Back in the Finals: Lakers

This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.

Welcome back to the big time, L.A.

So much for suspense. So much for making us wait. The Lakers punched their ticket to the Finals last night, beating the Spurs in five games. This will mark their first trip to the Finals since they lost to Detroit in 2004. This time could certainly be different, as there are only a handful of players on the team who were present for the Pistons debacle, most notably league MVP Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers have the luxury of sitting around and waiting to see which team they’ll face when the Finals begin June 5. They’ll be able to rest up a bit, maybe heal some bumps and bruises, before they get on a plane headed to either Detroit or Boston. Kobe may even have time to shoot another video. Maybe this time, he’ll try to get us to believe that he can jump over a house or something.

With their youth, the Lakers could be in this position a few more times in the coming years, although the strength of the West could certainly dictate otherwise. Phil Jackson is stressing the importance of capitalizing on their present opportunity, knowing that a loss in the Finals will hurt, despite any views to the future.

So we have half of the NBA’s penultimate matchup set. Tonight could see the other half set, depending on how well the Celtics play on the road against the Pistons.

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