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LONGSHOTS: Letters from the NBA finals
by Dave Long
Since we’re in my dead zone period that messes with us being current, between the loss in Game Five, filing this story before Game Six and its publication a day after that game … let’s go to the mail bag to see what inquiring minds want to know about things up to Game Five.
Dear Dave: Are you glad you got the wish you made last February for the Celtics to face Kobe and the Lakers in the NBA Finals? Blanche Allison, Wonderland Road, Wishingwell, Kan.
Dear Blanche: Got to ask this first: you don’t see a lot of Blanches around these days; is it a family name? Now for your question — yes, Yes, YES! Win or lose, the Cs and Lakers are one of the great rivalries in sports and it’s wonderful finally seeing it revived. And I say that after enduring unending repetition of ABC’s Mike Breen saying the same thing over and over again about Magic and Larry.
Dear Dave: Are you a Doc guy? M. L. Auto, 16 Banners Lane, Enthusiasm City, N.C.
Dear ML: I had issues last year about the non-college guys’ needing to learn fundamental basketball. But I also said then, he’d be a very good coach with a veteran team. And he has been. Although the way he uses his bench opens him to second guessing, his instinct/feel for picking the right player at the right time has been good from start to finish. So yes, I’m so much a Doc guy, I’d have liked to play for him.
Dear Dave: Do you see Paul Pierce’s comeback from his Game One injury being like Willis Reed with the Knicks in the 1970 final? Red Wholesman, 12 Pearly Gates Avenue, Phase Del Boco Vista, Heavenly, Fla.
Dear Red: No, it’s more like Larry Bird getting knocked cold in the elimination Game Five vs. Indiana in the 1991 playoffs. It didn’t look good when he didn’t come out for the third period. But he emerged mid-way through it to give the crowd and the Cs a huge lift. Then he did real damage by finishing with 32 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a 124-121 win. That’s what Pierce did, though his injury looked a lot worse than Larry’s. As for Reed, he got hurt in Game Five of the finals vs. L.A. and never came back as the Knicks somehow rallied to win anyway for a 3-2 series lead. Then we learned Willis had the injury many thought Pierce had, as he tore the muscle off the bone in his hip. He missed Game Six in L.A., which Wilt dominated by scoring 45. So everyone in New York knew they were dead if he couldn’t play. So we waited to see if he could and didn’t know until he came down the aisle right before Game Seven started. Curt Schilling in the 2004 playoffs was more like that, as from game to game you didn’t know if he could pitch. Those who saw the game know it was literally OVER after Willis scored the first four points, but, from the “nice to know but you don’t need to know file,” the guy who did the damage was Walt Frazier, who scored 36 with 19 assists and five steals. He was unbelievable.
Dear Dave: Are you a Phil Jackson guy? He ticked me off with disparaging comments about Paul Pierce’s injury. George Michael, 23 Jordan Rules, Texas
Dear George: Psychology is part of his game and he was trying to use it downplaying the Pierce injury. Though, since he was in Madison Square Garden as (an injured) member of the Knicks, he knows a lot more than most about the Reed thing. As a coach he’s won nine titles, but he’s also had the best team in his 10 finals. And there’s an art to winning with that talent. But he’s yet to put stealing one as a coach on the résumé. But still, he’s pretty good.
Dear Dave: Are you in agreement with the national media’s fawning assessment that Kobe Bryant is the equal of Michael Jordan? Marc Jaxsen, 12 Fawlshott Lane, Clueless, N.M.
Dear Marc: I’ll say this as politely as I can: they must be on drugs. I got an e-mail the other day from Manchester Millrats GM Ian McCarthy statistically comparing their careers. There is not even ONE category where Kobe is close. That’s no knock on him, because while I’d take Tim Duncan and Lebron James over him, he’s in the top three. I make the point emphatically because a clueless, follow-the-pack media is creating a myth that many accept. You want to say Tiger Woods — that’s a fair fight. Because like Michael, he imposes his will on the field that puts him in the back of everyone’s mind. So with due respect to Kobe — it’s embarrassing.
Dear Dave: I’ve been following the Lakers for a long time and I don’t rank Kobe as high among all-time Lakers, let alone as number two in the history of the game. What do you think? Claude Chichearn, 14 Broadcast St., Hollywood Heavens, Calif.
Dear Claude: I’ll be accused of being a pre-Tarrier line fuddy-duddy, but I’m with you. It may be different as he retires, but right now he’s just the sixth-best LAKER! And that’s only because Wilt played there for a few years and George Mikan is from basketball’s prehistoric era. If Wilt counts and you rate on importance to winning, it’s eight. And those who say “hey what about Big Game James Worthy?” might move him to NINE. But I’ll stick with sixth behind (in descending order) Magic Johnson, the leader of a team with five rings; Kareem Abdul Jabbar, six MVP’s and the league’s All-Time scorer; Jerry West, great defender, scorer, passer and as good a clutch shooter with it on the line as Jordan himself; Shaq, the straw that stirred the drink when Kobe was just the second banana; and the great Elgin Baylor.
Dear Dave: You buying what Bob Ryan is selling, that Paul Pierce is the most explosive Celtic ever? Peter Mara, Vich Cove Road, Aliquippa, Pa.
Dear Peter: I’ve always been a card-carrying Pierce guy, and Ryan doesn’t get caught up in the moment, so maybe. The issue is how he defines “explosive.” If it means scoring in bunches, how can he leave John Havlicek and Sam Jones out of that discussion as he did? If it’s the ability to score from anywhere at anytime, he might be right. He’s got better range than Hondo and is better than Bird at taking it to the basket. If it’s end-of-the-game shooting, well, I’m not sure he’s as good any of those three, but he’s been pretty good at that too, so he’s in the argument.
Dave Long can be reached at dlong@hippopress.com. He hosts the Absolute Sports Experience at Billy’s Sports Bar in Manchester each Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon that is broadcast live on WGAM – The Game, 1250-AM Manchester, 900-AM Nashua.
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