“Every finding of an object is in fact a re-finding.”
-Sigmund Freud, Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905)
I. Warm Up Time
Too soon — too soon — the long-awaited NBA playoffs were over us like a blanket. With COVID-19 making a spring offensive that threatened to rival Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a campaign that saw an unprecedented number of young players attaining or flirting with superstardom — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Luca Doncic, Jason Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Ja Morant, Devin Booker, Trae Young, and Jaylen Brown (1) — was finally ready to climax.
The proliferation of stars was accompanied by a further avalanche of three point shooting from extended areas beyond the arc, but what seemed like a sea change this year- was pretty much centered on its chief avatar Luca Doncic, who brought underdog Dallas to the conference Finals, as Boston and Miami ascended cream-like in the East, leaving Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid by the wayside, where James Harden seemed already to be residing.
To get matters started, the play-in format (rebranded as a “tournament”), a four day prelude to the traditional playoffs (agonizing seven games series after seven game series) was a fitting stage for Trae Young’s briefly reclaiming the spotlight (2).
Though somewhat streaky, Young showed that he was capable of putting up thirty in a half, and advanced to the first round along with those other threats to post thirty point halves (Irving/Durant, Inc., Donovan Mitchell), but Atlanta’s party ended early against top-seeded Miami, with its brilliant star Jimmy Butler having games of 45 and 39, and Young’s becoming frustrated by constant ball pressure and Miami’s furious pace.
Emerging from the play-in tourney, along with Young and Mitchell, was the room’s chief elephant: the Brooklyn Nets, that widely despised boutique franchise of itinerant superstars with no team loyalties at all: the team that most experts had picked to rival the Los Angeles Lakers, whose fortunes plummeted with Icarus-like speed after King James suffered his cohesion-disrupting injury.
II. Eliminating Kyrie and Kevin: One, Two, Many Years A Slave
Akin to slaves, arguably their forebears, NBA stars have a limited time frame for their period of peak value. Kyrie Irving is only 30, but has been in the league eleven seasons, several abbreviated; truncated, one could say, for a variety of reasons: injury, tantrum, refusal to be vaccinated, mutual disillusionment between him and his masters.
The unique trajectory of Kyrie’s professional basketball career can be seen against a backdrop of African-American social history. What might it say about the nature of that high gloss version of twenty-first century entertainment that the NBA represents? Newly converted to Islam in 2021, is he Muhammed Ali, shouting “What’s My Name?’ to taunt Floyd Patterson, or simply a selfish fool with half-cocked ideas about the world’s being flat, as his own may indeed be?
Clearly destined for stardom at the professional level, Irving’s college career at Duke was not expected to extend beyond a single season. In fact, he was only a full participant in eight regular season games, getting hurt in the ninth, and then returning for the NCAA tournament. Perhaps because of the difficulties of assimilating to playing with Irving after his long absence, Duke bowed out early.
Early in his NBA career, injuries continued to plague him, but with Lebron James, he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win their only NBA title, hitting the biggest shot of all, but was unhappy playing second fiddle, and left for Boston (an easy commute in a flat world), to torpedo yet another franchise, just as Durant had done to Oklahoma City. Kyrie would not be enslaved to work under King James! “KD,” as he is now referred to, joined the Golden State team that he had failed to defeat in 2016 (despite OKC’s having a 3-1 playoff advantage), only to desert that franchise after two championships and a third Finals appearance that ended with an injury that kept him out a full season, during which Brooklyn cheerfully paid him his salary. Both men needed their freedom! Respect the Process, indeed!
Having spent most of this season as a part-time player, Irving embroiled himself in full-time controversy by refusing to be vaccinated against COVID. Remarkably, he suffered no apparent erosion of skill when he finally returned to play in the regular season, after New York relented in its rule against unvaccinated players — shortly after Net management reversed its decision not to use Kyrie for road games — as state rules did not allow him to play at home. During the playoffs’ first round, Irving fasted, but seemed unhampered by loss of energy.
Durant, who is strongly bonded to Irving, seemed unperturbed by his friend’s vacillation. Both were franchise disruptors of the highest order. Together, they concocted their “super team,” inducing James Harden to join them, recalling LeBron’s infamous 2010 “Decision” to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the inaugural year of what would turn out to be Eric Spoelstra’s long and hallowed tenure as Pat Riley’s groomed successor in Miami. Harden was gone by playoff time this year, and there were few dry eyes around the league, and more new Boston fans, when the Celtics swept Brooklyn’s Nets out of the first round.
III. Survivors
Echoing the trope that Charles Barkley had introduced a few years ago, announcers now routinely — and righteously — demand that the designated “best player” assert his superiority and will his team to victory. As its leading exponent, the otherwise vacuous Mark Jackson kept pounding away: the best player on the floor must step up and carry his team to victory.
Teams fell away with the inevitable rapidity of the sixteen team playoff format. We all expected Phoenix to be back, at least to the conference finals, but, again, as with our expectation of Lebron’s ongoing presence (both in the playoffs and on the NBA’s first all-star team), we were wrong. It actually seemed that long-reigning King James had been replaced (3)!
With Phoenix bowing out to Dallas in a startling collapse at home in Game Seven of a series that had seen home court advantage hold in all six previous games, and Boston taking out reigning playoff MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks, it was assured that the Finals would feature new teams, although the Golden State story was really the reuniting of players who formed the nucleus of a two-time championship team (4) before being jacked up on steroids by the addition of Durant. And Boston has so much championship history that, well, you know, they’re the Boston Celtics.
The Dallas-Golden State matchup began with the first opening jump ball in which the tap wasn’t stolen that I’ve seen in a long time, but for Dallas, thereafter, there was no way to stop the steal. With the Warriors’ “gentleman’s sweep” (only losing Game Four), it was as if the era of COVID had changed nothing: there was Golden State, playing across the Bay from whatever grit they had seemed to achieve by playing in Oakland. Coach Steve Kerr trotted out new studs every night: Otto Porter, Jr., Jonathan Kuminga, Andre Iguodala, Kevon Looney, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, “Too many weapons,” people started saying.
The beauty of the Warrior “system,” with so many defined positional roles, which manifold others could fill, was becoming more and more apparent. They had a brief scare against Memphis (who had lost Ja Morant to injury, as had a remarkable number of Warrior opponents at playoff crunch time during their only-recently interrupted five year run of getting the Finals), losing Game Five at home, but closed out the Grizzlies in Game Six. I wondered: Were these playoffs great, or what? Or weren’t they? Its all seemed new, but maybe we’ve seen all this before. There is indeed a script, but now it’s conducted — orchestrated — ever further from the basket.
IV. Miami-Boston: The Butler Almost Did It
After Game Seven of the great Eastern Final between Miami and Boston, Jason Tatum got the MVP, as was deserved, for a great player who was also victorious. Still, Jimmy Butler was the real story: 47 points in Game Six, an elimination game! 47! On 16-29 shots. 47! After 41 to win Game One. Big numbers! And yet he always stayed patient; patient and calm. Butler gets off the floor quicker than anyone; and stays on the floor longer, playing Wilt Chamberlain minutes when no-one else so dares in our current era of ever-increasing injuries.
The best player on the floor: that was Butler, whose ramrod straight posture never drooped as he congratulated the victorious Celts. Boston had led 55-49 at halftime despite Butler’s 24. He finished with 35, and brought the Heat back within two, after it was eleven early in the fourth. Finally, Butler missed a pull-up three that could have put Miami ahead 99-98. Instead Boston’s two free throws closed it out at 100-96.
What a battle! Other than Butler’s miss having been critical, so was another three they had but got away: Miami — down by as many as fifteen — began a long comeback run that had its momentum deflated by the overturning of an earlier Max Struss side-line three-pointer, which was cancelled after review by the devilishly meddlesome camera.
Add back those three points, and Butler does something different with the ball on that last play when he launched that questionable three; he likely would have been more conservative while nurturing what would have been a one point lead. “Can’t really talk that way,” I’d usually say, but what a unique disruption of a comeback run. The retrospective quality of it calls off all ordinary bets about “you can’t go back and say ‘what if?’”
That this was a great series had been evident from Game One. Basketball as it should be! Such a better series than the West, echoing the difference between Mike Breen’s classy understated intelligence and Kevin Harlan’s bombastic shouts that homogenize the difference between exciting and ordinary plays, reminiscent of Phil Rizzuto’s screaming “Holy Cow: a pop-up to third base.” It got me thinking that the East is still THE serious basketball conference, and that the West is all about frills, what Al McGuire used to call “French pastry.” (Up until the final three games of the Celtic-Warrior Finals, I could maintain that illusion.)
In Game One, Miami’s 39-14 third quarter, featuring a 22-2 spurt overcame (118-107) Boston’s winning the other three quarters, but for Game Two, Boston was back at full strength, with Al Horford emerging from COVID protocol, and Marcus Smart recovered from a mid-foot sprain from Game Seven against Milwaukee. Robert Williams, their shot-blocking center, was back as well, having missed the last four games of the Milwaukee series.
Their collective impact was immediately apparent. Boston fell behind 21-15, but by the end of the quarter, with Tatum on the bench because of two early fouls, Boston led 35-19, having hit 9 of 11 threes. Miami, playing small, was simply overwhelmed. The game was rapidly approaching the proportions of the shocking Game Seven of the Phoenix-Dallas series, and ended 127-102, with Smart having a 24-12-9 line, and not a single turnover.
Game Three went to Miami 109-103, but Butler played only sparingly, suffering from knee inflammation. Then Smart turned an ankle. Then Tatum got hurt, but returned quickly, after Butler and Smart did so as well. The series was marked by enormous runaway leads, for both teams. In Game Four (102-82), Tatum, listed as only probable because of injury, had 24 first half points, in a 57-33 rout, whereas Miami, not in dire need of a win, having regained home court advantage, was nowhere near the same team as in Game Three. Only Game Five (93-86 for the Celtics, after a split of blow-out games in Boston) was consistently close. Tatum was clearly hampered, though still out there.
The series — nay, the league — seemed to have degenerated into an injury festival. Injuries are now being treated like COVID. As such, the beauty of the Warrior “system,” with so many defined positional roles, which others could fill, was becoming more and more apparent, but overall, injuries were tolerated and managed. Would the same were not true about mass shootings (5)!
Boston failed to close in Game Six (111-103), but won the seventh 100-96. It was their second straight draining seven game series. Having battled various injuries implicating Smart, Tatum, and Robert Williams, they had overcome deficits of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 versus Milwaukee (because of Tatum’s magnificent 47 point effort), and 1-0 and 2-1 versus Miami, against whom they needed to win on the road in Game Seven. Fatigue would inevitably become a factor in the Finals.
V. End of the Road: Re-Emergence
Game One of the Finals began, fittingly — and presciently, with Steph Curry making a Finals record six three-pointers in the first quarter, and Boston taking wild shots. The Celtics had actually eclipsed Golden State’s record for volume of three pointers in the playoffs, but was Golden State — with Klay Thompson back and Jordan Poole rapidly maturing into star status — a good opponent to lure into a shootout? Plus there was a major difference between their respective modes of attack, which became glaringly apparent as the series progressed, most notably in Game Six: only one team had movement — both player and ball — whereas physically stronger Boston stood around, making fake forays to drive, but generally in the service of setting up step-back threes.
By the time the score reached 47-47, all trends seemed to have already played out. Gee, I thought, as I watched the artillery show of three point bombs, these Finals could be a real drag. If they’re not stale, I sure am. And we had to go it without Charles! Was I the only one not hoping it went seven games? Finding myself wondering how Coco Gauff fared that day, I considered changing the channel.
But I didn’t. I just couldn’t. And the drama unfolded. After the Warriors exhibited their trademark third quarter dominance, Boston hit nine of twelve fourth quarter threes (21-41 overall), with Horford hitting six of eight, fueling a 40-13 last quarter (a meaningless Warrior three at the end made it 40-16) to win 120-108, despite the Warriors having led by fifteen in the third, and Tatum getting just 12 points on 3-17 shooting. In fairness, Tatum had thirteen assists, but his poor shooting (6) was to continue, and eventually would sink the Celtics.
In Game Two, the Celtics, drunk with confidence after their startling blitzkrieg of a comeback, appeared too strong and physically tough initially, but again, the Warriors leveled off the game. And again, the teams were only a bucket apart at halftime, this time with the lead belonging to Golden State. And again, the Warriors dominated the third, but this time Poole, notably absent in the last game — to the point of getting written off entirely by many skeptics — went nuts, with consecutive threes — from a distance totaling about 70 feet — in the last minute of the third quarter, and the Warriors keep right on bombing and cutting, building their lead to nearly thirty before relenting: 107-88.
Game Three saw the Celtics, back home and confident, asserting their strength and athleticism to control the pace and prevail handily 116-100 for a 2-1 series lead, despite Golden State’s usual third quarter spurt, which gave them a brief lead (83-82) that they could not hold. Now, Boston would only need to win two more at home. “We want to try to impose our will and size in this series,” Celtics Coach Ime Udoka said with confidence. Risking provoking a home town crowd, Golden State’s Klay Thompson complained about fans swearing with “children in the crowd.” “Real classy. Good job, Boston.”
Playing well was Golden State’s best revenge, as Klay’s Splash brother Steph Curry had a magnificent Game Four, with 43 points (and 10 rebounds!), despite playing on a sore left foot. Andrew Wiggins added seventeen points and sixteen rebounds in a game high 43 minutes, while holding Tatum in check. New York Times’ Scott Cacciola aptly dubbed this game “Golden State’s beautiful struggle back.” Decisive: 107-97. Boston had lost the home court advantage it had gained by winning Game One, and the Warriors never looked back.
This decisive victory was also notable for Coach Kerr’s bold decision to bench Draymond Green in the fourth quarter. Instead of taking this as a slight and perhaps sulking, Green played beautifully in the next two games, which were notably free of his Rodman-esque antics
In Game Five, Curry had an off night, but Wiggins again logged forty-three minutes, and played Tatum better than even, with Green being highly effective in his usual diverse ways. Boston made it close by hitting eight straight threes, creating a 17 point turnaround to take a 58-55 lead that they were unable to hold.
Another ten point margin (104-94) put Boston down 3-2, but the Celts had already been through consecutive seven games series, and had been down a game three times against Milwaukee, whom they beat twice on the road, and two times versus Miami. They knew that their streakiness might trump any theoretical home court advantage.
Turnovers, thought to be a Warrior weakness, had plagued Boston, just as Golden State, strengthened by the return from injury of Gary Payton II, seemed to have found ways to counter/negate Boston’s seeming physical and athletic superiority. Also tipping the balance was the emergence of Andrew Wiggins, who — at long last — had become the player he was expected to be, having been the league’s first draft pick in 2014. Wiggins had what were perhaps his two best games ever in Golden State’s consecutive wins.
Game Six was in Boston on June 16, as I returned to San Francisco, hoping to see Game Seven at home with my son on Father’s Day, but could a predominately Irish city’s home team shoot straight on Bloomsday? Boston, for all its physicality, size, strength, and absence of a true guard in their starting line-up, had actually shattered Golden State’s playoff record for volume of three pointers, both made and attempted. They immediately jumped to a 14-2 lead, but, in his characteristic clutch and logic-defying way, Draymond Green ignited a record twenty-one (no typo here) consecutive point run, while Tatum (Boston’s best player!) was taking indiscriminate threes, setting a bad example that others blindly followed (6). Boston was dying by the three! They were looking like the team that started the season18-21, seeming to think they could just manhandle GS with their greater size and strength, as if they believed the press clippings from earlier in the series. The Warriors’ constant ball movement created a stark contrast!
Totally unable to break Golden State’s composure or will, Boston looked nothing like a championship caliber team. They were spending time outs profligately, and getting no returns at all, never stopping the Warriors’ momentum. Curry was now in rhythm. Tatum got his third foul. 51-33. Thompson’s three-pointer to take a 54-33 lead made it a 33 point turnaround. The lead shrunk to 54-39 at halftime. Green’s half-time stats pointed toward a triple double, and he opened the second half with another corner three. Consecutive threes by Otto Porter and Curry made it 72-50. Game over!
But Boston made a 16-4 run. Horford and Brown led a comeback to cut the margin to 74-65. Then Green hit his third three, a morale buster. Boston got back within ten at 84-75. Wiggins was again outplaying Tatum. He de-moralizingly matched Jalen Brown’s ridiculous three from the left corner. The lead was back to thirteen. As time wound down, at 93-81 with only 3:32 left, a foolish travel by a dispirited Tatum seemed to represent the kind of concession we’d wished to see from Trump. It all ended 103-90.
Having gotten 34, after his 43 in Game Four, Curry had proven that he’s become every bit the player he was thought to be, but I never believed he was, having thought of him, before he developed greater strength (acquired an actual body) as a faux superstar. I could no longer argue that he was an extension of Draymond Green’s fertile brain, like Voltaire once said God was of man’s (7).
The biggest change is that forward propulsion has become Curry’s mode of operation, not dancing away. He no longer reflexively avoids body contact by resorting to French pastry (8). Owing to his greatly increased strength, he is in full command when with the ball, instead of having to dance around artfully to protect his body from contact, occasionally resulting in foolishly weak turnovers. He has become both a vastly improved defender, and an authoritative finisher, as well as a long range assassin. He can now properly be considered an all-time great, one who would be great in earlier eras as well, even under the “old rules.” which permitted hand-checking, and did not award three points for longer shots.
Deservedly. he got his first Finals MVP (9). Golden State, with its exemplary Coach and overall organization, had done the truly remarkable, returning to championship form after crippling injuries (Klay was out over two years, having sustained consecutive severe injuries) and two abominable rebuilding seasons, one of which actually saw them posting the league’s worst record.
Interviewed afterwards, Green was asked what he had learned about himself from the whole experience: “I didn’t learn anything about myself, I knew I was resilient,” Nothing! Want to make something of it? Ask King Lear. “Nothing can be made of nothing.” Truly. Draymond knew it all along.
Was Durant watching? Having a post-Ramadan beer with Kyrie?
Did he prefer that to playing with Steph, Draymond, and Klay?
Maybe. There’s just no accounting for taste.
NOTES
1. Missing from this year’s post-season, despite its expanded format were more senior greats Lebron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, and Kawhi Leonard (along with perpetually injured Zion Williamson).
2. It was Charles Barkley (the NBA’s real voice until — as is inevitable — he’s replaced by Draymond Green, his uncontrollable clone, who is unfortunately becoming as much Dennis Rodman as he is Sir Charles), who once said that the old best of five format — which used to characterize the first round — was especially interesting for its greater upset potential, because “in a seven game series, the best team always wins.”
Like Macbeth, Charles had become King, but would Draymond become Banquo? Or would Trae Young, uniquely outstanding in last season’s playoffs, seeming to singlehandedly keep better teams at bay in ways that even Steph Curry and Dame Lillard (his elder diminutive bombers) would struggle to fully emulate. The playoff stage is made for the brash Trae. His daring and bravado can disorganize opponents. Master of the step-back three-point artillery bomb, he seems to take up residence in embarrassed defenders’ frontal cortex.
With his Hawk team regressing this year, you might easily have missed that Trae nearly matched Tiny Archibald’s incredible 1972-73 achievement of leading the NBA (for a bad team rebuilding under Bob Cousy, and intent upon expunging the legacy of Oscar Robertson, who took the best revenge in Milwaukee by teaming up with Lew Alcindor in transition to becoming Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a passage to rival the Jewish bar mitzvah) in both points and assists.
3. Speaking of enslavement: a version of “replacement theory” saw only one American born player (Devin Booker, a light skinned Black) named to the all-NBA first team.
4. Liss, R. “Dynasty Interruptus.” Firstofthemonth, June 27, 2019.
5. Admirably, and inspirationally, Steve Kerr spoke out with great passion in a moving video about the shootings du jour.
6. Tatum’s numbers were astonishingly atypical for him. He wound up shooting an abominable 31.6% on two point attempts in the Finals, compared to a very high 45% on threes. Go figure. I can’t. This is a guy who played Lebron James practically even during an entire playoff series when he was just nineteen years old; a calm and composed player with a complete and very beautiful game. Yet he seemed to lose focus in the Finals — his first, and to rely way too much on long-range shooting. Mark Jackson stewed quietly.
7. Or as James Worthy once seemed of Magic Johnson’s.
8. His transformed body is the sturdier vessel which houses the well-aging fine wine of his dazzling skills.
9. …which I found ironic, as I, a holdout/refusnik in acknowledging his greatness, had felt that he should have been Finals MVP over Durant in the second (2018) of two championship series they won together. (Durant had clearly deserved the first one in 2017).