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.

Bulls-Pistons: DOA, Field of Dreams

Well, if I've learned anything about the Bulls-Pistons Round 2 series, it's that it's a lot harder to write about your favorite team when they are being disassembled by a much, much better team.

The Pistons really turned it on the past three games, and there's really not a lot to say. When people have asked me about the series, I've pretty much said the only thing there you can: the Bulls are being outclassed in just about every phase of the game. And I'm really developing a distaste for Ben Wallace. Yeah, he can shutdown some of the best traditional centers in the NBA, but really, how many teams still use centers like that? You've got Shaq, Yao, Dwight Howard...am I forgetting anyone? Even if I am, there aren't more than a handful, and playing 4 verse 5 on offense isn't helping the Bulls score points. That said, I don't miss T-Chan, and I think, even now, he's half the player that Big Ben is.

Here's to the Baby/Grown Up/Losing Bulls not getting swept.

***

In slightly more cheerful news, I took a trip to the Field of Dreams with P and Healy two days ago. Since I don't really feel like re-writing about it here, I'll just re-post the column I wrote for the Daily Iowan:

Dream Field
Bobby Loesch - The Daily Iowan
Issue Date: 5/11/07 Section: Sports

Between a light finals schedule this week, my beat coverage winding down, and this amazing weather we've been having, my buddies P, Healy, and I planned a trip to Dyersville, Iowa, to see the Field of Dreams, made famous as a setting in the 1989 movie of the same name.

Before the trip, I did a Wikipedia search on the film just to brush up on some stuff and check out trivia. All of the info was pretty standard, but the quotation, "The restored relationship between protagonist Kinsella and his father is notable for making male viewers cry," had me laughing.

Anyway, we made the hour-and-a-half drive from Iowa City, and at about half past noon, the field was in sight.

"There's a guy with his shirt off," Healy said.

Little did he know it was actually a wooden statue of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson.

We parked the car in the gravel lot in between cars with Iowa and Wisconsin plates and made our way toward the field. Going in, we estimated as many as 20 people would be around, but those guesses ended up being overzealous - there were no more than five or six.

The Gift Shop(s)

Before we took the field, we headed over to the gift shop, which, according to Healy's online research, lent out baseballs and gloves for people to play catch. But there was a problem, there were two separate gift shops.

One, called "Field of Dreams" was approximately 100 feet behind home plate, while the other, called "Field of Dreams Souveniers" was located by third base. The first gift shop, which is managed by the Lansing family, who own the field, uses proceeds for the maintenance and upkeep of the field, farm, and house. The other shop is owned by a different farmer who leased it to out-of-sate investors not associated with the Lansing farm or family. Naturally, I drifted to the first one, which I perceived to be less evil.

Standing in front of T-shirts, stickers, baseballs, and even actual DVD copies of the movie was an elderly woman named Marcia Weigell, who has worked at the field for
18 years. Much to our disappointment, she told us the shop had to stop lending out balls and gloves because of pending lawsuits. Luckily, Healy had a mitt and a tennis ball in his car, so we made do.

Weigell estimated 50,000 people visit the field each season, which lasts between April and November.

"Most people are happy to come down," said Weigell, who has been interviewed by countless television and newspaper reporters. "Some people who come are actually emotional because they just lost their father, but for the most part, people are just
happy."

I guess Wikipedia was right. It was my fault to question its power.

The Field of Dreams

"They built it, and I came," P said after we finally stepped onto the field.

After playing some pitch and catch, half-jogging the base paths, snapping some pictures, and looking into the not-yet-grown cornfields in the outfield, Healy asked me to throw a pop-up to him. As I obliged, I noticed power lines running over left and center field. After getting more information out of Weigell, I learned the power lines are the divider between the Lansing farm and the farm that leases the out-of-state shop. It depressed me to think something so pure and serene as the Field of Dreams could be tarnished by commerciality, but I did my best to block it out.

Now, I'm not one for simple pleasures - I'll take A/C and a television over a camping trip on most days - but the overwhelming simplicity of the scenery really captivated me. Mixing it with a gorgeous mid-May day, and it was one hell of an afternoon.

"I haven't felt this emotional since Friday Night Lights," P said in a serious tone.

I wasn't sure if he was joking.

All problems aside, I'd say the trip is a must-do for any baseball fan, serious to casual. And because I don't have a clever "If you build it, they will come"-type ending, I think I'll leave you with a phrase I saw on the back of the Field of Dreams sign as we made our way towards to the car:

Live the magic, Have faith in simplicity, and Always dare to dream.