Lake show hypertension

After an exhausting, infuriating, and ultimately redemptive conclusion to the Lakers-Rockets second round series, I am home sick with some version of the flu. Perhaps the Swine flu. That could be exciting, and I would definitely be permitted to slack off on work while quarantined.

I blame this, of course, on the mind trip that was every game in the series. I've never done
'shrooms before, but the series had to have been the closest, most legal, alternative.

The games were crazy drug trips - massive highs (see: 40 point win, 19 point victory, win on the road in Houston), massive lows (see: games 1, 4, 6), paranoia ("Phil and Kobe are losing it!"), strange physical gestures (see: Artest, Ron; Fisher, Derek; Scola, Luis), and delusional/unusual language (see: Shane Battier's insistence that Kobe's "he can't guard me" trash talking was simply a matter of "semantics." As a side note, NBA players have never been called intellectual, which is perhaps why I cringe when Battier speaks. Sufficed to say, I don't think he meant to say "semantics.").

Fitting with the crazy drug trips, I think it was to be expected that when I finally had a chance to catch my breath w/r/t the Lakers, I would succumb to sickness. The Rockets-Lakers "tripping balls" has given way to "worst hangover/down" ever. Except maybe last year after the 39 pt mauling in game 6 in Boston.

For the next round, what do we all think? My feeling is that, although the Nuggets have performed well for the whole of 2009 and that they beat the Lakers in the final meeting of the season (29% shooting by the lakers), I'm not really afraid. Or maybe I care a little less. And perhaps it's hard to think the Lakers are favorites to win the championship at this point, let alone in the series against Denver. (I mean -enver. Ben says you can't pronounce the "D" until -enver shows they play consistent defense. It's a good thing there's not C (consistency) or D (defense) in the word "Lakers.").

But then again, I would take Phil Jackson as a coach any day over Stan "Ron Jeremy" Van Gundy, Mike Brown, or George Karl.