Players circled the games on their calendars at the beginning of the season. Those games were the only regular-season contests that mattered, really mattered. Winning the season series gave the victor bragging rights...until they met in the Finals.
A loss in the Finals meant darkness for the loser and nirvana for the winner...until they met again the next season.
Today it is almost inconceivable to understand this type of rivalry in the NBA. When was the last time anyone talked of bragging rights derived from a regular season victory?
When was the last time the loser of a championship series shuddered himself in a room for seven straight days, refusing to take calls from even his mother?
Yet that is exactly what Magic Johnson did in 1984, after the Lakers' lost to the Celtics in the NBA Finals, despite his team holding leads in the last minute of Games 1-4, but only having two wins to show for it.
Forget mere joy and sorrow. The emotions registered in this rivalry are pure and primal.
The Lakers' role model was Jerry West, whose suffering after losing to the Celtics in the Finals -- six times -- was operatic.
"A lot of people play sports for a lot of different reasons," West once said. "Some of them get joy out of it, OK?
"To me, there was no joy. This was like a life's work, to try to find a way to win a championship.
"When we lost to the Celtics here [Game 7 of the 1969 Finals at the Forum] and the balloons were in the rafters, I didn't want to play basketball again. I really didn't. I don't know if I ever got over that."
The Lakers, their fans, and their former players think the 2008 NBA Crown is theirs to be lost this year. So while you might not feel the white-hot intensity of old just yet, you will.
If the Celtics win game 1, and then go on to win game two three days later, you'll begin to feel the panic, the desperation.
For twenty years, I've been telling NBA fans that I don't pay attention to the Finals when one team isn't wearing Green or Purple.
Why? They would inquire.
Cuz they are the only two teams that matter.
Puzzled, they'd walk away or change the subject.
I'm not getting many quizzical looks now.
4 comments:
When the Celtics aren't in the finals, I really am not interested. The only reason I would be interested in the Lakers being there it to root with all my being against them. We were spoiled back in the 80's. We knew the Celtics had a chance at the championship every year. We also had recent success to fall back on. It has been 21 years since the Celtics were in the finals and 22 years since the last championship. I am starved for another Celtics title. It will be crushing if they fall short now that they are so close.
Yeah, I should have made that clearer.
I only watch the purple to root against them.
A Finals sweep is twice as sweet when the lakers are the victims.
I won't be happy if the Cs lose, especially since the Ls are younger and will get bynum back.
Wyc won't be happy with losing, though, and now that Jerry has taken a swipe at him, if we lose, I suspect Wyc will open the wallet for more players.
Celtics-Lakers are the 2 teams that have made the NBA go there is no doubt about that. But I would give you a quizzical look also because don't forget what Michael Jordan was doing in the 1990's for this league.
The 72-win bulls were something else.
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