Just Forget It

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Back to the advertising drawing board…
I was going to talk about how special this NBA Finals were going to be. About how ingenious advertising by Vitamin Water and Nike got everyone excited about seeing the two best players of this generation – separated by one number – battling it out in a clash of the Gold Medal Titans.
Oh, what could have been.
I can say it and we will never know for sure, but the Cleveland Cavaliers/Los Angeles Lakers series would have been better than the Bulls/Celtics series I previously posted. It would have been the best series EVER. Period. End of statement.
I would have been looking forward to see a match up between the former MVP and the current and youngest ever MVP in a phenomenon that would have seen its seventh occurrence in NBA’s 62-year MVP awarding history.
86-87 Season (Bird 85-86, Johnson 86-87) Celtics/Lakers
90-91 Season (Jordan 90-91, Johnson 89-90) Bulls/Lakers
92-93 Season (Barkley 92-93, Jordan 91-92) Suns/Bulls
96-97 Season (Malone 96-97, Jordan 95-96) Jazz/Bulls
97-98 Season (Malone 96-97, Jordan 97-98) Jazz/Bulls
00-01 Season (Iverson 00-01, Shaq 99-00) 76ers/Lakers
08-09 Season (Lebron 08-09, Kobe 07-08)
NBA.com MVP and Finals Champion
With no distinct pattern to predict winner, I would have been cheering on King James. His stomach-growling hunger would have been enough to win his first and very delicious NBA Championship Ring. That would have been the cherry on top of the equally delicious Larry O’Brien Trophy cake.
My allegiance to Lebron is because December 30 is so great. Tyrone Willingham (1953), Tiger Woods (1975), Layla Ali (1976), Lebron James (1984) and myself (1981) all share the same birthday, so I must say I am amongst greatness.
My allegiance to Cleveland can date back to May 7, 1989, a date inextricably linking Chicago and Cleveland forever throughout history. If I lived in the city that was on the losing end of that Jordan jumper, I would never cheer for the city of Chicago in any sport. Being that I am on the winning side and the Bulls are out of the playoffs, I would have easily cheered on the team who has the “Like Mike” and not some “wannabe.” 
Forgive my conditional II progressive speech I just…feel let down. It is so anti-climatic and though "Cleveland Rocks" I feel sorry for the heartbroken city.
The Drive - Broncos/Browns (1986 AFC Championship game)
The Fumble - Broncos/Browns (1987 AFC Championship game)
The Shot - Bulls/Cavs (1989 Eastern Conference 1st Round)
The Termination - Braves/Indians (1995 World Series)
The Mesa - Marlins/Indians (1997 World Series)
The Blowout - Spurs/Cavs (2007 Finals)
The Heartbreak - Magic/Cavs (2009 Conference Finals)
I was on the ban wagon. I believed the hype. Nike and Vitamin Water knew exactly how to lure me in and graduating with a marketing degree and an advertising minor I should have known better. It just goes to show you: I am a consumer. Not since the McDonald's campaign - which featured Michael Jordan and Larry Bird - has there been same-sport, two-athlete, cross-promotional advertising campaign. 
If there is anything that this advertising hype has taught us, it is that great, multimillion-dollar ad campaigns do not make up for athletic skills. They are not the sixth man. They cannot put points on the board. They cannot give teams that automatic W. They will, however, fill up the stands, boost ratings and increase expectations.
It might not be the Finals Nike, Vitamin Water and Hollywood scripted, but if this is any consolation the Lakers/Magic Finals will eerily resemble last year’s Lakers/Celtics Finals. If the Lakers do not recognize that a dominant big man (Kevin Garnett/Dwight Howard), surrounded by shooters (Ray Allen, Eddie House/Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus) and lead by a shifty point guard (Rashon Rondo/Rafer Alston) are an exact representation of the ’07-’08 Celtics, they will lose...again.
Last year was only the second time since the first Defensive Player of the Year award (‘82-’83 season) where the current MVP and DPY have met in the playoffs.
The 90s were all about offense and in the ’95-’96 Finals Michael Jordan (MVP) beat Gary Payton (DPY). The mantra of the 2000s is “Defense Wins Games.” Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard’s (both sponsored by Adidas) DPY trophy were better than Kobe Bryant and Lebron James’ (both sponsored by Nike) MVP trophy. If this is foreshadowing, the DPY will win it all again ensuring that the Kobe and Lebron debate for MVP superiority continues for at least one more year.
The world may never know what would have been of the Most Valuable Puppet commercials. Too bad Nike and Adidas beef like the Yankees/Red Sox, Broncos/Chargers and Duke/UNC because adding an additional DPY puppet to the MVP house would be TNT drama. Better yet, have Lil' Penny room with Kid Superman and Kid Diesel. Instant classic.

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