(reprinted from my blog)

We’ve been having some great conversations, and I would hate to distract from that but I can’t help myself. I have a hankering for a sports rant. It hits me every now and again. In this case, it’s why I want the Lakers to win the NBA Finals, which begin tonight. Here are my five reasons:

# 1 Keeping the memory of MJ alive

IMO, Michael Jordan is the best basketball player to have ever played the game. There are fewer and fewer traces of him in the league. Lakers coach Phil Jackson is one of them, and he helps keep the MJ memory alive for me. No disrespect to other NBA greats, and even if Lebron (or someone else surpasses) MJ in numbers, MJ will still be on top in my mind.

# 2 Kobe hasn’t gotten his just due

IMO, Kobe is disadvantaged by the fact that his career has been wedged between two greats – MJ and Lebron. At first he was compared with MJ, which was always destined to be a losing battle for Kobe. Then Lebron came in and stole the show. Even Kobe’s championships are attributed to Shaq. I sometimes feel like Kobe has been robbed in terms of people truly appreciating his superiority as a NBA player. He might end up being one of the best who ever played the game but will still be a footnote in some people’s minds. If the Lakers and Kobe win the Finals, I feel like Kobe puts a period on the sentence of his basketball greatness.

# 3 Goofy Gasol

Sometimes it seems like Gasol just doesn’t fit the stereotype of the typical NBA center. He’s not the mean, lean machine like Orlando’s Howard, and he’s not necessarily the most graceful guy on his feet either. Honestly, there’s a certain goofiness to him that intrigues me. And yet, he gets the job done. Where would the Lakers be without Gasol?

# 4 My daughter Jessica

Jessie was hoping for a Lakers/Cavs NBA Finals. Her favorite player is Lebron. As we know, that didn’t happen, and so Jessica is rooting for the Lakers. We have watched several games together and she made some “Go Lakers” signs with construction paper, which she holds up and yells when the Lakers do something good. She also has some pom poms that she shakes and a few cheerleader moves she does while she chants, “Lakers!!.. Defense!!..Lakers!!..Defense!!”

# 5 Reverse Psychology of Laker Bashing

‘They’ say I’m not supposed like the Lakers because of the LA persona – the glitz, the stars, the bling, the $, the Beverly Hills and Hollywood mentality, blah, blah, blah. Everyone’s waiting for the Lakers to blow it so they can gloat over their demise. Normally I am prone to cheer for the underdog. But in this case, even though I have nothing against the Orlando Magic, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Lakers clean their clock. I would have felt the same way if the Cavs had made it or whoever.

Though I want the Lakers to win, there are also some reasons why I wouldn’t be distraught if the Magic did. Most people didn’t expect them to beat Lebron; finishing off the Lakers would be historic.

Okay, I feel better now.