I Admit I Was Wrong; The Lakers Were The Best Team

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Analysis, NBA FINALS, SDC COMMENTARY

Regular readers of this page are well aware that I am not someone you could refer to as boastful or a braggart. I prefer to allow my work to speak for itself; judging by the fact that I have been a sports reporter since 1995 I must be doing something right! Whether it was 11 years as a radio reporter in Cleveland covering the Cavaliers, Indians and Browns or my two-plus years since we started Slam Dunk Central I am blessed to do something that I truly love. Not that many people in life wake up every day excited about their job; I am one of the fortunate few!

That being said I was quite proud during 2008 that two predictions I made one concerning the World of Sports, while the other was not. In fact both predictions were made in 2007 but did come to fruition until last year. Despite the nay-sayers I predicted back in January of 2007 that Barack Obama would win the Presidency of the United States. I bought an Obama button in San Francisco and wore it every day until the election.

The sports prediction I made was actually made the day before the 2007-2008 NBA campaign began. There was no doubt in my mind that the Boston Celtics were going to win NBA Title number 17 in June. Although the “Green Team” had some scary moments in the Playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers they did prevail at the end. After a 22 year absence a new banner was raised in Boston as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals!

As we got to the end of training camp last October there was not a clear-cut favorite in my mind to win the 2009 NBA Championship. Boston would have to be looked at as the favorite going into the season but it is incredibly tough to win back to back titles in the Association. I thought that Boston would be in the mix along with an improved Cleveland and Philadelphia as well as the Orlando Magic. I did not think that Detroit would be as strong as they had been throughout the decade. Joe Dumars had gone into the off-season promising change yet the team was almost exactly the same except for the addition of the “Cypher” center Kwame Brown.

In the Western Conference I thought that it would be the Lakers to lose. Two teams were my dark horses the New Orleans Hornets who had shown they had arrived the year before was one. The other team that I thought could possibly be a threat was the Portland Trail Blazers who with B-Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Steve Blake could make that leap to contender status.

Shock-waves reverberated through the Association in the first month of the campaign as Detroit’s Joe Dumars finally pulled the trigger on a deal. The Pistons sent point guard Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson a deal that quickly effected both clubs. Denver benefited from the deal going to the Western Conference Finals. Detroit’s fortunes went the other way barely making the Post Season with a below.500 record in the regular season and the eighth seed in the East.

The Celtics started off the season in near perfect form losing only two games before Christmas. However they had to deal with adversity after losing to the Lakers on Christmas Day. They would lose 7 of their next 9 games and fell out of first place. They then went on another streak until Kevin Garnett went down with an injury to his left leg. The “Big Ticket” was not expected to miss much time but he never recovered and the injury kept him out of the Playoffs.

The Orlando Magic also suffered a key injury as Jameer Nelson was hurt just before the All-Star game which he had been selected to. The Magic acquired Rafer Alston from the Houston Rockets to fill Nelson’s spot in the starting lineup. Meanwhile the two teams in the East who had made big acquisitions in the off-season were each going in different directions. The Philadelphia 76ers who had picked up forward Elton Brand did not have success making the Post Season but just as a seventh seed.

Cleveland however had been on a roll all season and would end the campaign with the best record in the Association at 66-16. Two weeks before the regular season ended I stated on these pages that the Cleveland Cavaliers would win their first NBA Title. I also stated that the Los Angeles Lakers did not have the innate toughness they would need to win an NBA crown. As we now know I was wrong on both counts! I gave too much credit to the Cavaliers and I did not give the Lakers the respect they deserved. I WAS WRONG pure and simple!

So a well deserved congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers! When it counted your team was the best! And when it is all said and done nothing means more!

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Comments

2 Responses to “I Admit I Was Wrong; The Lakers Were The Best Team”

kobeofthenba on June 16th, 2009 12:42 pm

Can i gloat?!?! jut for a second…. The “Cavs” tilted slamdunkcentral.com must bow to MY GREAT LAKERS AND MY GREAT TRUE KING KOBE THE MAN BRYANT!!!! Ah, how i love watching ya’all grovel for forgiveness…
Jeff Sack on June 16th, 2009 6:46 pm

KOBE,
Actually you probably should have written Cavaliers/Celtics Biased Slam Dunk Central! LOL! You deserve to gloat! Enjoy your Champiosnhip Summer Your Guys earned it! However, come the end of October there will be a Hungry Healthy Celtics team as well as a Cavaliers team with a Superstar who Hates LOSING! So your guys will have their work cut out for them and a HUGE target on their backs! But Bask in the moment for now my friend! Two teams that I have never like but Always respected are the Lakers and Philadelphia! Wilt, Magic, Kobe and DR. J classy opponents! Congratulations!

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