The Los Angeles Lakers clinched their 16th NBA title Thursday night, defeating the Boston Celtics in the seventh and deciding game of the NBA Finals.
So what else is new?
The Lakers are a very good team -- always have been and probably always will. Ditto for the Boston Celtics who made it to the finals for the umpteempth time in their franchise history.
But I find it difficult to care about perennial winning teams. It's old news. As odd as this sounds, a team that wins multiple titles or makes the postseason year in and year out isn't nearly as exciting or newsworthy as a team that wins a championship for the first time in nearly 50 years, as the Chicago Blackhawks did last week. I care more about their Stanley Cup victory because they've been an underdog for so long, they've gone through so many ups and downs, and in fact, had to crawl back from the brink of oblivion to become relevant again. It's far more fun to see them succeed and it makes you want to celebrate with them. The Hawks won more than the Stanley Cup last week; they won the hearts of many new hockey fans. I doubt the Lakers can boast about that.
The Lakers will probably continue to win and appear in the NBA finals in the future, with or without coach Phil Jackson. Sadly, that may not be the case for the Blackhawks. With the NHL salary cap, the Hawks will likely lose some key players this off season, which could impact their ability to repeat as champions next season.
Try putting a salary cap in the NBA, then we'll see how far the Celtics or Lakers go in the playoffs, if they make it at all.
