Well, another NBA season is in the books. I didn't follow this one with my usual vigor (grad school was probably a big reason.) The Finals did provide some interesting times, mainly because of something which will probably leave many family and friends aghast:

I was cheering for the Celtics.

Our family's team was the Lakers, all through the '80s. I still remember Magic's baby hook to beat the Celtics, the 87-88 repeat, Kareem's retirement tour, Magic's stunning retirement announcement, all of that. Those memories are, in fact, largely responsible for my still-active dislike of teams such as the Mavericks, Suns, and Jazz, because those teams were the primary Western Conference foils for the Lakers over that period of time. My choice of team this year led to the surreal experience of watching the '84 Finals on ESPN Classic in the afternoon, rooting for the Lakers, and watching the 2008 Finals later on that same evening and rooting for the Celtics. So what gives? Do I feel guilty for turning on "our" team? Why would I now be cheering for the hated Celtics, who represent the only obstacle between L.A. and all-time NBA championship supremacy? The answers to those three questions: 1) Read on, 2) no, and 3) Kobe Bryant plays for the Lakers.

Regarding #3, Bryant is on my list of "dealbreakers"--athletes who make it 1000% impossible for me to root for their teams. It's not a long list, and I don't spend much time thinking about it.
As of 1:42 pm today, the list looks something like this:

Kobe Bryant
Ruben Patterson
Barry Bonds
Terrell Owens
George W. Bush (hey, I wouldn't cheer for any team he was on, so HE'S ON THE LIST!)

Had the Lakers heeded Bryant's request to be traded, I probably would have been going for LA in the Finals. Ronny Turiaf is probably my favorite NBA player right now, and I also like Gasol, Fisher, Odom and Walton. But there Kobe was, wearing the LAKERS #24, and thus I was going for the C's. It didn't hurt that Allen, Brown, Garnett and Pierce have been four guys I've respected throughout their careers, and it is good to see KG get his title and (hopefully) put all that talk about "he can't get it done in the playoffs" to bed for good. Does anyone think Jordan would have won anything if his supporting cast consisted of Wally Szczerbiak, William Avery, Rasho Nesterovic and Dean Garrett?

So why, you ask, do I have such antipathy for Kobe Bryant? I could probably type out six paragraphs if I got going, but I'll keep it simple: I think he's a liar and a cheater, he's one of the two people (Bush is the other) who inspire in me a "gosh, I need to take a shower" reaction after hearing him speak, and he just strikes me as the most self-centered athlete in sports. Lots of people whom I like and respect are Lakers fans, so I apologize if this comes across as harsh, but all this talk about Kobe becoming a leader and turning over a new leaf made me sick. Sorry, Lakers fans, but Kobe is no leader. Kobe bailed on the Lakers when things got tough. Sure he played well this season, said all the right things and appeared happy, but it was because the Lakers were winning. What happens if they start slowly next season? Get upset in the first round? It wouldn't surprise me at all if Bryant started whining again and playing GM.