafer Alston now the second horse in the point guard race. Regardless of what goes down over the next few months, they deserve serious recognition for finally making us take their early-season title ambitions seriously. The Magic beat the league's best teams all year, were tested by injury and responded with a resilient playoff run that took the further than anyone would've guessed. A few keys plays unravel slightly differently, Dwight shoots from the stripe like he did against Cleveland, and this might've gone seven games. A Finals loss will always be indescribably painful but they should hold their heads high.

The Lakers' victory was an emphatic re-assertion of one of pro sports' most storied franchises. Legends grew Sunday night; not only did LA win its second-all-time 15th title, the Zen Master passed Red Auerbach in the only playoff supremacy tally he had yet to; the one that counted the most. It cements a very convincing argument that this calm, passive realist might be the best coach the game's ever seen. That "mamba" guy also had an significant milestone, copping his 4th ring, and first outside the imposing shadow of Shaquille O'Neal, making it his most impressive and important yet.

It was a defining moment for Kobe, even after a three-peat and an MVP, this might be his finest moment. Their nerves likely still shook from the dud against Boston a year ago, the Lakers were on a mission for redemption, not unlike the one Kobe recently embarked on with Team USA. And much like his triumph in Beijing, Bryant was a deadly player and true leader. He was a man far removed from the alleged pretentious diva whose ego helped destroy arguably the deadliest duo the League's ever seen. After years of blindly grasping at true greatness through personal dominance (sick as it was), Bryant forced his team to surround him with title-worthy talent, and delivered on the quest the Lakers' decision to keep him in '04 essentially signed him up for.

It's hard to feel anything but happy for Kobe. Dude spent years killing everyone in his path, yearning for a return to the glory days when he lamped, albeit unharmoniously, atop the NBA. He's weathered a frivilous rape charge and consequent character assassination (no, I don't laugh at those Family Guy sequences), to go along with more open hatred than any player this side of Reggie Miller. His dedication and work ethic to the game he was so blessed for were impeccable, and when he finally figured out that whole "no I in team" mantra, it was a rap. He now leads a relatively young team into potentially his second dynasty.

LA's one of two teams in the NBA entering this offseason without serious question marks and moves to make, having recently ousted the other in dismissive fashion. They look pretty fucking untouchable. Kobe, having truly carved his spot among the League's all-time greats, is looking every bit more and more like its All-Time Great, the one he's been incessantly judged against his whole career.

The Final Countdown (cue 80's hair metal)

...Once again after a prolonged absence, I've broken out of hibernation and decided to throw something on here. Basketball Banter's entering a transition phase, albeit at a really shitty time when almost a year's worth of anticipation's coming to a boiling point and some awe-inspiring basketball's being played. Expansion plans are in the works though; I'm linking up an old associate to collaborate on the blog, so we'll have some different perspectives and more regular updates in weeks to come...

The last week of my life has teetered delicately on the precipice of insanity; a combination of some brutally cold poker decks and brutally cold basketball from the delusional Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron n' Friends coasted through the regular season and early rounds of the playoffs with an almighty swagger; demolishing weaker opponents, showcasing their pregame antics, boasting the COY and MVP...and the second they were put in a tough place they crumbled like 'erb. I don't want to take anything away from the Magic; they were a dangerous squad that played extremely well, hitting the 3 with lethal precision and capitalizing on the many mismatches they presented the Cavs with...but I can't help but feel like the supporting cast shat the bed and wasted a boderline historic performance from the King. Nobody was consistent, everybody was a tentative shell of their earlier-season selves. Impressive showing by Delonte, but when he's your second scoring option, you're not winning a Conference Finals. I'm especially disappointed in Mo Williams; dude made such a huge difference this year and was supposedly the missing piece to ths Cavs' title hopes, shoots 30 per-fucking-cent throughout the series, never contributing as a playmaker, all the while his mouth running like Forrest Gump: "I can't see my team losing this series"...I bet he can't see a vacancy in #23's locker space next summer either.

The Cavs were exploited by Orlando: they used Dwight's impositon to open up a floodgate of treys, moving the ball extremely well and wetting and endless array of daggers from long range. Whoever had to double down on D12 (and it was a necessity with Z being too slow, Varejao being too small and Wallace being too useless) left a deadly shooter wide open, and when you give a team like the Magic that many wide open looks, they'll punish you. the Cavs made Rafer Alston look like Mark Price; it was depressing. As much as the rest of the team stepped up (big ups to Pietrus), we witnessed a truly transcendant performance by Dwight Howard. He dominated the boards and caused havoc in the paint on D, even with Lebron's incessant attempts to foul him out, the standard. Howard did everything for the Magic though, scoring at will with a variety of low-post moves and a polished touch, finding open shooters for a Shaq-like amount of hockey assists and even hitting clutch free-throws. It was the kind of showing that truly solidifies a player as a Superstar, and now he has a chance to become a Legend.

He'll only have to dethrone the almighty Lakers though, who despite the Magic's obliteration of my squad, I still think will win the Larry O. The Gasol/Bynum two-headed monster (despite Bynum's poor playoff showing) matches up better with Howard on both ends than the Cavs' bigs, and will surely cause him more foul trouble. They also boast more legnth and better defenders on the perimeter, so Orlando will be more hard-pressed to dump the rock to Dwight then swing to an open man off the double. It'll be a lot harder for players like Alston and Turkoglu (who I vaguely remember being 1-15 before game 2's almost-winner) to find a flow if they don't get so many open looks at the hoop. Meanwhile, they'll have to contend with Bryant, a player who won't attack the hoop and miss foul shots like Lebron did but wet jumpers all day if the Magic's under-rated but over-matched D gives him nearly as much room. Kobe's got more Finals experience than the entire Magic roster and is easily the hungriest guy out there, not to mention the best player. It's hard to bet against the Magic after a convincing East finals victory, but I'm still doing it. They have momentum and optimism for days, but LA's got the better coach, the better bench, the higher expectations, homecourt, a bitter taste still ingering in their mouths from last year, and Kobe. That should be enough. Lakers in 6.