2006 Revisited

As most of you already know, I am a basketball fanatic. This made the Eastern and Western Conference Semi-finals especially hard to watch. I wanted to see Chicago and my MVP D. Rose shine. I wanted to see the smug grins wiped off the faces of Miami’s Big Three. Most of all, I wanted to see “the Chosen One” fall. That obviously didn’t happen.

I knew that the young Thunder had no chance against the veteran Mavericks. I knew that once Dallas swept the Lakers, (it still makes me a little nauseous when I think about it) they would be the team from the West in the Finals. I hoped that Oklahoma could win at least 2 games in the series. That also obviously didn’t happen.

Sadly, both underdog teams lost 4-1. I also think that both Chicago and Oklahoma are 1 player or 1-2 years away from having their shot in the Finals.

Where does that leave us?

It’s a rematch of the 2006 Finals where Miami beat Dallas. I remember at the time, I was rooting for Miami because that was the Wade/Shaq combination. I also hated Dallas and Dirk, which hasn’t changed in the last few years. I recall Miami was down 0-2 and came back to win it all. I was in Cancun on vacation and met a bunch of rowdy guys from Houston. We bonded over Mexican beer and our mutual hatred for Mark Cuban and all things Dallas (except maybe J.R. Ewing).

Things are completely different now. How can I in good conscience root for Miami? If I do its like proving LeBron, Wade, and Bosh right. Their collective egos would explode like a volcano. They are like the Yankees of the NBA, although as a New Yorker, I love the Yankees.

On the other hand, I still detest Dallas. I hate Cuban and Dirk. I have love for Jason Kidd, especially when he was in his prime with the Nets. I also respect Jason Terry because he preformed well for me this fantasy season.

It’s like picking the lesser of two evils. I’m not even sure if I’ll watch the entire series. For a basketball freak that is practically insane.

Wade and Shaq 2006 Finals

I will be rooting for: not sure jury is still out!

Who will win: Dallas has a giant axe to grind and the Triple Threat have something to prove. I pick Dallas in 6.