NakedSunfish ~ Issue 5
Losing Perspective In Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Lakers recently won their third consecutive NBA championship. Previously, only the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls had managed that feat, and this fact has had sportswriters in a feeding frenzy to hyperbolize this achievement. By all accounts, including my own, the Lakers' starting center Shaquille O'Neal is the key to the Lakers' current dominance, and so, too, is he suddenly elevated to the highest pinnacle by these same writers.
Frankly, I find the whole spectacle a little disgusting. Didn't these people watch the Sacramento series? By all rights, Sacramento should have won. As Ralph Nader (I'm not kidding) and others have noted, the refereeing of game six did beg the question "Is this thing fixed, or what?" But, even more than that, the primary reason that the Lakers won game 7 and the was because the Kings choked. They didn't hit their free throws and Doug Christie and Peja Stojakovic both missed wide open threes that would sealed the game at the end. The best thing you can say bout the Lakers is that their experience allowed them to hold on.
And as far as being the greatest team of all time or one of them, I don't think so. They don't really have a team at all. Shaq and Kobe Bryant are the team. Only Robert Horry, Rick Fox and Derek Fischer are even worth mentioning. Three through twelve this team isn't even as good as the Cavaliers or Golden State, let alone the dynasty teams of Chicago and Boston.
As for all this adulation of Shaq, give me a break. I would hope that these sportswriters still remember or are at least aware of the achievements of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. If a little kid described O'Neal as "The greatest center in the history of the NBA," I could understand that. But the above quote came from Bill Plaschke, a writer for the Los Angeles Times. The balance of my article comes from a letter I wrote in response that, to my knowledge, the Times has chosen not to print:
I must say that your casual reference to Shaquille O'Neal as the greatest center in NBA history seems as absurd to me now as when I first read it on (June 8th). Perhaps the only Bill Russell you are familiar with is the former Dodger infielder. If that is the case, then you should be made aware that the Boston Celtics had a center by that name during the fifties and sixties, and that he was pretty darn good at what he did.
Shaq deserves recognition as the best center of the current era, no question. And I applaud him for the way he has improved his game over the course of his professional career. Shaq has been in the NBA for ten years and (just won) his third title. Without a doubt, that is no small accomplishment in professional sports.
That said, Bill Russell led the Celtics to an unprecedented eleven titles in thirteen years. And, in order to win those titles, Bill Russell had to battle another center of equal--perhaps even greater--talent in Wilt Chamberlain. Perhaps the only time Shaq has faced a similar challenge was in the 1995 finals when his Magic faced a Houston Rockets team led by Hakeem Olajuwon still in his prime. You may not have been paying attention since an L.A. team was not involved, but the result was a sweep of Orlando. After that, of course, O'Neal joined the Lakers. And who could forget those great Laker teams of the mid to late '90s, losing to Seattle, Utah or San Antonio each year? Russell did not have to experience these types of growing pains to achieve his dominance of the NBA.
O'Neal's recent achievements are impressive, but let's keep things in perspective. In fact, here's a reference that won't be beyond you or (the LA Times) readership: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a part of six championship teams in the NBA. If and when Shaq matches that number, I'll reconsider his place in the pantheon.
TK, 6/02