108 Games

Let’s start off with some Guru, Jazzmatazz vol. 3, Streetsoul, track 5: “Certified”.

This right here has been certified for years
He’s got soul up in his blueprint and he’s ready to vocalize….

And he did. Watching Kevin Garnett crying and howling in that post-game interview with Michelle Tafoya was a thing of beauty and to me represents everything that is good about the NBA. It was 6 in the morning when the game ended over here, and watching him yelling ‘Anything is possible!’ claiming he was now certified, hugging Bill Russell, man, I had tears in my eyes. I’m 28 and I might be soft, but that was amazing and heartfelt to see. I needed to get some extra hours of sleep after the game, but I just couldn’t go to bed. Like KG, I was too hyped. It took me almost two hours before I could finally get some shuteye.

Understand what I’m trying to say here. I’m a Nets fan, but even more so I’m a fan of the NBA. Watching every team, enjoying good basketball when I see it. That’s why I enjoyed Game 6 so much, especially the final moments of it. And anyone who didn’t like it must walk that yellow brick road and search for a heart. Doc Rivers probably still smells like Gatorade, and Paul Pierce might still wear his jersey. Life is good in Boston, where after 22 years they’ve finally won it again. It took them 108 games to do it, but every single game the purpose was the same as the last one: they had to win it all. Call it destiny, call it whatever you want, but it had to happen.

In L.A. they hoped to have their first championship since ’02, but watching the Lakers play on their home floor, it looked like both the players and the fans weren’t that desperate for it. Although the Celtics played great defense, the Lakers were really disappointing. Kobe had a lot of trouble in getting to the basket, so he definitely needed someone to step up, whether it was Odom, Gasol, whoever. Yet nobody embraced that role, but again: that wasn’t the biggest problem. They just didn’t want it badly enough and that’s what it’s all about. It’s weird; the Lakers played great throughout the playoffs, but had a lot of problems during the Finals. The Celtics however, struggled in the first two rounds, found some rhythm against the Pistons, and really played well against the Lakers. More importantly, Ray Allen overcame his shooting woes from previous rounds to show that he still is one of the finest shooters in the League. He emphasized that in Game 6 by hitting seven three-pointers out of only nine attempts.

So that was the 2007-2008 NBA season, the team won that had to win, KG delivered to world some footage that the NBA can use in every promo for the next ten years (or longer), and Paul Pierce became the Finals MVP, which should secure his legacy after his career is over. And Doc Rivers? I think he’s done with Gatorade for a while, and hopefully traded it for some champagne. The Celtics won, and rightfully so.