Thank You Celtics

Five years ago, in the summer of 2007, the Boston Celtics were mired in the worst stretch in their franchise history. Not only had they gone 21 years without a championship banner, but they had also had one of the worst seasons any Celtics team had ever endured. After desperately tanking the 2006-2007 season in order to have a shot at one of two potentially franchise altering players (Greg Oden and Kevin Durant), the Celtics entered the lottery with the second best chance to win the #1 overall pick. For a team that had missed out on the best power forward ever exactly 10 years earlier despite having the best odds, many Celtics fans figured this time around would be retribution for having Tim Duncan slip from their grasp. Naturally, they ended up with the #5 overall pick (or as it's better known, the moment where I almost became a 13 year old alcoholic). Just another unlucky moment in a long string of unlucky moments that started with the death of Len Bias two days after he was drafted in 1986. At the time, I was devastated. Even though I was only in middle school I understood the gravity of the situation. The fifth pick meant no Oden or Durant. It meant that Paul Pierce would likely be traded. It meant that the Celtics were looking at another 10 seasons of mediocrity.

Except things didn't turn out that way.

You see, after the Celtics lost the lottery in 2007, they decided to accelerate the process of building a championship contender rather than starting from scratch again. You all know the story by now: The C's dealt for Ray Allen, the greatest three-point shooter of all time, then swung a massive blockbuster trade for perennial All-Star and former MVP forward Kevin Garnett, forming a Hall of Fame trio with Paul Pierce reminiscent of legendary Celtics teams featuring the names Bird, Parish and McHale. The New Big Three swept us off our feet, simultaneously changing the culture of the Celtics from a consistent loser to a organization where winning was the only thing that mattered while posting the second best regular season record in Celtics history en route to raising a 17th championship banner with a victory over the hated Los Angeles Lakers that summer. In one whirlwind season, the Celtics went from rebuilding for another decade to champions. In effect, Garnett, Pierce, and Allen saved basketball in Boston.

From there, the Celtics battled through bad breaks (Garnett injuring his knee in 2009, Perkins injuring HIS knee in the 2010 Finals, Rondo's elbow bending in half the wrong way in 2011, the multitude of injuries in 2012) to have a highly successful five year run. One championship, two Finals appearances, three trips to the conference finals, and innumerable memories, some of which I've had the fortune to experience firsthand. Through it all, one thing remained constant: These guys cared. And that's what made it such a special experience. When they won, you felt elated because you knew how much pain and effort and work that this team put in day out. When they came up short, you felt the biting venom of defeat with them for those same reasons. By this season, we had become so familiar with them that we knew when Paul Pierce was going to take an irrational shot that had no business going through the net, and yet we weren't surprised when it (almost inevitably) did. We watched Ray Allen weave in in out of screens so much that we had a better idea of where he was going than most defenders did. We saw so many moments where Kevin Garnett raised the intensity level to new heights that we didn't understand why other teams never could quite seem to match it. This Celtics team became part of us.

Last night, as the Celtics were in the final stages of losing Game 7 to Miami, I had a strange epiphany. Most of the time the Celtics losing Game 7 of a series in which they led 3-2 and had a chance to close out their opponents at home (and subsequently no-showed at said game when I was in attendance) would send me into a deep depression for weeks where I would disappear from society, grow a beard, and start drinking milk on the sidewalk during hot summer days. But the amazing thing is, I wasn't sad, at least not for the conventional reason of "My team lost a huge game that would have gotten them to their respective sport's championship round." I was able to come to grips pretty quickly with the fact that the Celtics older legs finally ran out of gas and LeBron James is really good at basketball. Instead, I was sad because that was the last time that the Celtics' New Big Three would compete for a championship. It was the last chance for three players who forever changed the fortunes of the franchise to go to the NBA Finals together. Ray Allen's post-game press conference said it all.(Hold on, I'm in a glass case of emotion. And yes, that's two Anchorman references in one paragraph. Don't act like you're not impressed.) This was it, their last stand, their swan song, and even though they couldn't put away the Heat, they still showed the heart of a champion.

Considering all they've already done, that was more than enough for me.

Thank you Celtics.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Running Diary of Game 1?

Miami. Boston. Eastern Conference Finals. Possible last playoff series for the Big 3. Am I going to try and do running diaries of every game? Yes. Will it be excruciating when Miami wins this series in 5 and I've decided to chronicle every moment? Yes. The things I do during summer vacation. Anyways, to the game! Let's get this show on the road.

8:30 It's game time! But not really, because God forbid anything starts on time.

8:35 I leave the room for two minutes and in that time my dad has come in, changed the channel, and fallen asleep forcing me to extract the remote from his grasp Mission Impossible style. Fortunately the game hasn't started yet and I haven't missed anything.

8:41 LeBron scores the first basket. Not a great start, but it's too early for me to begin hitting the alcohol.

8:43 Ray Allen airballs a leaner then doesn't get back on defense leading to a layup on the other end for Wade. Looking crippled as ever I see.

8:48 Nice dime by Rondo to KG for a bucket to tie the score at 5. With Bosh out Garnett is going to have a huge size advantage in this series over Miami's big men, and if he doesn't take advantage it will be a clean sweep for the Heat.

8:51 10-5 Miami at the midway point of the first quarter. The Celtics are shooting 18% from the field so far. Something tells me that's not going to cut it.

8:55 Allen bricks a wide open three. If I had a dollar for every time I've seen that this postseason, I wouldn't be eating worms at baseball practice for $30. But that's another story for another time.

9:01 I know the Celtics' game is slowing it down and grinding it out and Miami is the team that likes to play up tempo and get out in transition, but part of me wonders if it would be better if the C's made a concerted effort to get on the break and get some easier buckets instead of trying to win every game 78-75.

9:02 Mike Breen just brought up how Tommy Heinsohn compared Greg Steimsma during a broadcast early in the season. I thought all tapes of that had comment had been destroyed by the ghost of Red Auerbach.

9:06 Miami leads 21-11 after one quarter of play. Boston looking a little (understatement alert!) sluggish to start, shooting only 25% for the quarter. Meanwhile LeBron has 13 points on 6/9 shooting. So far the Heat are getting to the rim at will and getting a lot of easy looks at the rim.

9:11 The Heat have gone EXTREMELY small here to start the 2nd quarter, with Chalmers, Wade, Miller, James, and Haslem. Garnett has to cover Mike Miller, and he promptly drains a three over the Big Ticket to make the score 24-14. Yikes.

9:14 Another three for Miller. Time out Celtics. This game is going to a dark, dark place.

9:18 ESPN just cut to a highlight package of last night's Spurs-Thunder game which consisted of a layup by Parker, a layup by Ginobili, and a wide open three pointer by Stephen Jackson. Honestly, it's not going to matter who wins the Eastern Conference this year, nobody is beating the Spurs right now. They are locked in.

9:21 DOOLING WITH A THREE! EVERYBODY FLEX! GET EXCITED!

9:27 Rondo flies in for an offensive rebound and putback and then KG gets called for a bogus technical because David Stern has apparently decided the fix is in.

9:29 After Rondo hits an elbow jumper Lebron hits a little hook over Pierce. This could be a huge postseason legacy-wise for James assuming he can lead the Heat to a title. More on that later.

9:33: Both teams are trading buckets right now. Give the Celtics credit, they're hanging in there, even though the Heat have managed to keep them at arms length.

9:34 Mike Miller fouls Ray Allen on a three pointer, followed by Allen promptly missing 2 of 3 from the line. He's 3/7 shooting free throws tonight. I didn't even know that was possible.

9:35 Another bogus technical, this time on Doc. I guess the referees thought the game was getting a little too close. Fortunately Mario Chalmers missed the foul shot and and Mike Miller reverted back to form with a traveling so no harm was done. 2:58 left in the half, Heat by 5.

9:43 Lucasfilm totally used a mold of Joel Anthony's head for the crystal skulls in the fourth Indiana Jones movie.

9:45 Rondo picks his way through the defense and flicks a pass out to Pierce for an easy three pointer. Boston only trailing by 2 now.

9:47 Miami up 48-46 at the half. Impressions so far: Boston stepped it up big time after an exceptionally shitty first half. They could very well steal this game. Hopefully they go to KG more. He's had his way down low and in the mid-range so far. Also, LeBron James is very good at basketball (He has 17/4/3) which brings me to my LeBron rant that I promised you earlier.

From a legacy standpoint, this has the chance to be an absolutely massive postseason for the 3 time MVP. If the dominoes fall his way, LeBron will have beaten his biggest rival from his draft class and his foil since high school (Carmelo Anthony)in Round 1, led the Heat (banged up without Chris Bosh) out of a 2-1 hole against a very game Pacers team (including a ridiculous 40/18/9 in a vital Game 4) in Round 2, beaten Boston (the team that has been a seemingly constant obstacle for James the last 4 seasons) and their future Hall of Fame small forward Paul Pierce, who also happens to be the 2nd best player at that position over the last decade in the Eastern Conference Finals, AND then in the Finals he and his team will have either beaten Oklahoma City and defeated his greatest challenger to his MVP trophy (Durant) or beaten the most consistently great team of the last 15 years during what may be their best season ever in the Spurs. As of right now if the Heat win the Finals that would be the scenario. It also would mean we'd be tortured by ESPN's typical LeBron overkill for the next 12 months but that's besides the point.

10:03 The officials reviewed a made basket by Joel Anthony and rightly decided that it was still on his finger tips as the shot clock expired, so we'll begin the second half tied at 46.

10:06 At halftime I said the Celtics should go to Garnett more in the second half. He promptly missed his first two shots of the half and missed them badly. The lesson, as always, is that I am an idiot.

10:10 Rondo misses another layup and Battier nails a three. I love Rondo and everything he does for the Celtics, but he can be so frustrating sometimes.

10:13 Timeout Celtics after back to back easy layups by James and Wade. 9-2 run by Miami, they lead by 7. Celtics can't win with consecutive defensive lapses like that.

10:20 A third ridiculous technical (Rondo this time). I'm speechless.

10:22 Rondo does his patented ball fake layup move which shakes Shane "Past His Prime" Battier but then gets annihilated by a killer weak side block from LeBron "Very Much In His Prime" James. I think I might cry.

10:28 Pierce gets destroyed on his way to the hoop. No call. Somebody get Donaghy on the phone, see if he knows anything about this.

10:32 Miami ends the quarter on a 10-3 run to take control of this one 72-61. LeBron has 27 points and 8 boards. I am feeling physically ill.

10:38 Dooling takes a three and misses it horribly. The Avery Bradley injury is looming larger and larger with each passing minute that A. Ray Allen is hobbling around being a defensive liability and shooting line drives at the rim and B. Keyon Dooling is getting anything resembling significant playing time.

10:44 The Celtics are back down to about 35% shooting. That might have been passable against Philadelphia, but the Sixers, unlike the Heat, suck a bag of dicks.

10:49 Finally the Celtics switch to a zone, or as it's better known, the defense that gives Miami fits every time it's utilized. Of course right as I type that Wade crosses over, splits the zone, steps back and kisses an incredible 15 footer off the glass. 82-67 Miami.

10:55 Bad news for the Celtics: LeBron and Wade have decided to take over on both sides of the ball. This comeback is looking less and less likely.

10:58 Jeff Van Gundy hit the nail on the head. Far too many offensive boards for the Heat, who are a small team to begin with. Nobody on the Celtics boxes out, and I hate to sound like a dude who belongs on Social Security, but if you don't box out and get bodies on bodies and protect the defensive glass, it puts a ton of strain on your defense.

11:05 Marquis Daniels is in the game in the fourth quarter. Doc has given up on this one.

11:07 Final horn sounds, Miami takes Game 1 93-79. LeBron with 31/13, KG with 23/10, and Ray Allen went 1-7 from the field.

Final thoughts:
I saw a lot of tweets and Facebook statuses complaining about the referees. While the three technical fouls were, for lack of a better term, straight up retarded, it wasn't the refs who shot 39.5% from the field, 52.4% from the line and got outrebounded by 15. Chalk it up to tired legs from the quick turnaround between Game 7 of the Philly series and Game 1 of this series if you want, but the fact of the matter is the Celtics need to play better if they want to even think about winning a game in this Conference Finals, let alone the entire series. Miami looked efficient, aggressive, and just overall better. Hopefully the Celtics can flip the script and grab Game 2, otherwise this series could be over in a hurry.

One For the Ages

When I last wrote a column, it was September after the Red Sox had more or less been eliminated from contention (although they somehow managed to string me along for the rest of the month, not getting officially knocked out until the last week of the season). For whatever reason, I stopped writing here. Maybe it was because I was busy (the number one reason, actually). Maybe it was because I didn't know what to write. Maybe it was because I couldn't take my eyes off Tom Brady's ridiculus Euro-flo. Maybe it was because I tried to start an ill-fated podcast (which is a work in progess. I'm not giving up on that dream just yet). And really, it's a shame I couldn't focus on this more. I missed the chance to write about a 14-2 Patriots season that ended in a first round flameout, a great Celtics run (as well as one of the best NBA seasons in history), the Red Sox landing Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, John Lackey, Big Baby and Bobby Jenks fat jokes, etc. Not exactly a good time to stop writing about this stuff.

About a month ago I promised myself I would come back if the Miami Heat made it to the Finals. That would be the only thing that could bring me out of retirement. But even as the Heat and Mavs prepared to duke it out, I wasn't certain that I would even bother to post anything about it.

Then this series happened. Everything changed.

I've had a full day to process what I just witness happen in Game 6, with the Mavericks defeating the Heat to clinch their first title in franchise history. Trust me, I needed all the time I could get. This series was trancendant, an insta-classic that will be replayed over and over again for years to come. And the drama was off the charts. All I know is this: this series will be remembered for the impact it had on not just the history of the league, but possibly the future as well.

Let's start with the big winner here. Dirk Nowitzki has done it. Finally, the odessy has come to a close. After hoisting a championship trophy for the first time in his career, Dirk's managed to make a case for his inclusion in any list of top 20 players ever. Not only that, but a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. That's a fact. Anyone who saw him go into the locker room immediately after the final buzzer sounded, moments away from tears could tell you that. Just the expression on his face as he got his chance to lay those massive German hands on the Larry O'Brien trophy told everything anyone needed to know.

That's not to mention that Dirk has officially gone from "soft European player who can't win the big one" to "best European player ever and cold blooded killer with unguardable crunch time offense" in the span of one postseason. Dirk vanquished his demons by unleashing on of the most incredible playoff performances in recent memory, with a dizzying array of post up fade-aways and high post, one legged, off-balance step back jumpers that nobody (not LaMarcus Aldridge, not Pau Gasol, not Serge Ibaka, and not Chris Bosh) could stop. Even though he only eclipsed 30 points once in the Finals, he hit a game winner in Game 2, and played with a fever of 101 in Game 4 (Good God...is that Michael Jordan's music?). He averaged 10.3 points in the fourth quarter. Even in Game 6 when he struggled, getting off to a 1-12 start from the field, he rallied for 10 points in the final period to close out his nemisises on their home court. Dirk's Finals performance was the stuff of legend, and his championship ring is both well desereved and well earned.

Now in July (my second to last column) I wrote about The Decision and what it meant not only to the 2011 season but the next 5-7 years and how it had irrevocably changed the direction that the NBA was headed. NBA titles, MVP awards, and the like were all about to change. We've already seen the MVP award change hands, with Derrick Rose winning it this year. And the future of NBA championships (and who wins them) has been changed as well. No, the Heat didn't win this year. But next year, it's unlikely that Dallas will be there. The Lakers are on the decline, as are the Celtics and Spurs. Orlando is a shadow of the team that went to the NBA Finals in 2009, and with Dwight Howard halfway out the door look like they will be eliminated from being considered contenders. This season was, in many ways, a changing of the guard. The Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, and Magic have had their runs, but they're being overtaken by the teams of the future: the Thunder, Heat, and Bulls. The Heat didn't win it this year, but they are looming as a potential juggernaut and both they and the Bulls will be battling it out for the next half-decade in the East.

Finally, it's time. I've defended LeBron James to a fault his entire career. I've said he was the best player in the NBA. I've blamed his postseason failures on the fact that he's spent his career playing with guys like Mo Williams, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, and Antawn Jamison being the second banana. No, I'm not joking, look it up. I said that the reason LeBron quit on the Cavs in Game 5 against the Celtics last year was because Delonte West was tapping his mom, a perfectly acceptable reason to not want to play basketball. Hold on, I have to go throw up. I even defended LeBron's decison (not The Decision, which was almost disgusting as the pre-season championship party that the Heatles held afterwords) to go to Miami to win a championship.

But this...this one is tough to explain. LeBron collapsed in this NBA Finals, and nobody can explain why. Maybe he was tired. It could have been that the Mavericks' zone took him out of the game. It might have been that his massive shoulders finally collapsed under the pressure that has been on the Heat since he decided to take his talents to South Beach. It was probably a combination of all those things. Ultimately, LeBron has left us asking more questions than is necessary for a player who is supposed to be the best in the game. Someone this talented should relish the spotlight, not shrink from it. Yet, shrank LeBron did, to the point where Dwyane Wade got so fed up with him in Game 3 that he started screaming at him. I knew The Decision would change so much about the NBA, but I never thought that it would fundamentally change the former best player in the league to the point where I now put him at number three behind Kobe and Wade. To borrow from Steven A. Smith, quite frankly I'm shocked.

In the end, this was one for the ages. The most publicized and villianized team in NBA history met the team they had beaten in the Finals five years earlier. Dirk and the Mavs were finally able to erase the pain from 2006 and the playoff flops that followed, and the Heat both wore down from playing 82 playoff games in the regular season and finally collapsed under the intense scrutiny they had been under since July. That alone would have made this series great, but throw in Games 2, 3, 4, and 5 (an incredible four games which will be played on ESPN Classic forever) and this might be the greatest NBA Finals I have ever witnessed (even more than 2008, even though the Celtics winning their first title in my lifetime was roughly 2,973 times sweeter). It's a shame it's all going to be taken away with the impending lockout. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner.

P.S. I promise to write more this summer.

Magic and Bird, the Great Debate

The other day my buddy Ryan Cahill asked me a very interesting question: If you had to choose between Larry Bird or Magic Johnson which one you want to build the team around? He also asked how many rings would they have won if they had played together for their entire careers. Let's tackle the first question to start because, lets face it, it's waaaay more complex and I have nothing else to do except break down one of the greatest player matchups of all time. And to answer your question, no I don't have a life. Moving on...


QUESTION 1: If you had to choose between Larry Bird or Magic Johnson, which one you want to build a team around?



Okay, this was a vague question, so I asked Ryan (who my friends and I call "The Wizard" for his basketball exploits...it's a long story) to make it a little clearer. We decided that it wouldn't be over the course of their careers, but instead at their respective peaks. Now that makes the question even tougher. Had it been "If you had to build a team around Magic or Larry's whole career knowing how it would turn out, who would you choose?" I probably would have to take Magic. I know, I know, I just committed Celtics heresy, but I'll repent later. Magic would be the pick in that scenario, simply because his body didn't give out like Bird's did. Both players had terrific careers, and Larry Legend definitely had the upper hand from 1980-1986. But back and leg injuries derailed Bird and gave Magic the opportunity to surge past him. The deciding factor for me was that you could still win a championship with Magic from 1980-86 when Bird was the consensus better player (the Lakers proved this by winning in 1980, 1982 and 1985), but you weren't winning a championship with Bird and his back problems from '88-'92 when Magic was the better player.

Now for the tougher matter. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Magic's longevity as well as a 5 to 3 championship edge gives him the slight edge over Bird in terms of career success. But when talking about the two players at their peaks, the question changes. According to "The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons (a fantastic book if you're into the NBA. Bill Simmons is my hero. Okay I'm done now) Larry Bird had a 5 year peak in which he averaged 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Larry shot 51% from the field, and was a 90% free throw shooter over that stretch. Bird's 4 year playoff peak was equally as impressive. The Legend averaged 24-10-10 in postseason play during that peak. For the record, the book doesn't mention what years Larry peaked at, but I'm assuming its from '83-'87 seasons. During those five seasons Bird was the best player on two championship teams and two runner ups (he could have won another ring in 1987 too if, you know, Len Bias didn't OD on coke and rob the Celtics of continued domination into the '90s. Dammit.) , won three consecutive MVP awards from '84-'86 and was a runner up in 1983, played on the best team ever (the 1986 Boston Celtics), won two Finals MVP trophies ('84 and '86), and made the All-NBA First team five times. If that's not impressive I don't know what is. And that's not to mention that not only was Bird a sensational scorer, but he was a great rebounder, solid defender in his younger days (not so much as he got older and fell apart), and by far the greatest passing forward of all time.

That being said, Magic had an impressive apex himself. According to The Book of Basketball, during Magic's 3 year peak he averaged 22-7-12, and during his two year playoff peak of 19-7-15. Not to mention that he was 6-9 and played freaking POINT GUARD! (Quick tangent: I would kill to have Magic's size and basketball skills. I'm not kidding. I would literally take somebody's life if it meant could play like Magic. Unfortunately I'm 5-11 and white with no leaping ability whatsoever so that ship has probably sailed. Anyways...) Assuming that Magic's peak was from '87-'89, then during those years he won two championships, won 2 MVP awards (and won a third in 1990), won the Finals MVP in 1987, and made three All NBA First teams. I know that list isn't as long as Bird's, but keep in mind that Bird had two more years of being at top form.


So what's the verdict? I would hands down take Bird's peak over Magic's. First of all, it was two years longer, and more impressive statistically. Also, while Magic's career might have been longer, Bird was transcendent before the injuries took their toll. Magic was great, don't get me wrong, but Larry could do everything that Magic could do in his prime, except that Bird was a better scorer and rebounder. Of course, Magic's scoring numbers don't completely reflect his scoring ability since Johnson was the point guard after all, but to say that Larry didn't have the more complete offensive game from '80-'86 is foolish. I mean, the man took a 15 foot jumpshot with his left hand in a playoff game against the Pistons in '88 because he was bored. And he made the shot! There's a reason why he was called the Legend.

QUESTION 2: How many rings would they have won if they had played together for their entire careers?

Now this is easy. If they had played their whole careers on the same team (Would it have happened under any conceivable situation? No. But that's not the point) they would have won at least 10 titles. This is not debatable. In fact, it's more likely that they would have won every single year. Let me put it this way, if you put two of the top 5 players of all time on the court together, in their primes, they would probably win 70 games every year. Forget 72-10. That would be a habit for a team that featured Bird and Magic. The way that those guys played, they could score at will but were also the most unselfish players on the court. The NBA today needs more guys like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I wish I could have seen them play. Because in the end, it doesn't matter who's the better player, all that matters is that we were fortunate enough to watch them compete at the highest level. If only I was around to see it.

The Sports Fan Strikes Back

I'm baaaaack!

After nearly a four month hiatus, during which the Patriots exploded (so much for that prediction), the Red Sox entered a "transitional" phase, and the Celtics continue to confuse everyone in the New England area with their inconsistant play, I have returned. And why? Well I'm not sure. But I did have to write a paper for my English class recently, and since I twisted the topic to be sports related, I figured now was the right time. So without further ado, I give you my take on what it takes to make a championship caliber basketball team.

Basketball is a magnificent sport. When played at its highest level, it is beautiful to watch. From elegant passing to high flying slam dunks to graceful post play to swarming defense, basketball can be a spectacular sight to see. Very rarely does a team reach this level of play, but when they do, it spells trouble for the rest of the league (an example of this would be the 1986 Boston Celtics, a team that had superior passing, defense, and scoring ability to everyone else that year). But how does a team reach that basketball nirvana? What pieces must be in place for a team to gel and reach the pinnacle of their abilities as a team? First, you need a star player. Second, you need at least one capable second fiddle. Thirdly, you have to surround those two or three players with role players. If those three criteria are met, you will have yourself a championship-caliber basketball team.

First off, in order to have a championship team, you have to have at least one star player, but no more than two. This is not debatable. Every great team has had at least one go to guy (Michael Jordan of the Bulls of the 90’s and Tim Duncan from the Spurs of the 00’s are two examples) and in some cases, two (Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant of the 2000-04). You need to have a star player because every team needs a player who can lead them on the court by carrying the team on his back when things get rough. Star players change the way the game is played, because they force the opponent to adapt to them and focus on them because if they don’t, he will beat them. A star player on a championship team also must be well rounded. He not only has to be able to score, but be able to stop his opponent from scoring as well. He must also be able to know when to defer to his teammates and make them better. If a superstar is too selfish, the team will go nowhere and will never win it all (*cough* Kobe pre 2009 *cough*).

Secondly, every superhero needs a sidekick. Even Batman had Robin to back him up. In basketball, the superstar of the team can’t do it all by himself (unless the star is LeBron James, who led a team that would have won about twenty games without him to the NBA Finals in 2007). Michael Jordan never would have won without Scottie Pippen and Shaquille O’Neal never would have been able to win three titles with the Lakers without a young Kobe Bryant. Therefore, it is logical to have a talented sidekick or two (preferably two) to help carry the load. This type of player often could be the leading man on his own team, but is the second banana to the star on this team. It’s important that this player knows his role and doesn’t try and undermine the hierarchy of the team, or else there will be an ugly end result both on and off the court. The sidekick (or sidekicks in the ideal case) has to be able to step up if the superstar has an off night. While he or they may not be able to carry a team at a championship level, the team definitely can’t win it all without them.

The third thing you need to do in order to have a transcendent basketball team is to surround the star and his sidekick(s) with solid role players that complement their skills. For example, if your star is an all-world power forward or center (like, say...Tim Duncan), and your sidekick is a gifted perimeter scorer, then it makes sense for you to fill out your starting five with a veteran point guard who can manage the game and make plays when called upon, a good perimeter defender who can give the opposing team’s best outside scorer headaches, and another big man who can rebound and play low post defense. As for the bench role players, it’s important that the team has a deep group with varying talents. The ideal bench usually features a sixth man (a fringe starter who contributes the most minutes of the bench players and can effectively fill in for a short stretch if someone is injured), a good perimeter defender, a lights out shooter, a well-rounded forward or center who can come in and score, rebound, and defend (Leon Powe of the 2008 Celtics was an excellent example of this) and a couple high energy guys who can give your team a spark. When a team has a supporting cast like that, they are very tough to beat.

That is the recipe to building a winning team. You need a superstar player to lead the way, a sidekick or two that will help lighten the load on the star, and role players that fill out the team and complement the more talented players’ abilities. But none of these factors will form a winning team unless they have one specific ingredient: selflessness. No team, no matter how talented they are, can win a championship without sacrificing for the good of the team. Many a team have never lived up to their potential (such as those same Lakers from the beginning of the 2000s; had Kobe and Shaq been able to coexist, they could have won three more titles) because the players couldn’t put the team first. However, if a team follows this guideline, it is guaranteed that they will reach the highest level that they can possibly reach, and at the end of the season they will be crowned a champion.

(Funny, I think I just described the San Antonio Spurs of the 2000's)