Last week, there was a debate in this very newspaper over which team will win the NBA Finals.
On one side, the Detroit Pistons were picked to win it all behind their stout defense, team-first attitude, and one of the greatest -and most-traveled -coaches in NBA history, Larry Brown. The other side supported the San Antonio Spurs, led by the Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan, and the explosive backcourt of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Honestly, if I wanted to watch fundamentals, I would pop in a Tom Emanski instructional video or watch Mark Price's tape on how to shoot a three-pointer.
And if I wanted to watch boring, defensive-minded team-first games, I would attempt to reassemble my mangled videotape of last year's AFC championship game between New England and Pittsburgh.
This should not be the year of the fundamental, it should be the year of the flash -and no, I am not talking about Dwyane Wade, yet.
When you have one of the most exciting teams ever to set foot on an NBA court in this year's Phoenix Suns in the West and the tandem of Superman (Shaquille O'Neal) and The Flash (Wade) carrying the Miami Heat in the East, how can you not expect to see a heated NBA Finals match-up?
Even more, how can anyone with a pulse not want to see this potential barn-burner of a series?
Behind Most Valuable Player Steve Nash, monster in the middle Amare Stoudemire, Shawn The Matrix Marion and sharpshooters Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson, the Suns literally ran over, under, and around everyone -not to mention they ran up the score as well, averaging 110.4 points per game.
Meanwhile, in Miami, O'Neal has a chip on his shoulder after being edged by Nash in the MVP voting. We all realize how big of a storyline that could be if these two teams make it to the finals. As for his little buddy, Wade has been nothing short of remarkable in the Heat's 8-0 playoff run, averaging 28.6 points so far.
With teams seeming luckless in their efforts to stop the Heat and Suns, it is a definite possibility that basketball fans will be treated to a great series this summer. So put away the Bill Buckner fielding videos and pop in a blank tape for this series if it does happen, and most of all, look for these teams to light up the scoreboard.
-Jason Fazzone is a freshman journalism major. Send him an e-mail at jf104004@ohiou.edu.
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Jason Fazzone
