Halftime Hype

The moment we hear "I Love L.A." in this series, we'll know it's over. It was a nice trek up the mountain; a grueling 82 games along with playoffs, which a mandatory journey. It takes all kinds of players to make a championship: the superstar scorer in clutch time (which for the most part is Kobe), the "glue" of the team (Fisher), the lean, lanky forward who brings a unique tenacity to the game (Lamar), the post presence who can usually get the job done (Pau), the quick shooter who's not always reliable but has killer moments (Sasha), the guy whose always recovering from an injury (Bynum) the energetic man off the bench (Shannon Brown), that trash man who earns his minutes in garbage time (DJ Mbenga), the speedy, athletic defender who's known for slashing to the rim (Ariza), the annoying ball handler who can take some bad shots but when he makes them, we could all care less (Farmar), the forward waiting to get playing time (Powell), the smart player who knows how to play the game but won't ever reach stardom (Luke Walton), the really foreign space cadet whose still learning how to play (Sun Yue), and that dude in the suit who blends in with the coaching staff (Adam Morrison).

That is a breakdown of your eventual 2009 NBA champions. Those are all the different part that have collaborated together to form one dangerous mass. During the season, there's always been a few guys on the floor that could hurt you. At the beginning of the year, the Lakers were known for their infamous "Bench Mob," with Farmar and Vujacic as the centerpieces, sparking game-changing runs. When Andrew Bynum went down earlier this year, it was Josh Powell and Lamar Odom that stepped up and rose to the occasion. Whenever Fisher needed a breather, Lakers fans were always confident that Shannon Brown wouldn't let them down. Amidst touch frontcourt match-ups, Pau Gasol made sure his presence was felt. Even DJ Mbenga had a series of games towards the end of the regular season when he was racking up several blocks per game (I believe he even surpassed his career high of 8 points, too).

Ultimately, though, Kobe Bryant has been the heart and soul of this team. He's been there and done that. Yet, he never gets tired of chasing perfection. For him, the game of basketball is no longer just a simple sport; it's a physical art, requiring determination and skills to spur success. He has tasted victory champagne. He has outfitted himself with championship jewelery. He has fought with his teammates. He has basked in praise. He has been shot at with criticism. He's suffered horrible injuries and exhausting illnesses. But none of these obstacles have ever slowed him down. Each and every day #24 strives to be the best. He doesn't care about his competition, as long as he takes home the title. Only he feels such a strong urge to lead a parade down Figueroa.

Take a look back at his MVP year. The off-season prior to last season, he was advocating for a trade and sending mixed messages to different sources. Lakers fans didn't know how what to say. From one standpoint, the game's greatest player wanted to leave an organization he was a part of ever since he entered the league as a clueless rookie. But on the other hand, he only considered abandoning the City of Angeles to chase his passion: a championship. During training camp, his comments were a distraction to the entire team. On opening night, his hometown fans booed him. Things couldn't have been any worse. But he grew from the incident and went on become the NBA's Most Valuable Player. So the next time you see him grinding his teeth, biting his jersey, or scowling just think: Have we ever seen anymore so dedicated to winning?

For some teams, winning the division title earns a banner in the arena. In others, "winning" the division isn't significant at all. Different analysts use many indicators to prove whether a team is to be deemed a success, a faliure, or somewhere in between. The common barometer is number of championships which I find to be somewhat unreasonable. My personal belief is that all teams don't have to win championships to be successful, but all successful teams have won championships. My pursuit in evaluating success got me thinking...

There have been numerous teams throughout NBA history that were persistent and determined for such a long time - but didn't have the privilege of winning a championship. One of my favorite examples is the Stockton-Malone Jazz teams. In the early years of the dynamic duo, the Jazz never advanced past the second round during the 1980s. They only started picking up the pace in 1992 when they reached the Conference Finals. Even in the 94-95 season, when the squad won 60 games, they lost in the first round. The following year, the Jazz just barely came up short in the Conference Finals. The Jazz really only extended on their regular season success in '97 and '98, when they reached the NBA Finals only to lose both series - filled with plenty of heartbreaking and to some degree, seemingly rigged, games.

So should the late-90s Jazz be considered successful or elite?

Well, let's just say they'd be an incredibly difficult match-up in any playoffs. But what makes that team so unique is the divide between regular season capabilities and playoff victories. After truly examining the Malone-Stockton bunch, I feel they shouldn't be regarded so highly. Personally, I've heard analysts talk about them hundreds of times during nationally televised season games, and plenty more during the postseason. That team was barely as successful as the Detroit Pistons earlier in this decade, maybe they could've matched up with the Spurs of the mid-2000s, but nowhere near as good as the Lake Show of 2000-2003.

Other conclusions:

• This study also put light on Jerry Sloan's lack of postseason accomplishments. He's been coaching for 20 years, with more years extended to his contract earlier in the season, and he still hasn't come back with the trophy of trophies.
• Unfortunately, one of my all-time favorites, Reggie Miller, never came away with the main prize. If the Jazz teams explained above were meshed into a single player, you'd come out with Reggie Miller. Although in his 18-year NBA career he never came away with a ring, he compensated by leaving behind an unprecedented legacy as well as historic performances, especially at the Mecca, that will never be forgotten - even more so for Spike Lee.
• The NBA playoffs and to a much greater effect, March Madness, are the prime tourneys in which victorious regular season teams sometimes turn out to be postseason busts. Only difference is that in the NBA, the flaws of unsuccessful teams are exposed over a period of time. Whereas in the NCAA tournament, the "one and done" saying can also apply to losses.
• In some ways, the equivalent of the 90s Jazz teams summarized into one season, would be the Dallas Mavericks of playoffs' past who suffered a first round playoff exit to the #8 Golden State Warriors, with a huge emphasis on warriors.
• Even with Malone-Stockton-Ostertag parallels in Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Mehmet Okur, the Jazz still haven't found a way to win. And with a first round loss to the Lakers this year, their chances of resigning Boozer, who already expressed his dismay publicly, have declined jurastically.

Dope Jam of the Day

Amazin - Young Jeezy - Not to be confused with "Amazing" featuring Jeezy and Kanye, this song is one of the more mainstream recommendations I've made so far. One of my favorite tracks off Young Jeezy's most recent album, The Recession, the song paints some vivid imagery in my head. What I hear, is a rapper speaking an explicit defense testimony in a ghetto courtroom - testifying against ruthless "thuggin." To me, the song reveals Jeezy's righteousness, in contrast to the arrogance of his contemporaries. And unlike most rap songs I hear these days, the lyrics haven't been developed with the assistance of a rhyming dictionary - although, you may find some lyrics quite interesting, to say the least. If there's ever a black, Jeezy-centered version of 8 Mile, this would probably end up in the soundtrack.