Favoritism In The NBA Final 4

In what's become an annual tradition in my AIM Profile, I break down my rooting interest once my favorite team -- in this case, the Bulls -- is eliminated from contention in the post-season. On tap for right now, the NBA.

Remember, this isn't who I think is going to win (if you must know, I picked the San Antonio Spurs in my DI Point-Counterpoint), it's just who I'm pullin' for.

Favoritism in the NBA Final 4

1) Detroit Pistons - It's never a bad thing to be eliminated by the eventual champions, and in this case, they'd deserve it. Of the remaining teams, I like Detroit best for a few reasons.

• Rasheed Wallace: The guy is so misunderstood that it hurts. His passion for the game is infectious, and anyone who can't get past his high amount of technicals is just too close minded to have ever understood him in the first place. Does his emotion compromise the team? Yeah, sometimes. But without him, they aren't winning squat.
  
• Mason: I love the Pistons PA guy. Call him annoying, but if you can't get into "DEE-TROIT, BASKET-BALL," what can you get into?
  
• Tayshaun Prince: Probably one of my Top 10 favorite players in the NBA. He ranges from good to really good at just about everything; almost like an evolved version of Luol Deng. It's probably why I like him so much.
  
• Chris Webber: Say what you want about C-Webb, but I love him. He's one of the few players in the league that makes me smile with just about everything he does. Maybe it's my Michigan bias, but some way, some how, he just has to make up for that timeout he called in the NCAA Finals oh-so long ago. What better way to do it than with a ring?
  
• The East: I want it made clear, I do believe the West is the better conference, but at the same time, people have spent this season treating the East like it doesn't even belong in the NBA. Don't get me wrong, it's been a rough go for the Leastern Conference this year, but need I remind you that the East has produced two of the last three champions? Sure, Miami was a fluke and a lot of analysts also argue that the West teams "beat each other up," which weakens them come NBA Finals time, but to that, I say "whatever."

...and although I won't go into detail, I'm also a big fan of Billups and Hamilton. Those guys are the best back court in the league. No contest. So yeah, I guess I could have just listed "The Pistons Starting Lineup" as one of my reasons.

2) San Antonio Spurs - Again, they have the "been there, done that" feel to them because they have in fact been there and done that. So seeing a team like this win isn't going to hurt, because nothing's really at stake. They also get bonus points because I picked them to win in the DI, and I like looking right. Docked points for Bruce Bowen. Does any non-Spurs fan like him at this point?

3) Utah Jazz - Watching old highlights of MJ, Scottie, and Co. torching the Utah Jazz almost a decade ago really made me nostalgic about watching this team lose, and I took a special enjoyment of seeing that happen in Salt Lake. Although I really enjoy Deron Williams, have come around on Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, and can tolerate AK-47, John Amaechi's words about Jerry Sloan's bigotry are still in my mind, and the obvious racism of their fans -- pushed even more into the spotlight by Golden State players -- makes them almost impossible to get behind.

4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Why hate on Ohio? Eh, a few reasons. First, LeBron James has replaced Peyton Manning on my "amazing player who I hope doesn't win a title even though he probably deserves one" list. No real reason other than the fact that he's a rival of the Chicago Bulls and also because he's been known to take games off. I also think the whole quote about his biggest goal being "global icon" shouldn't precede win an NBA title, which, you know, is his actual job. Bonus hate points: that weird hair on the back of Gooden's head, Mike Brown's questionable coaching prowess, and, of course, Anderson Varejao.

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Here's to that playing out in the most desirable way possible.