The 1999 season was disrupted by a labor dispute that tore up much of the year, before the San Antonio Spurs prevailed over the New York Knicks 4-1 in the finals. That was the end of the road for the old Patrick Ewing Knicks, who haven't reached the finals since.
The next three years -- 2000 to 2002 -- were dominated by Shaq, Kobe, and Phil Jackson, who replaced the Bulls' dynasty with one of their own. Here were the final series in each of those years:
2000: Lakers 4, Pacers 2 (Reggie Miller's only trip to the finals)
2001: Lakers 4, 76ers 1 (ditto for Alan Iverson)
2002: Lakers 4, Nets 0 (Jason Kidd led the Nets)
But then the Lakers unraveled, mainly because Kobe and Shaq could no longer play together. The next few years were a nightmare for the NBA, as the Spurs were the only truly good team in the league. Here are the next few final series:
2003: Spurs 4, Nets 2
2004: Pistons 4, Lakers 1 (Larry Brown's only title -- last season Kobe and Shaq played together)
2005: Spurs 4, Pistons 3 (end of the road for Larry Brown and Detroit)
2006: Heat 4, Mavericks 2 (Shaq wins his own title with help from DeWayne Wade)
2007: Spurs 4, Cavs 0 (LeBron's only trip to the final)
Trust me when I tell you that these seasons were pretty much unwatchable.
This dry period ended in 2008. The Boston Celtics -- who hadn't reached the finals since 1987 -- were rejuvenated when the SuperSonics traded Ray Allen to the Celtics for a bunch of guys you've never heard of, while the Timberwolves did the same with Kevin Garnett. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol (their best player) to the Lakers for another collection of obscure talent. (I've never heard anyone explain why these trades were good for the SuperSonics (who no longer exist),the Timberwolves, or the Grizzlies).
Suddenly, order was restored:
2008: Celtics 4, Lakers 2 (just like old times)
2009: Lakers 4, Magic 1 (Celtics had injury problems)
2010: Lakers 4, Celtics 3 (quite a good series; Kobe now only one title behind MJ)
So you haven't missed much. It's mainly been the Lakers (when Kobe has useful teammates) and the Spurs (when Kobe does not have useful teammates) with other teams pitching in from time to time.
Oh, you should also know that no one scores very much any more. Big-time NBA games are decided by the same sort of hellish defense, physical play, and inconsistent shooting we saw during the UConn/Kentucky final four game. The last three games of the 2010 final featured the following scores (remember, these games are 8 minutes longer than a college game):
Game 5: Celtics 92, Lakers 86
Game 6: Lakers 89, Celtics 67 (good example of a team taking the night off)
Game 7: Lakers 83, Celtics 79
To put this in context, here were the scores for the last three games in the 1984 playoffs:
Game 5: Celtics 121, Lakers 103
Game 6: Lakers 119, Celtics 108
Game 7: Celtics 111, Lakers 102
Personally, I miss the old high-scoring games, but it's important to understand that today's guys can score -- the US won the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics by scoring 118 points in only 40 minutes. But the game is called much less tightly these days, and teams aren't as deep because of the salary cap. So pounding defense has become more and more important. For anyone who watches the modern college game, this part will look familiar.
Three final points:
Somewhere along the way, the Washington Bullets became the Washington Wizards. While this effectively ended all violent crime in DC, it didn't help the team's performance very much.
Kobe is really not as good as MJ -- even though he may end up with more titles. Trust me on this.
Lebron may turn out to be the Elgin Baylor of our time -- a very talented guy who just can't win in the playoffs. Or maybe he is about to replace Kobe and truly start to dominate the league. That's really what this year's playoffs are all about. And that's why this is a good year to tune back in.
Love the shot at the Bullets.
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