Sports and a human interest angle
13) But, sometimes I just want to geek out on NBA stats & numbers only sports fans care about
Aside from a personal story about me playing in a basketball league Everybody needs a hype man, and another story about comparing NBA Players based on the era they played in Understanding Generational Eras in America, through the prism of the NBA, I haven’t really written a pure NBA fanatic piece as of late.
As my newsletter develops and progresses over time, I realize my target audience is not a high-interest sports group. There is some overlap, but it’s only a small proportion of my regular readers that actually care about this stuff. This is why I like to focus more of my writing about sports from a human-interest angle - Maria Taylor, Rachel Nichols & ESPN’s poor management. Or I like to write about sports and its intersection with society, on an immediate level or even an international level - The NBA & China: A Geo-Political Affair. There’s also the occasional tear-jerker piece I write - Rest in Power Kobe & Gigi.
So in general when I write about sports, I try to find an angle that explores something that a non-hardcore sports fan, might find interesting also. This piece right here, is not one of them! From my subtitle - When I refer to “nobody”, I don’t really mean “nobody”, I really mean people that don’t care for the NBA or basketball.
My favorite live sporting event is the NBA Playoffs. This is actually the first time the NBA Playoffs have followed its normal scheduled programming since the end of the 2019 season. In the next few weeks a new Champion will be crowned, and it will be the 3rd new champion in the last 20 months. Yup…you can thank Covid for this truncated schedule.
2019-2020 Champion LA Lakers beat Heat in Game 6 on October 11, 2020: 106-93, to clinch the title
2020-2021 Champion Milwaukee Bucks beat the Suns in Game 6 on July 20, 2021: 105-98 to clinch the title.
2021-2022 → Game 7 of the Finals is Sunday June 19th, 2022 (if the series lasts this long).
October 2020 - June 2022, that’s a lot to pack in! Plus there was the Olympics last summer. No wonder guys are getting injured so much. So, here we are now with the Celtics v. Warriors. (Celtics are up 1 game to 0).
I called it before Game 1, and I’ll call it again → Celtics in 6. As a lifelong Knicks fan I don’t like the Celtics, but I dislike the Warriors more. During the 2010s, Warriors dominated the last half of that decade, and in some ways ruined competitive basketball.
Of course the Warriors just made their 6th finals trip in the last 8 years. So if they do win it, many people will argue this is a continuation of their dynasty. But if they don’t, hard to argue this is a continuation of their salad days of the late 2010s. And if the Warriors lose at home tonight (again) to go down 0-2, they will be in a lot of trouble!
Teams have come back from 0-2 deficits…yes even teams that had home-court advantage. So, I won’t rule anything out. Maybe if the Celtics go up 3-0 on the series, I’ll say it’s done. As there has never been an NBA team to come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a 7 game series. It will happen one year, but
A - I don’t see the Warriors falling down 0-3.
B - Even if the Celtics had a 3-0 lead, I just don’t see them as the team to blow it. (Although the 2010 Celtics team almost did versus Orlando).
Some other cool things about this Finals, and the NBA in general:
Over the last four years (including this one), we have had a brand new Champion, breaking up the dynasty run NBA Teams have always had in this league over the last 40 years. Of course if the Warriors win the Chip, some might say this is a continuation of their dynasty, but the team just looks too new. But, even so! All the more reason for the Celtics to win it (even though they already have 18 titles in their storied history). Lets run through the list of Champs over the last four decades.
2022 Champ will be → Celtics/Warriors
2015-2018 → Warriors 3 titles in 4 years (Cavs took the other one in 2016)
2011-2014 → Heat 2 titles in 4 finals trips ( Mavs 2011 and Spurs 2014 took the other two)
2008-2010 → Lakers back-to-back! 2 titles in 3 finals trips ( Celtics 2008 took the other one)
2003-2007 → Spurs 3 titles in 5 years (Pistons 2004 and Heat 2006 took the other 2)
You could also argue that the Spurs took 4 titles in 9 years, which is tremendous!
1991-1998 → Bulls 6 titles in 8 years, and two 3peats!!!!!!
1994 & 1995 → Houston Rockets back to back Champs!
1989 & 90 → Pistons back to back Champs!!!
1980-1988 —> Lakers 5 championships in 9 years (80,82,85, and back to back in 87 & 88); Celtics 3 championships in 6 years, (81,84,86) The 76ers won one chip in 1983
As long as the Warriors don’t win it this year, you can see a clear demarcation between the league being controlled by dynasties to the parity we are now witnessing. I was born in 1981 and my basketball consciousness started during the 1991-92 season, MJs second title run.
It was also the season leading up to the Summer of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. It was a glorious time to start following the league. Sadly, I’m a Knicks fan.
Last time the Knicks actually were a REAL title contender was in the 1990s. It's been a while. But for now, I’ll enjoy the excitement of players from other teams!
And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but - GO CELTICS!!!
Peace & Love
-JPJ
Is it just me, or is Peyton Manning like the most memorable ESPY Host, ever?! LOL