Well, that was a lot to digest. To set the context, in case anyone reads this a year from now, the Lakers were blown out last night by the Celtics in a decisive Game 6 in Boston. Thank god for TiVo. I was able to fast forward through the miserable second half and spare myself the suspense of wondering whether the Lakers would suffer the worst defeat in Finals history. A few late baskets by Jordan, Luke, and Sasha salvaged that little shred of Laker dignity. Poor Laker players. They really needed that remote control from the Adam Sandler movie Click so they could have fast forwarded. Anything to avoid the utter embarrassment they must have felt living through that massacre on the court.
Now it's the morning after, and as I said, there's a lot to digest. Just how good is this Laker team? They sure looked fantastic in the regular season after Pau arrived. They beat the defending champion Spurs in 5. That's gotta count for something. But they're clearly not a championship team. Look in the dictionary under champions and you'll see a picture of the Celtics: gritty, unselfish veterans, hearts beating to the rafters, superb team defense, and enough offensive fire power to win. That doesn't sound like this Laker team.
How good will Andrew Bynum be when he gets back? Is Lamar Odom worth $15 million per year? How much is Sasha worth on the open market? Can Bynum and Gasol play together? Are the Laker big men really made out of Carvel ice cream? As always, there are lots story lines going into the off season and I'm sure I'll have more to say later.
For now, though, there's really only one thing that truly matters: how will Kobe react to the embarrassing defeat? He's been lauded all season long for his leadership and maturity. Well, the true test of leadership is how you respond to adversity. It's easy enough to take your teammates to dinner and buy them $10,000 watches when things are going well. Let's see what Kobe does this summer. That will tell us if he really, truly has grown into the leader we all need him to be.
Will he:
- Go on every talk radio station in the country and publicly demand that Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom spend their summers at Johns Hopkins receiving heart transplants?
- Quietly call Danny Ainge and ask to be traded to the Celtics?
- Stand by "his guys"?
The Lakers have the talent to compete for a championship every year for the next 5 years. Let's hope the answer is #3. I couldn't stomach it if Curt Schilling were right!
