The Sports Informant

It’s hard to figure out who to root for in the NBA Finals right now. While the Los Angeles Lakers are struggling, and I usually support the underdog, I’m not quite sure I can stomach becoming a Lakers fan, even for just a week.

We, as Northern Californians and West Coast dwellers, have a moral dilemma on hand. For those not treacherously already donning purple and yellow all season long, Sacramento Kings fans must choose between rooting for a Lakers team that’s been a heavy rival for over a decade, and another championship Boston team stealing the spotlight 3,000 miles away.

Forget the history of the matchup of two historical dynasties, which has been heavily publicized for weeks in hopes of gaining higher ratings. If the Lakers were playing the Pistons, or the Celtics the Spurs, viewership would be tragically affected. But they’re not. We get it. Let’s move on.

Who do we root for now? Which is the lesser of two evils? Which dynasty do we want continuing to wave its victorious flag in our lack-of-championship faces? Who do we really want earning a year’s worth of bragging rights?

Let’s go over both.

Why You Should Root Against the Celtics

For one, I’m sick of Boston being the best sports town in the United States. It was not long ago that the Red Sox whined about a curse and the Patriots were the worst team in football, with their red and white uniforms. Suddenly, though, the city’s got the biggest head in the nation, riding success of all three of its pro teams all the way to championship appearances.

Impressive? Sure. Annoying? Definitely. I’ve never been a New York Giants fan – as the city of New York held the mentality Boston holds before it took over – but watching them steal the Super Bowl from the mighty Patriots was a highlight in my life as a football fan. I wasn’t happy the Giants won, I was ecstatic the Patriots lost. And so should we be when the Celtics go down.

The best record in basketball, three consistent All-Stars, a legendary uniform… all force me to hope for losses on their behalf. You’re basically cheating with your starting five. Give any other star in the league two other players of that caliber and he’ll reach the finals, too. Which leads me to…

Why You Should Root Against the Lakers

The Lakers are doing the same thing. Getting Pau Gasol in a trade for nothing should cry foul to any Western Conference team, and alongside Lamar Odom and a little-known player named Kobe Bryant, the trio is destined to rack up wins. That’s why they don’t deserve to.

Several teams around the league build strong teams with great, but not star, players. The Cavaliers, the Pistons, the Spurs and the Suns, all have a dominant player and great role players, and they find success with a system using all of their abilities together. Teams like that deserve championships.

This year’s final is like a mini All-Star game, and aside from the uncontested dunks, no one really pays attention.

On top of that, the Lakers are the Lakers. They are the team Sacramentans are supposed to loathe. The mere thought of Kobe holding another championship trophy should make Kings fans shudder.

Why You Should Root for the Lakers

Ultimately, with everyone else eliminated, this is our team, though. Not only do the Lakers share a coast and a time zone with us, they share the same state. They’re just a quick drive south, and most of us vacation in their home town at some point each year. Los Angeles, for many of us, is a home away from home. Why should we root against the guys representing that?

While the east coast bias still heavily remains, wouldn’t it be justice to have the bright lights shining this direction again? The NFL’s Super Bowl cast a shadow on anyone outside of the northeast, and the MLB’s World Series saw our western neighbors, the Colorado Rockies, get swept by a Boston team who’d already won a title three years earlier.

Despite our rivalry, Kobe Bryant is fun to watch. Not since the days of Michael Jordan have we sat so anxiously for fireworks on the court like we do with Kobe. We are witnessing basketball greatness, and watching the league’s MVP finish his greatest year with a title seems like justice, doesn’t it?

Why You Should Root for the Celtics

None of the “Big Three” leading the Celtics has a championship ring. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rey Allen have all put their heart and soul into their careers, with long years of loyalty to a team before coming together this year for something different. There hasn’t been a more deserving group of guys, and to see them not win so that Kobe can add another ring to his collection would be a tragedy.

Forget the green jersey. Forget the fact they go to bed on the east coast before some of our games even begin. Forget they’re from Boston. These players are still human, and human beings deserve rewards for years of hard work. It’s their turn.

So What’s the Verdict?

It’s too tough to call. We all have our biases and a soft spot in our hearts for underlying stories revolving around the series. I guess the most important thing we can do is care. Not because it’s the Lakers versus the Celtics, but because it could possibly be closest thing to home – on many levels – that we’ve seen.

Riddle Me This…

Oh, and what’s the difference between the San Francisco Giants’ Barry Zito and workers in a union? The union workers know how to throw a strike.