Lest we be considered blasphemous amidst all the ratings bonanzas and retrospectives on the renewal of a rivalry, we think the overriding theme in this year’s NBA finals so far has been mediocrity. We’re just not all that impressed with the overall quality of play or the level to which individuals are elevating their games. Perhaps it’s because we haven’t paid this much attention to a finals since the Bulls were doing their thing in the 1990s, and those series were always going to be scintillating, but more so we think there’s really something lacking through three games. Neither team seems like a worthy champion right now. They both seem a little soft, a little flat and a little scared. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson would be spinning in their graves (if, you know, they were no longer with us instead of haunting our dreams by wearing their jerseys in that commercial). Maybe this series was actually the worst thing for the NBA because it drew inevitable comparisons to those great 1980s duels but could never live up to them. Still, we’re hoping a big Game 4, which  — if the Lakers win, which we believe they will in a blowout) — will give way to a signature two or three games at the tail end of the series and restore our faith. It’s definitely going to take more than we’ve seen so far.

*Speaking of the finals: we went out to watch the game last night with the RBBH, Local Quipster, and MC Creme Fraiche at a popular sports bar. It’s safe to say NBA fever is not infecting the north suburbs. It seemed as though as many people were watching the NBA game on multiple screens as were watching some top 50 countdown show on one screen.

*Um, NBA? This doesn’t help.

*Terribly, terribly sorry that circumstances haven’t allowed us to spend more time on the Cedric Benson release. Feel free to pile on jama as you see fit.

*Tough news about Sam Maresh, to be sure. A quintessential “eat, sleep and drink” football kind of guy, and a fantastic high school player.

*On this day in 1981 (a little piece of baseball history we never knew): Attempting to break Stan Musial’s National League record for hits, Pete Rose hits a wicked infield grounder which the official scorer rules an error rather than giving the Phillies first baseman his historic hit. Amidst the loud booing by the large vocal crowd at Veterans’ Stadium, fireworks begin as an anxious stadium engineer ignites the planned celebration prematurely thinking he heard Bill Giles said ‘go’ into the walkie-talkie, when the Phillies president had really said ‘no’.

We could tie this all together with a Kobe Bryant joke, but we won’t.

*Fasola-link! (Mind the language … very funny, though).

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