Being an aspiring private investigator means you have to notice patterns.  I’ve noticed I have been hearing a lot more about the Lakers this season.  Why?  Everytime I hear NBA news it’s always blah blah blah…Gasol is awesome. Blah blah blah…Bynum is the next Shaq.  Blah blah blah  Kobe Bryant just walked on water while hitting a game winning shot and delivering a baby at the same time.  I bet David Stern cant wait for his long awaited story of Kobe to winning a championship without the help of Shaq to come true.  Like it is going to prove he is the next coming of Michael Jordan.  The league is so desperate for that type of player.  I feel like my brain is being programmed to expect the Lakers win the 2009 Championship.  NBA front office, ” I’m callin you out!!

The NBA front office obviously favors the Lakers this year.  They said, “Lets put the defending 2008 NBA Champions in hostile territory by making them change timezones to play in LA on Christmas day”.  They couldn’t even spend Christmas day or Christmas Eve at home with their families.  Then they said, “Let’s hype up Andrew Bynum as much as possible.  He looks a little bit like Shaq and reminds fans of the last Laker Dynasty.”  Unfortunately for the League, Kobe got tired of sharing the spotlight and fell into Bynum’s leg.  The league needed to recover quick, they obviously told the refs to let Kobe get to the free throw line 20 times against the Knicks and tell Mike D’Antoni to do what he is good at, not play defense.  And during the timeout of the Laker’s last game against Boston I swear I could see mysterious figure give the refs the sign to put their whistles in their pocket.  Derek Fisher might as well have escorted Ray Allen to the prom by the way he was holding his arm on that last play.

Apparently it’s all about selling the story.  Last year we saw it, when the Celtics were reborn with the arrival of KG and Ray Allen.  The League was obviously tired of great players like Charles Barkley and Karl Malone not winning NBA Championships.  They have been building KG and his failures to even make it to the championship up for the past twelve years.  It was time for them to cash in before people focused on the next generation of superstars.  They ahd their story.  Three future hall of famers near the end of their prime, especially KG, coming together for one last hurrah to win the NBA Championship.

The NBA has obviously learned that they need to sell an NBA story in order to stay in business.  The Spurs and the Pistons almost killed the NBA.  David Stern was probably crying in his sleep dreaming about NBA fans watching two of the most boring teams in NBA history going head to head in the NBA finals.  Detroit already ruined the leagues dream team of Kobe, Shaq, Malone, and Payton and he will not let that happen again.

Right now the Lakers seem to be the only story the League has to talk about.  Nobody cares about the Celtics anymore now that they have already won the Championship.  David Stern will not allow solid fundamental defense, good ball rotation, and a lack of highlight dunks to win again.  And then there is the Cavs.  The aquisition of Mo Williams and the long awaited offensive system is not enough to appease the league.  Apparently the NBA front officeis saving the Cavs story for next year.  Just wait the headlines will read, “Can the Cavs finally win the NBA Championship before Lebron leaves for more money?”

It makes you wonder what will happen Sunday when the Lakers play the Cavs.  Will the Lakers go 4-0 against two of the East’s best because Stern wants them to?  Did the front office tell the Knicks to let Lebron go crazy to hype up a Kobe/Lebron matchup?  Will the Lakers be the team to end Cavs amazing home winning streak and be known as the streak killers of the NBA?  They have broken the Celtics streak twice.  Will Lebron get his foul calls or does everyone on the Lakers team get one free shot?  I am tired of this Laker favoritism.  As a proud long time fan of the LA Clippers, I demand justice.