It hasn’t quite been a muggin’, but it sure looks like it huh? What do you think? Do the Lakers win it all tonight on Orlando’s floor…sending pre-teen Magic fans on a tearful lifelong journey of what if regret? That was me when Magic went 42, 15 and 7 to go along with Silk’s 37 and 10 rips. My little black and white TV went out because I smacked the mess out of it and watched Magic smile historically on my sister’s TV as she slept. Still stings. Damn right I cried. Cried like I had on one of those onesy jawns you could moonwalk with…yeah the ones my two rock heads used to wear. Damn Messy Marvins… Oh, my bad. Yeah, I wanted it for Doc. I wanted it for Philly. For the Lakers to do it on our floor had me sick until ‘83. Matters were made worse when the Dodgers beat the Yankees in ‘81. I can still see that punk ass penguin Ron Cey round the bases after hitting a bomb moments after Steve Yeager hit one of his own out to left. Point being is these are the games that make or break a young fans view of history. Obviously, the Magic won’t be thinking along these lines when they tape up tonight, but it is what it is. They might not get back ala Dan Marino if they don’t ball out tonight. It’s never over is what I say. Your blood should be left on the floor if need be. This is what you love the game for right? You’ll be able to tell a lot about everyone’s commitment watching this game. You’ll see it in their eyes, emotions, movements, how they listen in the huddle, shoot free throws, go to the hole, fouling, diving on the floor… Despite Kobe’s shooting going from bad to worse the last three games, he will get off tonight. He will be the Great White smelling blood 20 miles away…evidenced by how he took the ball from Dwight just so bully the other night. Ain’t no time for friends, fans, autographs and all that BS. It’s money time. Black Mamba time. Winning the championship time in one of the strangest, but entertaining seasons in a long time. The Lakers will obviously pressure Rashard Lewis into bad choices. They know as he goes, so do the Magic. Dwight! Can you get 30 and 20 with 5 blocks one of these games bruh? Damn… Derek Fisher shows what kind of pro he’s been over the course of his career. Think about it: how many times have you seen him pull up from deep off the break? Not many times right? Champion. Pau Gasol has convinced me he is one of the most talented fours in the league. He’s definitely skilled and a great compliment to Kobe. Dude has done his job. Trevor Ariza pretty much assured he’ll get a substantial raise this offseason. He’s played very effectively on both ends. I love it when an athlete turns the corner and realizes his worth to the game. Ariza is there right now. Lamar Odom has been somewhat inconsistent but has stepped up in big moments. If they win tonight, he will be emotional. Very emotional. Trust. Andrew Bynum hasn’t been able to get off because the refs have told him to get off the floor after so many phantom fouls, but he’ll learn from this and hopefully will spend a lot of time with Kareem this off season so he becomes the all star he’s destined to be. What can you say about Phil? He’s on the cusp of replacing one of the greatest NBA icons in Red Auerbach if his team is victorious. He won’t over coach tonight. You know how he does with the timeouts. Even if the Magic go on a crazy run, he might wait for the TV timeout to get his team back on track. Don’t get it twisted, the Lakers aren’t taking this game for granted. They will play the same as if they are down 3-1. They don’t want to reminisce pissed about how the Celtics took what most thought would be their ring. I thought that was crazy because of how Boston put that team together, but hey that’s me. On the Magic side of the ball, who plays more tonight? Jameer or Skip? Look, Stan Van Gundy is loyal to his team despite notorious public criticisms of his players. They are in the Finals right? He’s going with Jameer because he trusts him. He’s loyal to Chester PA’s finest. Jameer gets the ball in Dwight’s hands and if the big fella keeps the ball up high and starts taking no shorts, he’ll foul out the damn world. Cats all over the place will put their warm ups on as if they did the hackin’. Skip whatcha gonna do fam? Does it matter if the Magic have yet to lose three straight all season? Hedo Turkoglu and Howard have to make quicker decisions out of the pick and roll to prohibit the above from happening. Do they pass, shoot, what? Both look tentative at times. I’ve noticed Dwight not looking for the ball immediately in the post off the roll. I don’t get that. Bang out bruh, bang out. Mickael Pietrus has done a great job of making Kobe work on the defensive end and has shot the damn lights out with swag from time to time. Who will be the key tonight? Pietrus? Courtney Lee? Nelson? Skip? Howard? SVG? Who? Van Gundy must coach the same way he’s been coaching all year. The Lakers are gonna come out hot. The Magic have been very resilient in these playoffs but I’m not convinced they want this enough. It’s not that there’s a lack of effort, but realize the damn moment and take what’s yours. Nope. Always bet on black. I thought I would see more heart out of the Magic in this series. You see it in spurts, but when you have a team down you have to go for the kill. Beans will. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers close out the series 104-99 and win the NBA Championship. Send to Facebook