NEIL DOUGH

If there is ever a fight, or a tussle, even an argument in an NBA game, I still look for Jeff Van Gundy’s bald head to be sliding on the court holding onto Mourning’s leg. That is an image that’ll be stuck in my head for a long time, as will the quote from Stan the former “Master of Panic” Van Gundy about the BCS.

Has anyone ever summed up the stupidity of that situation so eloquently? These two brothers of basketball have me excited for a Lebron James-less finals, and I didn’t think that was possible. Jeff Van Gundy is the best color commentator sitting on an NBA sideline today.

If the Charlotte Bobcats were playing the Spurs (the most boring team of all time) for the title, I would still watch every minute if I knew Van Gundy was gonna be yelling into a mic. Watching the Nuggets get a Nancy Botwin style spanking from L.A., I can’t even tell you the number of times he had me cracking up. He has his own cult following, and certainly doesn’t need me kissing his you know what, but I have to get my opinions out there.

I do not want to hear boring statistics the whole game (Doug Collins). I don’t want to listen to whiny criticism (Bill Walton). If the game isn’t a nail-biter, then give me funny, funny, and more funny. Jeff Van Gundy alongside Mark Jackson provide non-stop ear action. Not to mention, when they aren’t being hilarious, the incredible insight that comes along with 30 plus years of combined NBA experience.

I can’t wait to watch and listen to Jeff calling the game while his brother is coaching.

Speaking of his brother…Stan Van Gundy, or as I like to call him “The quote-a-minute man”, has slowly but surely made a name for himself amongst the elite NBA coaches. I can’t remember seeing a better job of coaching than what I saw against the Cavs. He had his team ready to play (or come back) every night. He had the perfect game plan every night, and he actually talks to his team during time outs. (Mike Brown—you getting all this?).

How can you not root for this guy? After being called out by the Diesel, he coached his team back to beat the Celtics, and did the impossible by beating the Cleveland King James’. His antics on the sidelines during the game, and during the time outs are sometimes more entertaining than the game itself.

You can bet all the money you won by picking the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup (is that thing over yet?) that he will have his Magic ready to play against Kobe and the Lakers.

Game one is tomorrow night. I’m ready, the Van Gundi is ready (are ready? not sure), the question is…are you ready? I’m just kidding. I’m really not that corny. Thanks for reading.

SCOTT JACOBS

There are two days until the Celts and Lakers tip off from the TD BankNorth Garden to commence the 2008 NBA Finals.

With the dead time in between I figured I’d get something off my chest that has been bothering me for some time.

This match up.  This dream flash back to the past, glory days of the league matchup, that TV analysts and writers have been pulling for is not what everyone wanted.

I know I didn’t.

I hate the Lakers.

I’m a Suns fan.  Hearing analysts and sports fans exclaim that the Lakers now have the best and most dynamic offense in the league kills a small piece of me inside everytime I hear it.  The Suns may not have won a title, but over their exciting four year run, no one ever questioned the potency of their offense.

The Lakers have the best offense? I’m not really disagreeing at this point.  Right now they seemingly do.  But for people to tell me which team I want to see, I think is brutally ridiculous. Suns fans hate the Lakers.  Beating them down in the first round two years in a row was an enjoyable ride.  The Suns never even made the Finals those years. The Lakers hit the jackpot with a still hard to believe trade that went through for Gasol, and Bam!, they’re in the Finals, not to mention the favorites even though they’re starting out on the road!

And I think this season has taught us a lesson that never fails to repeat itself and shows the fickle notion of most sports writers and analysts: winning changes everything.  Kobe is still the same guy, only now he has an MVP, passes the ball a little, and the assumption is that everyone now loves the guy.

If everyone loves him, why haven’t you seen him reappear on TV commercials.  And no that 50 million pounds challenge commercial doesn’t count.

Here’s another thing that may get people riled up, but I’m okay with that.  Derek Fisher’s return to the Lakers has been huge.  But his addition was a total blow to the Utah Jazz, who kindly allowed him to find a team closer to his family in the offseason.  I know, I know about Fisher’s family.  But nine teams out of ten don’t get that crazy type of break.  Everyone and their mother knows that the Jazz would never have let the vet go unless a health issue created a conflict.

And I’m not attacking him or his family.  Merely the fact that the Lakers have gotten some very fortunate things to fall their way.  Gason, Fisher, just to name a few.

But I will say that the Lakers are an exciting team to watch.  They pass, they play rugged defense, and they really have a knack for hitting that backbreaking three.  Who needs Robert Horry?  He’s at home, the Lakers are in Boston to begin their last conquest to a title.

Boston is, well, what’s the best way I can put this?  O, I know… boring 

For a Celtics fan, KG falling in Boston’s lap for seven players was a godsend. For the rest of us, we had to hear all about how great it was that the Celtics were back all season.  I know Bostonians and New Englanders are loyal fans, but there are 29 other NBA cities with great fans too.  Just because Boston is a big city, doesn’t mean everyone wants to see them win.  Just because they have history some what 21 years ago, doesn’t mean they’re relevent like they once were.

Until Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, and Kevin McHale walk through the door, this Celtics team will just be another good team that did just enough to get to the finals because of a gift wrapped deal that got them over the hump over the mediocre East.

The Big Three?  More like the Three revolving doors.  Seriously, when was the last time you watched a Celtics game and all three of Boston’s so called superstars were all playing great?  Boston is good.  I’m not making a claim they don’t deserve to be where they are.  But I think we all jumped the gun a bit when the Celtics got Ray Allen, KG, and Pierce together on one team.  They’re all good players, but Allen has been unbelievably awful at points this post-season, Garnett seems to disappear in stretches of games and never seems to want to take the clutch shot, and Pierce is either great or just okay.

Whether he’s a Hall of Famer or not, I personally don’t think so.

Finally there’s this.  Most Celtics games are painful… to watch.

Great defense doesn’t always mean exciting.  Games against Cleveland that they had in round number two, such as the epically bad game one, were perfectly good examples that three stars doesn’t mean big scores.

I remember when the Celtics got off to a 20-3 start early in the year and were putting up crazy numbers on a nightly basis.  Then the NBA figured them out, they got old and got vets P.J. Brown and Sam “I am” Cassel, and all of a sudden he playoffs come around and they’re struggling to score against the likes of Atlanta and Cleveland.

Whatever.

This is the hand we got dealt, so I’ll live with it.

But it is hard to watch these big publications and writers claim this is the matchup everybody wanted to see.

Well, I’m not everybody.

I watched my Suns see their glorious run come to a screeching halt. And now I have to put up with this Laker-Celtic crap?

Not exactly my vision of “had to see.”

But I’ll watch.  O I’ll watch.  Because I love sports, and I can put up with the almost unbearable bias that our friends over at ESPN and ABC put on us on a weekly basis.

But if they even mention Joba Chamberlain during the pregame show, I’m done.

I can only take so much big city bias.

That said it’ll be Lakers in six, because they’re the better team.