NBA Final Four

So we're down to that last four teams in the NBA season. Last night the Celtics continued to protect their home floor by beating the Pistons and I am currently watching the Lakers try to do the same against the Spurs. There's really no surprise that these are the teams left. Excluding the Celtics, the remaining teams have combined to win all but one NBA title in the post-Michael Jordan era. And Boston had the most wins of any team this season.

I find it interesting that, even this late in the season, the Finals could result in completely different scenarios. The NBA is no doubt hoping for a Lakers/Celtics Finals. That would provide a series that features two number one seeds that have a historical rivalry and have the most championships in NBA history. Additionally, it would have two of the biggest stars in basketball; one of whom is its most charismatic (Kevin Garnett) and the other who is its most notorious (Kobe Bryant). Perhaps more importantly, from the NBA's perspective, they have arguably the largest fan bases of any two teams in the league which, combined with the presence of these two aforementioned players, of course means ratings...which of course means mo' money.

On the other end of the spectrum would be the Spurs vs. the Pistons. No one in the NBA's front office would admit to it but they are absolutely praying that this doesn't happen. This Finals scenario would draw little more than apathy for anyone outside of San Antonio, Texas and Detroit, Michigan. Two teams that focus on defense and ball control, are from relatively small markets and features only one real superstar. And that superstar, Tim Duncan, happens to be the most boring superstar in the NBA. To make NBA executives even more wary, they already KNOW that this series would draw low ratings because these exact same teams met in the Finals in 2005 and that series had the second lowest ratings ever for an NBA Finals.

I can't say that I blame the NBA for being nervous about that. As much as I love basketball, I have to admit that I don't know how much I'd watch a Spurs/Pistons rematch, especially the first few games. I'd probably tune in whenever it got to the point when one team was in danger of being eliminated but even then I don't know how excited I could get.

As far as the games go, there is still some intrigue left in the Conference Finals. The Celtics have yet to lose at home and yet to win on the road. They were able to get away with that against their first two opponents but I don't know if that can work against the Pistons, who are more disciplined and play better as a team than either the Hawks or the Cavs. Technically, the Celtics don't have to win a single road game to claim the title. However, if Detroit wins one in Boston, the fact that the Celtics are 0-6 on the road during these playoffs can really come back to haunt them.

In the West, the Lakers and Spurs continue their rivalry. These two teams have absolutely dominated the conference for the past decade. Other than 2005, one of them has represented the Western Conference in the Finals every year since 1999. I'm really curious to see how this series plays out. This is the best team the Lakers have had since they traded away Shaquille O'Neal and seeing how they match up with their nemesis will prove quite interesting, I think. As good as Pau Gasol is, he's not a great defender and thus the Lakers have no one who can stop Tim Duncan. And as great a defender as Bruce Bowen has been over his career, he's 36 years old and thus the Spurs really have no one who can consistently guard Kobe Bryant. So which superstar will be able to lead his team to the Finals?

While I can't make that prediction, I'll make this one: barring injury, the NBA champion is coming from the West. That became a foregone conclusion once the Spurs defeated the New Orleans Hornets. There is absolutely NO CHANCE that either Flip Saunders or Doc Rivers outcoaches Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich.