The dust is ready to settle on the hardwood floors now that the NBA season is officially over, though someone ought to clean up that red stuff on the court in Boston because Tuesday's Laker bloodbath was downright unpleasant. Dwyer neatly provides perspective on the season's final game.
Speaking of final games, remember how the Buck bid 2007-08 farewell? Considering it was two months and two days ago, and only memorable for Ramon-reasons, we'll forgive you if you can't recall.
KG's old buddies (okay, old team) went out with a win just like The Big Ticket's current team, admittedly with a tidbit less fanfare, as the Bucks dropped a 110-101 decision to the Timberwolves.
That game merely served as a sour cap on a final ten weeks of the season that were spent with the draft already on our minds. Now we (and hundreds of our friends... vote, pronto) are positively draft crazy.
With no more NBA action, it's all we have. For a month and change anyway.
In early August, the Olympics start, so mark your calendars and set your clocks and then make your time zone conversions, because Team USA opens against China on August 10 at 10:15 p.m. Beijing time.
Yi Jianlian is expected to play for the hosts and Andrew Bogut for the Aussies while Michael Redd is considered by some a Team USA roster lock (Ed: it's now official). That means at least three players on the 26-win Bucks should suit up for the game's ultimate international tournament.
And correct me (or virtual slap, take your pick) if I'm wrong, but that's three more Olympians than the Celtics, looking at the new NBA champs' roster. You'll also notice that the Celtics all call the same country home, but none of them are going to have the opportunity to bring Gold back to the USA. In a sport gone global, it's almost shocking that the world's best club team is, well, All-American.
This sparks an intriguing question: Who would win if Team USA faced off against the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series?
We don't know Team USA's final roster, but it'll surely feature the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Chris Paul. Game, set, match, right?
Consider however that the Celtics are something of a machine, one that has been wrecking teams for more than a half dozen months straight. And do you think if Team USA had to worry about facing KG that 'Melo would still be the chic starting power forward pick? We'll put off our hypothetical series until August, but that doesn't give Dream Team 2008 much time to create chemistry or define roles, if you're into that kind of thing.
By the way, Celtics fans, please think this through before voting. Yes, your team beat Billups, (update: Billups won't be there, but you get the idea) James, and Bryant, but not all at once. Just sayin'.