THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE

I still remember vividly the first NBA game I watched on TV. It was 1987. It was Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers were at Larry Bird's Boston Celtics. I was 10. Magic's Junior, Junior Sky-Hook with 2 seconds left on the clock gave the Lakers a 1-point win over the Celtics. Wow, what a game it was. As a 10 year old, the intensity and the excitement I experienced from watching that game is what made me follow Michael Jordan and the Bulls religiously in the 1990s and Yao Ming and the Rockets since his draft into the NBA.

Over the last two days, the Lakers and the Celtics have emerged as Western and Eastern Conference Champions, respectively.

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett

Both teams have made great acquisitions in the off-season and during the regular season to boost their teams' chances to win the championship. The Lakers traded for Pau Gasol to give them a formidable inside threat to complement MVP Kobe Bryant mid-season. The Celtics acquired All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the off-season to form the Big Three with Paul Pierce. Both teams finished as number 1 seeds in their respective conference.

I can't wait for Game 1 of the Finals to start. These two proud franchises are back in the Finals for the first time in 21 years - for the first time since my first game of NBA. Between them, they have won 30 of the 61 championships in the history of NBA. I just know that this is going to go all the way to Game 7. But... there can only be one! (I am rooting for the Celtics though)

Update: Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA! Yah!!! Celtics Win!!!