If there was an easy way to sort out the chaotic flux of emotions circulating its way through every crevice of your nerves, it wouldn’t be Game 7 between the Lakers and Celtics.
For both teams, the ramifications of winning and losing are overtly obvious and brimming with clarity, perhaps even too much so. If any player involved requires added motivation or fuel to the fire, they really don’t deserve to take part in what has all the makings of one of the most phenomenal games in NBA and sports history period. With that said however, Big Baby sure didn’t mince any words in bluntly stating, “we deserve it more”. Anyone got a bib? Actually, how about a XXXL snuggie? I’m not even going to get into this one. No matter how you want to chalk it up, Game 7 of this series is a match that is a glorious gift handed down to us all by the basketball gods. In 62 years, the NBA has only seen 17 Game 7’s and tonight’s contest will be only the third in the last 21 years, fifth all-time between L.A. and Boston.
To put it all in perspective, consider exactly what we are about to witness. There will be roughly five potential Hall of Famers, six All-Stars, two former league MVP’s, two Finals MVP’s and an already inducted Hall of Fame coach in Phil Jackson, participating in Game 7. Doc Rivers is no slouch himself either as he is an excellent NBA head coach. There’s no feasible way it can get any better than this.
As Laker fans, however seasoned or freshly minted, a victory will go further than serving as just another championship and banner to hang inside of the Staples Center. This is for Laker legends like Jerry West who endured six gut-wrenching losses to the Celtics in the title round, even garnering Finals MVP honors from the losing side in 1969. That series by the way, ended in seven games as well.
Basically, we can’t lose. Really, we just can’t.
NEXT: For the Fans.
I’m sure we’ve all read, heard and watched enough sports writers and analysts discuss what a victory tonight will mean for each franchise and the signature players and coaches involved. While the conversation is merited and captivating, I for one, am choosing to change things up.
The beauty of Lakers Nation is that it is a purple and gold loving community run by fans, for the fans. So today, I’d love nothing more than to speak directly to my fellow citizens of LN – to you, you and even Jack.
2008 was painful for all of us. A loss in the Finals is never easy to accept or understand, but to lose to them in a 39-point blowout clincher? Words cannot do justice to that kind of pain for a die-hard Laker fan as so many of us have been nearly our entire lives. That is precisely why this Game 7 tonight will etch itself into our memory for as long as we live, regardless of the outcome.
We are faced with one game to erase and redeem that tearful anguish of two years past. In a strange way, I’d even say that the Finals loss united us all even closer, just as it did the team. It’s as if we all wanted nothing more than to somehow, someway relieve ourselves of that embittering defeat, together.
To be quite honest, the championship last year against Orlando just didn’t do it for me, at least not all the way. It was obviously nice and well-deserved, but it didn’t really do much in the way of erasing the harsh memories of 2008. I wanted them again and I know the majority, if not all of you, felt some sense of the same.
This is not just Lakers fans vs. Celtics fans. This is L.A. vs. Boston – coast to coast bragging rights are up for grabs. I do not, cannot, want to imagine yet another summer of running through a mental replay of each Finals game wondering, “if only we had…”. Losing is not an option, not on our home court!
We are all apart of this together Lakers Nation. Wherever you will be watching tonight, with whomever, I ask you to cheer, kill your voice with 150% of your heart and soul because that’s what the Lakers will be leaving out on the court. Our guys are obviously playing for their own glory, but they also understand that they’re playing for something much greater than themselves and that my friends, includes each and every one of us.
Like I said, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. LET US UNITE AND CHEER ON OUR LAKERS LIKE NEVER BEFORE!
I can’t think of a better prelude to Game 7 than this…
ONE…
TWO…
THREE…
RING!!!
LET’S GO LAKERS!!!!!
