According to the Chinese calendar, 2012 is the year of the Dragon, but here in the good ol’ U.S of A, at least so far, 2012 has become the year of “the King.”
Just one short week ago, the coveted cup of the angelic Lord Stanley was being chauffeured around the city of angels by the most unlikely of royalty, the Los Angeles Kings. After 45 long years, the franchise that began with a rag-tag group of “misfits” and one puck has become a team of destiny engraving their names and legacy upon hockey’s “holy grail.” With an uncanny yet electrifying style, the Kings made history by becoming the only eighth-seeded team to ever win the Stanley Cup beating the top 3 teams in the conference and arguably the NHL. Not only did they beat these teams, but they kicked butt and took names, wasting the numbers 1,2, and 3-seeds in Vancouver, St. Louis, and Phoenix.
With J-Quick in the net protecting his “Camelot,” the King of the Conn Smythe was 16-4 in the playoffs with the league best .946 save percentage and 1.4 goals against average. This feat was so impressive that even the two reigning kings of L.A. were in attendance to witness the glory in David Beckham ( MLS champion with the L.A. Glalxy) and the black mamba himself.
We do not know what the 2012-2013 NBA season will hold for Kobe and the Lakers as they begin their quest for the franchise’s 17th crown, but for now, 45 years in the making, the Los Angeles Kings have officially earned their crowns and the City of Angels is THE reigning “hockey town” in all the land.
Long Live The Kings!
From the kings of the ice to the king of the heat…
No longer does Grammy-nominee Matisyahu’s song “King Without a Crown” describe the life and career of LeBron James. It is official, King James has earned his crown and place in the NBA record books.
Now, before I continue, let me begin by saying that I am personally indifferent to the polarization known as LeBron James. I neither hate him nor love him, but I do respect his game and will admit that his achievements and talents are one of a kind.
I recently heard a very poignant and interesting discussion on the radio about LeBron James, the question up for debate was “why is it that people despise him so much?’ When you think about all of the top dogs in almost every sport, you can pick out a flaw or two and a hamper full of dirty laundry to air out. For example, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Vick, the list goes on. Each one of these champions was once a poster boy and idol for our youth to look up to but now with so much controversy and personal struggle swirling around them, their favor in the eyes of the public and even some in sponsorship has decreased and virtually disappeared completely.
As far as we know, LeBron James has had no encounters with the law in regards to drugs, alcohol, or even the far too common and haneaus crime of domestic abuse. And people hate him why? Because he left a disappointing, horrible franchise with no support after being there for 7 seasons and taking them to the NBA Finals? Or was it because he made a “decision” to “take his talents to south beach” in pursuit of every NBA players’ dreams for a title? If that wasn’t the reason, I’m sure the boyz II men concert with Wade, and Bosh was it.
PLEASE!!
Whether he is on your team or not, he is a freak of nature. If you respect the game of basketball at all or even sports for that matter, you have to tip your cap to the man and acknowledge his accomplishments. During the 2012 playoffs alone he averaged a double double with 30 pts and 10 rebounds a game and 6 assists just for fun. He averaged a field goal percentage of 50% and on a team where his “partner in crime” Dwayne Wade seemed to disappear, he single-handedly put his team on his back and carried them into the finals with that monster of a game in the Boston garden in game 6 of the conference finals. There he shot 19-26 with 45 pts along with15 boards.
He is not Jordan. He never will be Jordan.Nobody will be Jordan but Jordan.If we stopped spending so much time comparing his game to Jordan’s or Kobe’s or scrutinizing his every move, we might indeed become “witnesses” or spectators to what he actually is, a truly great player.
Whether you view these kings as wicked like Henry the IV or heroic like Richard the Lionheart is entirely up to you, but for now as sports fans, we have all become subjects to their glory for however long it lasts. Long Live the Kings!
bcrowsnest 