See ya all Wednesday!

mostly remembering how close elgin, jerry, gail, keith etal. got….

this is really sweet.

Thanks Kurt for nurturing this wonderful site and thanks to this community for heightening the fun and helping me appreciate the game, that’s lasted a lifetime, all the more.

Thinking all day about how different my reaction has been to each of the ‘first’ championships (’80, ’00, ’09). Back in 1980 (when I was only 13) I just felt the pure unadulterated joy that only a young person can achieve (as a young person just starting to get involved in things and interests that were ‘adult’ and would last a lifetime). I couldn’t believe that *my* team was actually a champion!

In 2000 I was ecstatic and a bit shocked, because it had been so long since the Lakers had last won, it was almost impossible to believe that the Lakers were back on top.

And then there is this title. I’m joyous, but like Brian above (1:32pm) I’m also just relieved. Much like the year (’84?) after the Lakers had given the title away to Boston (thanks Worthy for that cross-court pass ) this year was so much about redemption. After starting last year under the dark cloud of Bryant’s trade demands to an unexpected reprieve (Gasol trade) to the devastating loss (game 4) and embarassment (game 6) against the Celts last year, this season was always about June and the Finals. And the Lakers accomplished that redemption (Joy!), and I can only image what not winning the title this year would have been like (Relief!).

As for Hollinger’s ratings: Remember, he’s not really trying to figure out who would beat whom and how each team would matchup against the others if they actually could play each other. What his rankings really are, is a determination of how much each team dominated their competition during one specific year.

Finally, THANKS Kurt, and everyone else, from the regular daily posters to those who only post once in awhile. It’s been great!

I saved up enough to get League Pass Broadband, and I can say that I watched at least 75 games during the season and every single playoff game, often staying up past 1:30am just to watch. As a fan, this championship means so much just because I can remember the entire journey!

One can argue Hollinger’s relative weightings (I didn’t read his article closely enough to see if he gave all his weightings), but once those are set, it’s just a matter of number-crunching. It seems a bit of a clinical approach to a bar-room argument, but it does at least have the advantage of being defensible against charges of favoritism.

The Lakers had to endure the taste of blood in their mouths at the hands of the Celts last year; they had to know what it was like to FEEL invincible, only to realize that someone wanted it more than them, was more prepared for the moment than they and respected the immutability of defense and rebounding winning championships more than the Lakers.

Men is the proper analog, as this team grew up both in mind and in doing, facing adversity, naysayers and moments of real doubt, only to stand tall when it mattered most.

I love the line from Derek Fisher last night talking about how he and Kobe kept talking about how unreal it was going from the top down to the bottom, and then finding their way back to the top again.

I am probably most happy for Pau, as he was fairly maligned last year, addressed it like a man then but answered it like a man all season and playoffs long.

So much love for this team…here’s a post that attempts to wrap it up:

Making Plays and Dagger Blows: Lakers Win 15th NBA title (http://bit.ly/yYjqL)

Cheers,

Mark

I like how this year’s Lakers team is one spot ahead of last year’s Celtics team. Ha, ha. Nice.