Finally, We Have a Series...Maybe

So it's no secret that I want the Lakers to win another Championship this year, but being perfectly real here, I truly got pretty tired of the countless Kobe Bryant articles over the past two, three weeks. And yes, I know I too have written countless articles about the Mamba himself, but I never thought one series would be so much about one person that all other players and characters are thrown to the side.

Had Lebron answered reporters and gave Dwight some daps after Game 6, we probably would have forgotten about him too. But day after day, we heard more and more about Bryant's desire, focus, grumpiness, love, motivation, seriousness, anger and the list really does go on.

Here and there, we heard about candy, coming back from shoulder injuries, trading in Kobe shoes for Jordans/Hyperdunks, etc. But it always came back around to Kobe's 4th ring. Game one came, and it was all Kobe. Then came game 2, and Kobe's heroics didn't give him his victory, but his dimes sure did. Jeff Van Gundy even compliments one of Kobe's seven turnovers. Nonetheless, with the Lakers up 2-0, it's all Kobe, all the time. Lamar and Pau are complimented on their energy through two games, but the Orlando Magic are slowly dissipating at this point.

Stan Van Gundy has made himself look like a fool with odd coaching decisions then redeemed himself with amazing end of game plays that will forever be remembered with what if's and what almost was. But whenever the camera pans back to the man in the t-shirt under a sports coat, we can't help to smile, still...foolishly.

One thing I have seen this year in the playoffs is Courtney Lee's intelligence. On the regular, as a rookie, Lee has made small mistakes here and there since the Playoffs began. But every time, Lee corrects his mistakes, either in the same game or in the game immediately after. Tonight, instead of going softly for a floater, Lee only looked for dunks. Tonight, rather than giving Kobe space and be pushed aside, Lee, pushed back, which clearly and visibly frustrated Bryant.

After tinkering with lineups, game three came to us with much anticipation. Can the Magic change the series? Will the Lakers actually show up for more than 2 consecutive games? Well, thankfully, both questions were answered. While the Magic did take the game, many of ABC's and ESPN's analysts truly believed the Magic would pull away convincingly as the Lakers never seem to fully show up, but they did. And as spectators, we were awarded an incredible game. And it wouldn't be incredible if we didn't have a high number of completely outlandish, late and miserable calls for and against both teams.

The Lakers defense still swarmed Dwight Howard, but we knew the Magic would come out shooting. And shoot they did. And shoot, and shoot, and shoot. When was the last time we saw a team take sixty-four shots and make 62.5% of them...in the NBA Finals? Never. Amazing ball movement gave this Magic team open threes, unreal off-balance jumpers and just really good shot opportunities from all directions, and one unreal fade away jumper by Mickael Pietrus. It was definitely a sight to see, and many may fully believe that we now have a competitive series on our hands.

But truly...do we?

When a team shoots that well and barely escapes with a victory, is that a good thing? When a team is that hot for 48 minutes all while an amazing free throw shooter in Kobe Bryant misses five free throws on his own, and you only win by four, should you content? We have seen the Lakers come out and play hard for 48 minutes for five consecutive games. Likely, we'll see a sixth, seventh and probably even an eighth.

Hate to be cliche, but it will take something truly magical for Superman and his crew of amazing sidekicks, Spiderman (Rashard, as suggested by Jeff Van Gundy), The Masked Crusader and a Hedonist to get back into this series. Because I don't think they'll be shooting 60% the rest of the series, and I also don't think Kobe will have such a horrendous second half two games in a row. So while Orlando fans may be hyped on making it series...they possibly may have something to be excited about with their first ever NBA Finals victory. But possibilities are the only idea we can grasp onto for the time being.

Because hey...its the NBA Playoffs.

where the completely unexpected and sometimes fully refreshing continues to happen.