NBA Finals: Not Boring Again

In a season marked by on-court brawls, synthetic basketballs, high draft picks going to teams in the Pacific Northwest, and college coaches who change their minds about coaching a pro team, it has all come down to this: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Spared the ugly fate of another Spurs-Detroit Pistons final, we now have the dream matchup of Tim Duncan, Robert Horry and Tony Parker going for the Spurs' fourth title against LeBron James--and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The NBA is happy. Nike is happy. So is ESPN on ABC, which now has something to show besides Parker's fiancee, Eva Longoria of the network's "Desperate Housewives", cheering him on in the stands.

James got his team this far with a historic Game 5 against the Pistons, scoring 48 points in a double-overtime victory for the Cavaliers. He has done something Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers wishes he could do after chasing Shaquille O'Neal all the way to Miami: Take his team to the finals almost by himself, just like Michael Jordan used to do. But where's his Scottie Pippen?

You'll also be hearing a great deal about the city of Cleveland's title drought, going back to the Indians last winning the World Series in 1948 and the (original)Browns capturing the NFL title in the pre-Super Bowl year of 1964. Until James came along, the Cavaliers have been a mostly sorry mess during their history, suffering through bad teams and bad owners.

We think the drought will continue, with the unexciting but experienced Spurs taking care of the Cavaliers in five or six games. But LeBron James will soon have his day.