Finally, the NBA finals are set to begin Thursday night.  Boston Celtics vs LA Lakers.  These teams are no strangers to facing each other in the Finals.  They’ve met ten times in the past with Boston walking away with the championship eight times.  I grew up in the Bird-Magic era with a father who was just as fanatical about LB as Zac is about Favre.  No. 33 was the hero in our 80’s sports story, and I still believe today there would have been no Air Jordan domination if Johnson and Bird hadn’t have paved the way and rejuvenated the sport that I love so much. While this isn’t 1984, the NBA needs a reason to believe again: a reason for its fans to feel good about their loyalty.

Usually I’d find it hard to be too overwhelmingly passionate about a series not featuring the Suns, but this Celtics vs Lakers series is what I’ve been hoping for for the past month.  (I even cheered for the Lakers over the Spurs and felt dirty.  That’s how much I hate San Antonio.)  Can Kobe finally be the superhero in the finals and not just the trusty sidekick?  Is the PGA (Pierce, Garnett, and Allen) tour ready to start the newest Boston dynasty and get the rings they’ve coveted for the past decade?  Can this series remind us why we love this game?  We’ll find the answers out soon enough.