There Will Be A New Champ!!

NBA's Most Historic Team

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have terrorized all of the NBA without mercy, since the NBA’s inception. Their rivalry was so fierce that it became a spectacle in both cities, all over the country and all over the world. As a result, they were a catalyst in bringing the NBA to prominence besides ‘some’ player who played for the Chicago Bulls. These two teams are so rich in history and championships that if they were to monetize it, they probably would relieve the United States, Portugal, Ireland and other countries out of their national debt with money & gold to spare. Ever since the first championships of BAA and NBA in 1947, 63 teams have been crowned champions (from 1947 till 2010); and, between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, they’ve won 33 Championships and have been to the NBA finals 52 times. In other words, they became a fixture in the NBA finals, and when they are not, people become flummoxed as to why. Most of the players from both teams are in the NBA Hall of Fame, not because they were part of extraordinary teams, but because they were and are (Those playing in the present Celtics' and Lakers' team such as Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and The Laker Kobe Bryant; once they retire, will be) extraordinary players. From the likes of Oscar Robertson, Erving “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and the list goes on and on. However, in the 2011 season, to a crowds cheer, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers will not be in the finals, for they have been eliminated in their conference semi-final playoff game series.

Many people, other than their fans have been screaming for joy; yelling “There will be a new champ, There will be a new champ”, signifying they’ve become desensitized to the NBA playoffs cause they know the Lakers or the Celtics will eventually win it.  However, in the 2011 season that will not be the case; and, now those people can tune in to see which team will capitalize on both teams’ demise. The teams that defeated the Lakers and Celtics, have a history between them that one player has said “it’s kept him up all night, thinking how that opportunity passed him by.” This was Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks recalling the 2006 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, which the Mavericks won the first two games but ended losing the series in six games.  The Dallas Mavericks swept the reigning two time champions – four games to none ( out of a seven game series); and, the ‘Big 3’ of the Miami Heat defeated the aging ‘Big 3’ of the Boston Celtics, four games to one.  The look on the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics bench, knowing they will not be in the NBA Finals, can be paralleled to the look of a bystander looking at macabre scene on the street.  However, the Celtics handled defeat with more class and dignity than the Lakers, especially that of Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.

Dirk Nowitzki vs LeBron James

Now that the two most storied franchises are not in title contention, which team will step up and take their rightful place as 2011 NBA Finals champ? Representing the Eastern Conference, and after the Miami Heat’s performance, all signs point to their 2^nd title in five years. Will the Chicago Bulls return to the glory days of Michael Jordan, with their now leader and League MVP, Derrick Rose at the helm? Representing the Western Conference, and after the Dallas Mavericks sweep of the two time reigning NBA Finals Champions, all signs point to their first championship on franchise history. Will the “Daruntala” (Kevin Durant) of the Oklahoma City Thunder spin his web of dazzling shooting range ability to the NBA finals? Will the Memphis Grizzlies and the ‘neighborhood bully’ known as Z-Bo (Zach Randolph), ruin Oklahoma City’s festivities? However, both signs from the East and the West, point to the two teams that met in the 2006 NBA Finals – Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks to meet five years later in the 2011 NBA Finals!