This has been one of the most exciting NBA seasons I can remember. It’s the first time since 1991 that the NBA Finals will not have a team with Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan on it.
The playoffs have been really exciting with surprising Memphis, Atlanta, Oklahoma City and Chicago. Last year the Chicago Bulls barely made the playoffs, but this year they had the NBA’s best record, 62-20. And Memphis, a good young team, pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history, beating the Western Conference’s number-one seeded San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs as an eighth seed.
Oklahoma City features the dynamic duo of Kevin Durant, the NBA Scoring Champion, and All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook. They have reached the Western Conference Finals and are coached by former Minnesota Timberwolves player Scott Brooks.
The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have combined to win 37 NBA Championships; they have all been eliminated in this post season. The Miami Heat with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are the NBA’s most talented and talked-about team, and after beating Boston most people think the path is clear for them to grab the crown.
But not so fast: Game one of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals delivered a stunning result — Bulls 103, Heat 82. Chicago is now 4-0 vs. Miami this season, including playoffs, after beating them in Miami late in the regular season. Several Heat players were even brought to tears.
One game does not make a series; however, it does set a tone. But if the Bulls beat the Heat in this series in Miami it will be a crying shame.
The Final Four teams are Chicago (who led the NBA in wins, best defensive team), Miami (NBA’s most talented team with Big Three James, Wade and Bosh?), Dallas (NBA’s deepest and most experienced team), and Oklahoma City (NBA’s highest scoring team).
The Bulls have established that they understand how to defend the talented Big Three, and that starts with the head coach, Tom Thibodeau. He has the NBA’s number-one defensive team, a great defensive team. He was the assistant coach with Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics three years ago when they won the NBA title.
He’s also a former Timberwolves assistant coach. Thibodeau is the first-year head coach of Chicago. He is the NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Bulls to the NBA’s best record, 62-20. His point guard, Derek Rose, at age 22 is a spectacular player and the NBA’s youngest ever MVP.
“I always felt that in football the assistants start as position guys, become coordinators, and if they win big they get an opportunity,” said Thibodeau. “It’s not quite like that in basketball, but I always believed that if you win enough eventually you will get an opportunity.
“So I tried to put myself in those situations where I was with good teams that had a chance to win it all,” Thibodeau continued. “And I also wanted to go to a team that had a chance to be successful, too. I did not want to just jump. I had a great situation in Boston, so I wasn’t going to leave that just to become a head coach.
“I wanted to go to a situation where I felt I had a chance to be successful. Chicago had everything I was looking for — good young core, salary cap space, tradition and history with the organization committed to winning. So it had everything I was looking for,” said Thibodeau.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday-Friday at 12:17 pm and 4:17 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to info@larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.
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