Fancap: The End is Near

When the final buzzer sounded last night, I just sat on my couch quietly. I didn’t feel like crying. I wasn’t angry. I just felt….nothing. Numb, like I was an empty shell.  I never expected the Lakers to be in this position.  This season seemed like it was following the same patterns as previous seasons: lots of highs, lots of lows, but with full confidence that The Switch would be in the “on” position when it counted.

To be fair, the Lakers are not actually finished yet and although no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, there is a first time for everything.  The pragmatic part of my brain knows that the season is done, however.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something different about this team. They didn’t inspire confidence that they would pull through.

This isn’t to say that I gave up on the Lakers- I never will.  I still held onto my unwavering faith that they would win in the end, and if they lost, that they would win in the playoffs once the “real season” started.

I know this sounds contradictory, and it’s difficult to explain.  The main point is that this year more than any other I was banking on my faith in their abilities rather than their abilities confirming my faith in them. How many 4^th quarter leads did we squander? How many shots were missed at the buzzer? A lot more than I remember from any of the past four seasons…

Next: Appreciation

It was just disappointing last night because it seemed like L.A. had finally figured it out.  Andrew Bynum was incredible on the offensive end and leading like a floor general on the defensive end. I’ve never seen him so demonstrative, and I liked that both he and Lamar Odom fought to stay on the floor when Phil tried to pull them out.

They were playing well; Shannon Brown had spurts of greatness and Steve Blake mildly atoned for his terrible sins in Game 2. Would Ron Artest have made a huge difference? It’s hard to say and not worth dwelling on in my opinion because the past can’t be changed.

Kobe was extremely efficient and shot a respectable 8 of 16 and added 6 assists as well.  People will probably clobber him for not being more aggressive, but can you imagine if he had taken 30 shots last night? He would be sandblasted by the fans for being selfish and not trusting his teammates. He did trust his teammates last night, setting them up and taking shots when necessary. Kobe always plays with a double-edged sword and is bound to displease someone no matter what he does.

Lakers fans are spoiled. I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again now. I include myself in that category, but I am at least self-aware enough to realize it and therefore appreciate them on a more real level.  The Lakers have gone to the finals the past three years, and won two back-to-back titles.

I would never trade winning an NBA Finals Game 7 against the Boston Celtics even if it meant we never won another title in my lifetime. Dramatic, but true. How can we not appreciate the magnitude of last year? All the pieces fell into place to create a once-in-a-lifetime memory that I can tell my kids about someday.

The Knicks hadn’t been to the playoffs in ten years and got swept in the first round. They also have only two championships in their team history. Some teams have never been to the playoffs, or have no trophies to show their fan base. Of course it’s all relative: Lakers fans are used to winning, so we expect winning all the time.

It’s important to recognize how truly blessed we have been as a fan base, though. I am part of the generation that has grown up watching Kobe Bryant, one of the best basketball players of all time. I don’t care if he isn’t at the same level as he was five years ago; it’s only because he has poured his heart and soul into basketball and ravaged his body to continue playing and winning- for himself, but also for us.

Next: Keep the Faith

I know I will get upset at some point in the next week, or month, or year. I take losing personally and even though I know basketball isn’t everything in life, it is a big part of my life.  I normally root heartily against any team that has beaten the Lakers, but in a twist of events I would rather see Dallas win a title than Miami or Boston. I cannot handle the thought of that, much less the trash talking I will hear and the arguments I know I will get in, about this team, about Kobe’s legacy, etc. Add to that the threat of an NBA lockout and current NFL lockout, and I am not going to be a happy camper the next few months.

To be honest, I’m not sure where the Lakers go from here and I am not one to conjecture right now.  Phil Jackson has said repeatedly that this is his last season, which is sad and the end of a fruitful and entertaining era.  I will miss him.

I also get easily attached to players we bring into the fold, so it is difficult to say goodbye.  It is clear that something needs to change though.  I’m going to leave the endless speculation to the ESPN talking heads that I’m sure will be yammering on all summer.

Keep faith, Lakers Nation.  You never know what can happen and I’ll be the first to lose my mind if the Lakers pull off the greatest upset in NBA history.  And if they don’t, please don’t jump off the bandwagon and give all the haters ammunition.  Stay true to the purple and gold and appreciate what they’ve given all of us over the years.  Once you turn in your Lakers Nation passport, you can’t get one back… not in my book, anyway.