McGann's stumping for the Nets to beat the Spurs.
The Year The Nets Won It All
Iím a bit wrung out as I write this, although not for the reasons some Nets fans are. Itís been a long week. I spent a day (May 21) engaged in major politics (and only saw snippets of Game Two between granting interviews to reporters and comforting losing politicians) in gorgeous Chester County, Pa., where being a Democrat is like being French in 1940; not only are the Nazis kicking your butt, but you spend too much time fighting with each other to get anything constructive done.
And soon, we may not even get the great French wine, because some bozo (full disclosure: the guy Iím running against for state legislature next year) is trying to ban French wine from state liquor stores (yes, thatís right, welcome to Pennsylvania, where you can only buy liquor from the state), so Iíll have to go to Jersey to get decent cognac.
I did manage a quiet night at home for Game Three, watched the draft lottery with supreme detachment (remember when it often was the highlight of a Netsí season?), and enjoyed seeing the Nets dominate in HDTV via the ABC television network.
Then, just to completely prove my insanity, my wife and I followed that with four days of driving a 1979 VW Beetle convertible from western Colorado to suburban Philadelphia, including the quality experience of trying to follow a basketball game on the radio while driving through the Kansas night.
None of that stopped me from getting a major chill while listening to the final minutes of the game. Back to the Finals. And with the Lakers and Kings gone, thereís a real chance for the title to end up in the Meadowlands, so-called basketball experts notwithstanding.
I could spend a lot of time bashing Byron Scott, who I still think is a subpar coach with a great staff and an on-floor coach in Jason Kidd, but hell, I need something to write about all summer, and donít get me started about Louie. My one big worry: why hasnít Deke logged at least a few minutes so he can contain David Robinson in the Finals (okay, you know the Mavs are done, despite their Game Five upset)?
Other than that, I think the Nets match up well with the Spurs, as their games over the last couple of years suggest. Iím actually happy to see the Mavs crash and burn, in part, because they are a match up nightmare for the Nets. Also, you have to consider the odd lack of fire and confidence shown by the Spurs in Game Five, when at home and facing a chance to close out the Dirk-less Mavs, they came up empty. Contrast that with the Nets, who since shaking off the rust in the first round of the playoffs, have played with a steely fire not seen in the metro area on a basketball court for decades.
Not only are these guys capable of winning, they believe that they will. Last year, just making it to the Finals was enough. This year, itís not. The New Jersey Nets are hungry and talented, a dangerous combination that will prove fatal for the Spurs, should they manage to keep healthy through what now looks like will be a bruising Game Six (and who knows, maybe a Game Seven).
What does this mean? Whadda think it means, you lunkhead, (no, Iím not just talking to NetsNut, although itís understandable why one might think that)? It means that the Nets are going to be NBA champs. Really. No, seriously. And Jason Kidd is staying, so we may win more than one over the next few years.
Whoíd have thunk it?
- Mike McGann
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