Back to the Future

No matter what you do, where you look or how hard you try to avoid it, you cannot help hearing the 2008 NBA Finals be compared to the 1987 Finals, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and every other time the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics previously squared off for the trophy.

It is in the ESPN promos, on the front page of every Web site and will undoubtedly be centrally featured both on pre-game montage videos and in-game statistics. The problem is...none of it matters. It doesn't matter that the Celtics have won a majority of the meetings or that the Big 3 are supposedly a reincarnation of the old Big 3. They aren't even this bad with Yankees/Red Sox series.

I understand games need to be advertised and hyped. I also understand that Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, James Worthy, A.C. Green, Byron Scott, Robert Parish and Danny Ainge are not on the court. So instead, let's concentrate on the guys who are and keep the spotlight where it belongs, on the accomplishments of two teams in 2008, not 1987.

Since when were Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol, Ray Allen and Lamar Odom not good enough to advertise a Finals series? Look at their shoe endorsement contracts and then tell me they can't sell product. Bryant in the Finals without Shaquille O'Neal, Pierce playing against the team of his youth, Garnett trying to prove he can win the big game, Phil Jackson trying to break (Boston Celtics Coach) Red Auerbach's record nine NBA titles. Which of those is not compelling enough for you?

I'll count the references tonight, from pre-game onward, and I doubt they'll fit in two hands. Honestly, I'm still surprised they haven't done the split-screen promo with Magic and Larry yet. Then again, there are two more weeks to go.