FanNation - The Republic of Sport

It's hard to believe that 1987 was the last time that the Celtics and Lakers played in the NBA Finals.  I've been a Celtics fan as long as I can remember, and this particular match-up is a big reason why.  Most people can't understand how a kid from Illinois can grow up and not be a fan of the team that was only 3 hours away.  To me, the answer is simple....cable TV.  See, in Peoria, our local cable didn't carry SportsChannel, which was the old Chciago sports network that carried Bulls games, until Michael Jordan was on the cusp of leading the Bulls to the finals.  Before that, you got whatever games CBS decided to show, and more often than not, the game they showed involved either the Lakers or the Celtics.  I did have an early fascination with the Lakers because of Kareem and Magic, but Larry Bird had played in the same conference as our local college team, Bradley, so many people in Peoria had actually seen him play in college.  As a result, my Dad always pulled for the Celtics, and that rubbed off on me.  So, a Celtics fan I was, and a Celtics fan I've remained.  It hasn't been easy.

So to be at this moment in time, seeing the Celtics dispatch the Detroit Pistons to earn the right to play the Lakers, and now having a classic matchup before us -- it is taking a little while to sink in.  Hearing the "Beat LA" chant sounded great, but to be honest, the Lakers terrify me.  After 22 years of waiting for banner #17, it would be a cruel twist of fate to get this close and then lose to the Lakers.  But, it will make for compelling TV, and just might re-invigorate the NBA.

For as great as Jordan's Bulls were, the one think Jordan never really had was a rival.  As they worked to get past the Pistons, they had the villain for the story.  But once they got to the finals, there was never anyone that really stood in their way.  For me, that is the biggest reason why the NBA went from "Must See TV" to nothing once Jordan retired.  When Jordan was king, you tuned in to see him win or to root for the other team to beat the "Unbeata-Bulls".  The NBA promoted Jordan above all else, and its suffered for it.  Now you have the Lakers and the Celtics back where they belong.  Yes, there are the stars -- Kobe and Phil Jackson for LA and KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce for Boston.  But what will ultimately bring in the casual fans is the matchup of the two great franchises.  That's what sports in general really needs -- the two teams that hate each other and always seem to be duking it out for the right to be #1.  The stars sell in the short term, but it's the teams that sell over time.  The NFL learned this a long time ago, and is the model that all other leagues aspire to today.  Baseball has started to figure it out, although I'd argue that they've gone a bit overboard with Yankees-Red Sox as the premier rivalry.  Hopefully, over the next few weeks we'll see the NBA take advantage of this matchup, and with any luck, be treated to a classic 7 game series that will captivate a new generation of fans the way it did those of us that remember the days of Magic vs. Bird.