I've heard and read a few sports announcers and columnists comparing this year's Lakers getting "upset" by the Pistons to the 1990 A's getting swept by the Reds, or other Goliaths being toppled, but the more immediate comparison that comes to my mind is last year's Yankees! Consider: * The Yankees and the Lakers are the respective "Evil Empires" of professional baseball and basketball, each with legions of anti-fans who despise them with every fiber of their beings (translation: me). * In 2003, the Yankees trailed by 3 runs with 1 out in the 8th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox, looking to all the world as though they were about to be slain. Instead, they mounted a miraculous comeback to send it to extras, capped off by the series-ending walkoff homer by Aaron Boone. The effect on all Yankee-haters was gut-wrenching, and it seemed the World Series yet to be played was simply going to be an anti-climactic afterthought, that the powerhouse Yanks would steamroll their way to their 5th title in 8 years. * In 2004, of course, in Game 5 of the Spurs-Lakers series, Tim Duncan hits an incredible sideways-falling-away jumper with zero-point-four seconds remaining, sending all Laker-haters around the world into unbridled ecstasy. Derek Fisher (and the official timekeeper) then kicked us in the groin, and the Lakers eliminated their main rivals in the next game. It seemed the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals yet to be played would merely be formalities, little more than rehearsals for L.A.'s 4th coronation in 5 seasons. We now know how those afterthoughts and rehearsals turned out. Thus, in the span of less than 8 months, our universal sense of Justice and Karma have been upheld following the humiliating defeats the Yankees and Lakers have suffered. Now, as long as Dubya loses in November...(oops, that belonged in D&D). I love sports!
I disagree 110% with this comparison and it has nothing to due with the fact that I am a Yankees fan. Some other posters may recall that I was upfront about the fact that the Marlins were a team not to take lightly and that before the WS started, I would not have been suprised if they beat my boys from the Bronx and we all know how that turned out. The thing is the Marlins were not the only tough opponent during that run. The Lakers on the other hand were expected to win it all from the moment Karla and GP signed on the dotted line and didn't face anywhere near the same level of competition that the Yankees faced. Plus, I don't think anyone outside of Detroit gave the Pistons much of a chance. They had everything going against them: undersized, poor offense, no home court advantage. The Pistons really stepped it up.
To be fair, I think Yankees are expected to win EVERY year, rightfully so. The money they are throwing out, and the players they have, they shouldn't have given others a chance. I still don't understand why they cannot replicate 98 season any more. PS: I have been a Yankees' fan for a long time.
Um, right. Suuuure. You might not have taken the Marlins lightly, but in that case you would've been part of a tiny minority. I live in NYC, I experienced first-hand the arrogance and sense of entitlement of Yankees fans. Their general attitude toward the World Series was something along the lines of "The Marlins? The Marlins?? So when's the parade?" Reality check: the Yankees beat the mighty Twins in the Divisional Series and the BoSox in the ALCS before facing the intimidating Marlins in the World Series. On the other hand, the Lakers beat the Rockets, then the defending-champions Spurs (a team with one of the best 3 or 4 players in basketball in Tim Duncan who was last year's MVP), then the Western Conference No. 1 seed Timberwolves (a team with one of the best 3 or 4 players in basketball in Kevin Garnett who was this year's MVP), before playing the Pistons. Who faced tougher competition? The main point of my comparison was how the '03 Yankees and '04 Lakers both pulled a miraculous rabbit outta their asses in a crucial series against what most observers believed was their toughest opponent. Once those major roadblocks to the title were removed (the Red Sox and Spurs respectively), it seemed that they would then cruise to victory against their far-less-heralded opponents in the championship series. And as fate would have it, they were then both shockingly yet thoroughly defeated.
