The stage is set and its official. The Lakers and the Celtics are going back to the NBA Finals together for the first time since 1987. I don’t know if anyone out there is surprised or even if they should be. Both the Lakers and the Celtics had the best records in their respective conferences. And its no secret that this is the matchup that the league desperately wanted to see. Do you honestly believe that David Stern was going to sit around and let the Spurs play the Pistons again? Outside of the basketball purists, and the fundamentalists, who would watch Borefest ’08? I know I wouldn’t. I’d rather watch Major League Badminton on ESPN8.

How can I possibly ignore this? This is the first time I’ve been anticipating watching the NBA Finals since that ’99 Knicks debacle against the Spurs. This matchup has all the storylines. Can Kobe finally win a ring without Shaq? Can Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce finally get their own rings? Can Phil Jackson become the new Red Auerbach?  Its all enough to give anyone a sports boner. The only question left to ask is whether or not this series is going to live up to the hype. I can answer that right now. Its an emphatic no.  There’s no way this series can live up to the standards set by these teams in the late 80s.

There were a combined seven future Hall of Famers in this series, not including the two Hall of Fame coaches in K.C. Jones and Pat Riley. In this 2008 series, I count 5… four of them are definite. The only difference I can find in this ’08 series is that there’s no clear cut favorite. Back in ’87, the Lakers were well-rested, healthy, and had home-court advantage. The Celtics were coming off of a hard-fought conference finals win over Detroit and they had some injury issues that entire season. It wasn’t going to be a sweep, but it was a foregone conclusion that the Lakers would win. These days, there’s no one with any clear advantage. The Lakers are younger, they play an uptempo style, and Kobe has the ability to take over games whenever he chooses. The Celtics play aggressive defense, they’ve only lost once at home and I really think that Kevin Garnett is going on a killing spree if the Celtics dont win.

As a New Yorker, I despise Boston and everything it stands for. As a basketball fan, I’d like Kevin Garnett to win a championship. He truly is one of the more loyal and hardworking players in the league. On the other side, I think Kobe deserves to win a ring without Shaq, despite his attitude over the past few years. So what it comes down to is that like so many other people getting ready to watch this ratings bonanza, I’m waiting to see a great series between two of the best teams in the NBA. For once, this is something that David Stern can admit to orchestrating.

Here’s a few things going on in the sports world that I’ve been thinking about.

– ManRam has hit his 500th homer and Junior is on his way to 600. Its good to see milestones for players who deserve it.

– Kimbo Slice beat the ear off that Thomson dude on primetime television. Its amazing what Youtube can do for people’s careers. Who knows where Kimbo would’ve ended up if Hurricane Andrew didn’t take everything he had.

– Did anyone really take Vince Young seriously when he said he thought about retiring after his rookie year? He plays the most glamorous position in the NFL, he’s only 24, and there’s millions of dollars left to be made. I don’t think he’s that stupid.

– Jason Taylor knows the Dolphins aren’t going to trade him because when they could have, they didn’t. And believe me, they could’ve gotten a lot out of Jacksonville. Maybe they have a lot in store for him in Miami.

– Literally two weeks ago, the Mets were six and a half games back in the division and everyone was calling for Willie Randolph’s head. Since the Coloradio series, the Mets have won 4 of their last 5 games (5-5 in their last 10) and they’re only 4 games out of first place. A little patience and who knows what might happen.

– The Yankees are almost 100% healthy again and Joba’s about to move to the rotation. Things are looking up for the Bombers. 

– in a country that prides itself on free speech, why was Rasheed Wallace fined 25 grand for criticizing the refs? Sports writers don’t get fined when they criticize players, do they? Refs and umpires have been doing a crappy job all over the place. In the NBA, they don’t call fouls. In Major League Baseball, they don’t call home runs. Sheed was right. Why fine him?

Any questions or comments? Email me at s_talouis@yahoo.com

Well, I can’t say I’m not disappointed.  The Knicks were expected to have the 5th pick in the draft at worst. I guess its just the way their luck has gone that makes it possible for them to have the 6th pick. But I’m not completely upset. Its the Knicks highest pick since they drafted Patrick Ewing first overall. And it gives me an opportunity to come up with likely and unlike scenarios that make like better in any way for the Knicks.

With Chicago having the number one overall pick (pfft, like they need it) its hard to say where they’ll go. It safe to say that Michael Beasley will end up in Chicago based on the fact that they already have a good point guard in Kirk Heinrich and what they lacked last season was a presence in the low post. That means Derrick Rose will be drafted at number to in Miami. That alleviates two issues. The Heat finally have a good point guard that would allow Dwayne Wade to focus on being just a shooting guard, and if Wade decides to opt out of his contract in the summer of 2010, the Heat will already have a good replacement. The Minnesota Timberwolves may want to go after the best available player at three which would happen to be OJ Mayo. That should be fun. The last time the Timberwolves drafted a 19 year old temperamental point guard, it was Stephon Marbury.

The Sonics could go point guard at four, but they have a decent player in Luke Ridnour so why not take someone who could be a valuable addition like Brook Lopez. Rumor has it that Memphis isn’t so satisfied with Mike Conley Jr at point guard so they might draft Jerryd Bayless from Arizona. Which brings me to the Knicks. The Knicks are an interesting bunch. An enigma. On the surface, they have a team capable of winning 41 games. But these players haven’t proven to be able to want to win, much less live up to their potential. Whomever the Knicks draft wouldn’t appear to crack the starting lineup because the incumbent would make too much money to come off the bench. I like Eric Gordon but he isn’t the true point guard the Knicks need. There’s a lot of speculation that the Knicks would draft Danilo Gallinari. I haven’t seen much of him although he seems to have ties to Mike D’Antoni.

Here’s where the scenarios come into play. What if the Knicks dont use the pick? What if they use it as bait to get rid of some of the dead weight on the team. Consider these possible offseason tranactions that may lead to very good things in the Knicks future.

Scenario #1: The Knicks trade Zach Randolph and the 6th pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Andre Miller, Rodney Carney, the 16th pick and a possible second round pick. 

 Explanation: Coach Maurice Cheeks has openly expressed his interest in reuniting with Zach Randolph. Cheeks coached Randolph in Portland and the Sixers are in need of a presence in the low post. The Knicks wouldn’t have to draft a point guard and Andre Miller would fill the void for the next two seasons before his contract expires. Gallinari could slip to 16 and if not there’s also Anthony Randolph from LSU, who is being compared to Chris Bosh, and DeAndre Jordan who is being compared to Amare Stoudamire. The Knicks would clear up some cap room by getting rid of Zach Randolph and if they could also get a second round pick in such a deep draft, it would work out on both sides. The Sixers could use the 6th pick to take Eric Gordon or DJ Augustin.

Problems: Its unclear what the Knicks would do with a backcourt including Andre Miller and Stephon Marbury, however it couldn’t be worse than a backup of Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury.

Scenario #2: According to recent reports, Baron Davis has considered opting out of his $16 million contract to come to the Knicks. Obviously the Knicks are in no condition cap-wise to make a deal of this magnitude. The only deal I would make involving Davis is to trade Jared Jeffries, Zach Randolph, and the 6th pick to the Warriors for Davis and the 14th pick. Basically the same as the other scenario, except the Knicks could also drop another $5 million from the books, while bringing in Davis’ expiring contract. That would mean that after this coming season, the Knicks would be shedding close to $47 million from the payroll. They could definately grab DeAndre Jordan with the 14th pick. I’d also try to get rid of Curry to replace future picks Isiah Thomas traded away to get Curry in the first place.

In two separate scenarios, the Knicks have the capabilty to bring in a quality player from this year’s draft that can develop into a great player in the future, while getting under the cap. Are these moves really that far-fetched? Of course not. This time last year, no one would have expected the Celtics to pull off moves that would send Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to Boston. You never know until you try.

Here’s a few things I’ve been thinking about lately…

– Met fans need to forget about what happened with the Mets at the end of last season. Last season was last season. Its not Willie Randolph’s fault that the players didn’t capitalize on some cupcake teams late in the schedule. Its not Willie’s fault that the players are underachieving this season. All these people calling for Willie Randolph’s job are the same people that have no idea who the Mets could bring in to replace him. Its 46 games into the season. If you fire Randolph, who are you going to bring in? Lee Mazilli? Howard Johnson? And for that matter, if you dont like a player on the team, its understandable. But where are the Mets going to find a reasonable replacement? I understand Oliver Perez is inconsistent, but there must not be anything better out there if he’s still around. I know Moises Alou is old, but take a look at some of the free agent left fielders.

– I don’t care if the Celtics lost their first game at home in the playoffs. I still think they’re more talented than the Pistons. The Pistons are a great team but this is the same team that went down 2-1 to the Sixers. The same team that was down 20. And yes, I know the Celtics lost big to the Hawks. But Ray Allen looks like he’s playing well again, and I really believe that Kevin Garnett might kill someone if they lose.

– Would anyone like to explain to me why the only two quarterbacks in the NFL that make more money than Matt Ryan are Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning? Matt Ryan… the same guy who hasn’t played an NFL down yet makes more money than Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, three time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady, and basically 27 other starting quarterbacks in the league. The owners need to fix this huge flaw in the collective bargaining agreement. Take a page from the NBA. A rookie pay scale is the best way to go.

– While we’re on the subject of rookies, I think the NBA should implement a system similar to Major League Baseball where if a player wants to go to the NBA straight out of high school, let it happen. But if they choose to go to college, the player has to stay at least three seasons. The college game still gets good players. The NBA will always benefit. I think this would alleviate this growing issue with money and agents in the college game. Hell, if a high school player doesn’t get drafted, grant him status as an undrafted free agent. Let him pay his way through college if he wants but he’d no longer be eligible to play college basketball.

Email all questions and comments to s_talouis@yahoo.com.

Recently, my fanhood has come into question. People, I’ll be honest with you. Questioning my fanhood can only lead to arguments and yelling. While I was thinking about how great a fan I am, I started thinking about what it is about me that makes me such a great fan. One thing that sticks out is my love for my favorite teams. I dont care how bad they are… I can’t hate them. Then I wouldn’t be a fan would I?

For example, the Knicks are horrendous. Absolutely horrible. At this point, things couldn’t get worse. If they did, I think the entire city block that MSG is on would implode. I grew up watching a good Knicks team. I grew up watching Ewing, Starks, Harper, and Oakley. A perennial playoff team. Now I have to watch Eddy Curry, Renaldo Balkman, and Marbury. And as I’m typing this, the Knicks have hired Mike D’Antoni. WHY!!! He’s an innovative coach, an offensive guru and thats good, but he’s got no one that runs on the team outside of the younger players. Coaches dont win games, players do. The coach has to fit the situation. By the way, Tom Thibodeau and Mark Jackson would be perfect for the Knicks.

But why should anyone still support the Knicks or any other bad team? One simple reason. Because being a fan means supporting your team through the ups and downs. Now, I’m not saying that I’m going to become a season ticket holder to Knicks games. I can’t afford it and I’m not about to sit through 41 home losses. But at the same time I can’t ignore them.  Essentially, wouldn’t I be lying to myself if I just all of a sudden started rooting for some other team?

Now,  you don’t have to be hardcore to be a fan. You don’t have to know everything about your team’s players. But is it wrong to be? Is it wrong if I know that Julio Lugo’s brother is a pitcher in the Mets minor league system? Is it wrong to know that Nate Robinson was an exceptional cornerback at the University of Washington? Is it wrong to know that Chris Snee is Tom Coughlin’s son in law. I say no. Its all part of the mystique of the sports world. Its what makes sports so great.  Being a fan isn’t just about supporting a team, because all it is, is laundry. Being a fan means being part of a collective, a brotherhood. Being a part of something thats way bigger than one individual. What good is home field advantage without the fans? Can Texas A&M or the Seattle Seahawks have the 12th Man without people in the stands? Of course not.

So the next time you notice that your team is teetering around .500 a month or two into the season, reconsider. Defend your fanhood.