They say a series isn't a series until the road team wins a game.
So far in the NBA's Conference Finals, everything has gone according to plan. Miami and San Antonio defended their home courts as the higher seeds and won at home. Boston and Oklahoma City overcame 2-0 deficits in their respective series to tie it back up at 2-2. Two teams are still in control; two other teams have all the momentum.
We're being blessed with an end of an NBA season that we thought, at one time, would never happen. Through a rigorous 66-game schedule with virtually no training camp or exhibition games, these four teams are all on the brink of creating a new legacy all their own. Think about it for a second:
- If San Antonio wins, Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich will have won five rings together, matching the Lakers (with Kobe and Phil Jackson) for championships and stirring the fervent debate of which dynasty ruled this generation.
- If Boston wins, the core four (not big three anymore) will have capitalized on lost rings in 2009-11 due to various injuries (or referee shenanigans). A second championship would solidify their place in history for this group, both for a generation, and from a historical standpoint in a franchise's history.
- If Miami wins, then we could be witnesses to the snowball effect that LeBron predicted, post-decision. The NWO Heat will begin their journey to, "not one, not two...not three, not four..."
- If Oklahoma City wins, then the young guns will effectively usher out the past generation of superstars and take over the mountain with their core four players being under the age of 23.
But....lets just see who wins Game Five first. Here's your pertinent reading material for Monday. Enjoy the week.
Bomani & Jones: UCLA Needs Justin Combs (and Diddy) to Make Them Hot
Lifehacker: The 10-20-30 Running Concept Can Increase Performance in Less Time
The Classical: Yakkin' About Upton: Think Like a Bro
FOX Deportes: Air Congo Flys Sky High: Perfection From Ibaka Helps OKC
Warriors World: From an OAK Resident: Yes, the Warriors should go to SF
NBC Chicago: A Sneak Peek At Derrick Rose's New Sneaker
Average Bro: Diddy's Kiddies, Reuters, And How Sensational News Stories Get Made
Ball Is Life: Larry Bird’s Last Game at Boston Garden
Forum Blue & Gold: Looking At The Bynum & Gasol Duo
Marcus Troy: Converse Nylon Baseball Jacket
David Aldridge: Popovich the right pick to take over bench for Team USA
Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”
