*FAN SUBMISSION from Sunando Mukherjee of India.*
The game of Basketball never ceases to surprise you. This year is a classic example of it!
It has transformed the lives of many; for me it has been my constant source of support, excitement, love and passion. My affair with this game started when I was 12 years old, today after 14 years it still is my first love; though I must agree I cannot confess it to my better-half.
In the year 1999-2000, when cable TV still meant a status symbol, and live NBA broadcast was still a rare opportunity, I was lucky enough to watch a few NBA games thanks to the friendly cablewala (next door cable guy). Mind you the viewing experience was nothing close to today’s HD experience; back then visible images were considered good and a clear reception was considered brilliant.
Nevertheless, what attracted me to the game of basketball, and eventually NBA, was the star-studded, Los Angeles Lakers. The reason? Simply put – flamboyance of Kobe Bryant and the utter dominance of the entire team. It was evident they believed to be better than everyone else and would not stop, until the absolute annihilation of any one in their path.
It’s quite a no brainer why that happened; the pairing of Shaq and Kobe in their prime is considered till date probably the best 1-2 punch ever known (with all due respect to Jordan and Pippen or Magic and Kareem) in NBA. To combine the most dominant player of an era and one of the five best players of all-time, just entering his prime is simply unbelievable.
Their toughest challenge in the first year of the championship run, were the Portland Trailblazers, who took them to Game 7 (where eventually, the Blazers lost and the Indiana Pacers fell in Game 6). On June 19, 2000 – the Lakers were crowned NBA Champions and it was on that day that a Laker Fan was born. Also it marked the first and only three-peat in Lakers history.
Since then, the Lakers have gone through a lot of ups and downs namely five championships, two NBA Finals loss, multitude of changes in team composition, Kobe’s antics (and his trials and tribulations), Phil’s retirement, comeback and then again a retirement; however nothing can be compared to what the Lakers are going through this year.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
Based on my experience this has been the toughest time for the Lakers in the recent past and could arguably be termed as one of the most turbulent times faced by a NBA franchise. With the new CBA in place, a surreal payroll of ~$100 Million, discussion of getting Phil Jackson back and then in a mid-night coup getting, Mike D’Antoni (to replace Mike Brown, who was fired after game seven of the season), Jerry Buss’s death, all the injuries (Steve Blake, Steve Nash, Earl Clark, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, MWP and Jordan Hill) and uncertainty looming in the forthcoming future.
While Lakers are easily the most dynamic team in the league, it’s simple not equating to wins every night. This can be credited to the lack of leadership; no pun intended to Kobe (all the pun intended to Mike no ‘D’ Antoni). Simply put, he is a good coach capable of guiding a team to a playoff spot but not a championship. This team has so much talent that you need someone brilliant to marshal them; that could have easily been Phil Jackson. With his willingness to return yet again to the NBA more importantly the Lakers, it could have easily meant a winning combination; alas Jerry Buss was not too keen on it.
Good/Bad – quality will make its mark; be it Mike Antoni or the Lakers. Lakers have a history of never entering the penultimate stage of twilight; they find a way to fight back. The 16 NBA titles are evidence to it, battle gears retired in the rafters at staples center are a testimony of it. Hopefully they find a way back – soon!
Recently Lakers honored Shaq by retiring his jersey in the Lakers Hall of Fame; a laundry list of HOFers. Kobe will also make the cut with distinction; however the chances of anyone else from the present team making it to rafters would depend a lot on the outcome of this season. Dwight’s legitimacy, Nash’s legacy, Pau’s fortunes and Mike Antoni’s predicaments may all be analyzed with the outcome of the playoff run in 2013. It may as well be termed as their last stand at making history.
With only a couple games left for the Laker’s regular season, can they really turn their fortunes! Even this would depend upon their last stand.
