I should have paid more attention in High School English class. I sat here for about 5 minutes attempting to come up with a clever beginning to this, but I had no luck (hence the title) unfortunately. I've always been interested in sports, but I didn't think anyone cared. No one probably does even today, but I guess you'll have to bare with me if you're reading this. Readers of my blog can expect unbiased writing pertaining to sports. I'll focus mainly on basketball and football, but that doesn't mean I won't dabble into other sports too. On the other hand, I'll leave the Politics and Economics to my other fellow idiots. :-) (Well on to my introductory topic.)
A Bold Prediction
I'm a sucker for story lines. Who isn't? Whether David vs. Goliath, Ali vs. Fraizer, or Magic vs. Bird, I love to watch the drama build up and lead to a fantastic finish. I'm also a sucker for fairy tale endings. Which leads me to my prediction for the 2009 NBA Finals. (A little early?? No way!!!)
Boston vs. San Antonio
In a Finals series that will include both a great story line and a great ending, I envision the San Antonio Spurs playing the Boston Celtics. Both teams loaded up with key veteran players in the off season, and have All-Star caliber players returning from injury. If the cards line up right, we could see one of the most interesting series of all time.
Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett (each now 33 years old) are both nearing the last leg of their NBA careers. The two have combined for 5 NBA championships, 3 MVP awards and 23 All-Star appearances, but each have a desire to lead their team to one more NBA Championship. They each pack versatile, star-studded sidekicks and deep benches to help them compete.
A Celtics' lineup of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, and Wallace, boasts 5 potential All-Stars. With 3 great 3 point shooters in their starting lineup, the Celtics will have plenty of options to score the ball. If their shots aren't falling, all 5 of these players can get to the rim to take higher percentage shots.
The Spurs can expect to see something to the effect of Parker, Mason, Jefferson, Duncan and Bonner. Their lineup could change, but Popovich likes to have capable scorers come off the bench.
Moving on, the other reason I see this matchup coming to fruition is the depth of each team. The Spurs' starting lineup is never set in stone, but whenever you can afford to bring a scorer like Ginobili off of the bench, you have a great chance to win games. Newly added Antonio McDyess will bring energy off the bench in the post. Veteran Michael Finley should revert to the bench with the addition of Richard Jefferson. George Hill is an incredible athlete and a serviceable shooter.
The Celtics' bench will be anchored by Kendrick Perkins, a hardworking postman who is a great rebounder. Eddie House, a great 3 point shooter can pack a scoring punch off the bench. Tony Allen will provide another capable scorer off the bench. Should the Celtics resign Glen "Big Baby" Davis they will have a more than formidably deep front court.
Great three-point shooting teams have a great chance of making an NBA finals run yearly. The Celtics have three players who are among the best three-point shooters at their respected positions. Ray Allan, Paul Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace have all shown the ability to shoot the three-point ball consistently, and shoot it consistently in clutch situations. Rajon Rando is showing improved touch on his shooting abilities, and Eddie House is known for his ability to consistently hit the three-point shot.
The Spurs in their own respect are no slouch when it comes to knocking down the deep ball either. Micheal Finley, George Hill, and Manu Ginoboili are all above average three-point shooters. Newly acquired Richard Jefferson has an improving stroke, and big man Matt Bonner has a odd knack for hitting jump shots from down town. Guard Roger Mason Jr. has quickly established himself as one of the Leagues best and most clutch three-point shooters.
The Final and possibly the most important reason I foresee this matchup occurring is the coaching of each team. Doc Rivers has shown the ability to make newly acquired players mesh well into his team first system. Rivers should have no trouble selling the team first mentality to Rasheed Wallace. He will also find an extremely useful and productive role for the versatile Wallace. Rivers, unlike other coaches has shown the ability to coach hyped teams to meet their high expectations.
Greg Popovich should have no one doubting his ability to coach teams to championships. With four championships in the last ten years Popovich is in a highly distinguished class with Lakers coach Phil Jackson (Jackson has also won four titles in the last decade). Popovich has demonstrated the skill the maximize player potential and motivate great scores and shooters to become high level defenders.
This entry doesn't concern why other teams wont make the NBA Finals, but rather why these teams will. There are certainly other incredibly talented teams in both the Eastern and Western conferences, but I expect these two teams to emerge. The two keys to the Spurs and Celtics meeting in June are staying healthy and staying focused solely on winning. If both of these teams do that, don't be surprised to see a thrilling seven game series take place in Boston and San Antonio.
