Finally... Wheaties for K.G.!

Being from Orange County, it's no surprise that I was rooting for the Lakers in this year's NBA playoffs. The playoffs had, to some extent, taken over my life. All I could think about at work was the impending game, and the anticipation grew greater and greater with each round of the playoffs. The series against Denver was surprisingly entertaining, but failed to create the level of excitement that came when they faced off against the Jazz. A week later, it was the Spurs, and the Lakers pulled off a couple of the most amazing NBA playoff comebacks in recent history. It all lead up to what most people were hoping would happen - a classic battle in the finals versus the Boston Celtics. Who could ask for more?

As it turns out, it was a win/win situation for me. Of course I wanted the Lakers to win. They have always been my favorite team, whether they've got Kareem, Shaq, Kobe... even that bearded Slovakian Vlade (I pronounce it like Blade). They had a great season, and a great playoffs... until the finals, that is. Thankfully, I'm also a fan of Boston. Therefore, I'll always have enemies. In all honesty though, if I hadn't been a fan of Boston, I would have been after game 6. They owned the game from the second quarter, and where they went from there, well... you know the story. Let's just say that when you're 3rd string is doing reverse alley-oops on the Lakers starting lineup, your future is looking bright.

Anyways... to my point. By the time the finals were actually over, I was not only apathetic to the Lakers, but I actually found myself genuinely happy for Boston. Sue me, but how can you not be happy for Kevin Garnett? I have never seen anyone so humbled by the win. My favorite moment of the night was when he gave Bill Russell a never-ending hug and said to him "I got my own ring now... I hope we made you proud". Moments like these are what sports are all about to me. Only my opinion, but there's a guy who has earned his ring. I also have to give credit to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and little Rondo. They played some ridiculous basketball, especially in game 6, and as a result, I can't help but feel like they deserved to win. It helped that it was such an ass kicking as well, because I already gave up on the Lakers in the middle of the third. To all you Laker fans out there who hate me now (even though no one is reading this), you know you did too. By the time the game was over, I had already experienced so many feelings of anger, sadness, and betrayal by my home team that the only thing left to do was be happy for the team that truly deserved to win. So congrats to you, K.G, and the rest of your team for making it to the "top of the world". You deserved it this time. You got your ring, and now I can go back to rooting against you without feeling so guilty.