The Scorpions, those balding yet mullet-enhanced immortal metal gods from Germany, graced us with a tune some years back entitled "Tease Me, Please Me"...and it was good. As a theme song for the Chicago Cubs? We'll save that for another post...or maybe 400 of them. For now, let’s just say that the tune would be appropriate as a stadium-rousing statement for the 2008-2009 Orlando Magic.
As a self-proclaimed (and cynical) Magic fan, I would have to say Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals could best be described as an emotional crapshoot. Hey, we weren’t even supposed to be here, right? Ask Paul Pierce and LeBron 'I Can Pout Because I’m The Face of the NBA' James.
The first quarter Thursday night against the Lakers was satisfying enough – a tough, hard-fought period where Orlando grabbed a slim lead and led us Magic diehards to believe that we had a shot at stealing a game out in La-La Land. Riiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Photo courtesy ESPN/Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Granted, the boys from the Realm of Mickey (Southeastern Branch, not Western) started off slowly against Boston and Cleveland as well, but this one feels different. I am not a Bynum/Gasol proponent by any means, but Dwight Howard looks to be in trouble on the defensive end against the two-headed 'Hydra of Mediocrity' that Pau and Andrew represent for the sometimes-interested city of Los Angeles. In fact, they give the Hollywood boys an edge that Big Ben & Z in Cleveland and the Powe/Perkins tandem in Boston couldn’t hope to match.
Maybe the Magic have hit the wall. Maybe they’ll surprise us all yet again. After all, they’ve already exceeded expectations and achieved what Shaq and Penny could only pull off once before in Orlando’s brief professional basketball history.
That being said, make it hard for Kobe. Make him work for it. Just like you made Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen sweat it out. Just like you made the King and His Minions toil and slog. Those of us who remember the NBA of Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Dr. J are still skeptical about David Stern’s hype machine and the touting of Kobe (and LeBron) as the best the game has ever offered. TV ratings may be better with Bryant involved, but I’m skeptical as to whether the game itself is a better product...
As a self-proclaimed (and cynical) Magic fan, I would have to say Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals could best be described as an emotional crapshoot. Hey, we weren’t even supposed to be here, right? Ask Paul Pierce and LeBron 'I Can Pout Because I’m The Face of the NBA' James.
The first quarter Thursday night against the Lakers was satisfying enough – a tough, hard-fought period where Orlando grabbed a slim lead and led us Magic diehards to believe that we had a shot at stealing a game out in La-La Land. Riiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Granted, the boys from the Realm of Mickey (Southeastern Branch, not Western) started off slowly against Boston and Cleveland as well, but this one feels different. I am not a Bynum/Gasol proponent by any means, but Dwight Howard looks to be in trouble on the defensive end against the two-headed 'Hydra of Mediocrity' that Pau and Andrew represent for the sometimes-interested city of Los Angeles. In fact, they give the Hollywood boys an edge that Big Ben & Z in Cleveland and the Powe/Perkins tandem in Boston couldn’t hope to match.
Maybe the Magic have hit the wall. Maybe they’ll surprise us all yet again. After all, they’ve already exceeded expectations and achieved what Shaq and Penny could only pull off once before in Orlando’s brief professional basketball history.
That being said, make it hard for Kobe. Make him work for it. Just like you made Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen sweat it out. Just like you made the King and His Minions toil and slog. Those of us who remember the NBA of Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Dr. J are still skeptical about David Stern’s hype machine and the touting of Kobe (and LeBron) as the best the game has ever offered. TV ratings may be better with Bryant involved, but I’m skeptical as to whether the game itself is a better product...
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