Sports Column: The NBA Finals

(andPOP) - The NBA Championship was handed out Thursday night to the San Antonio Spurs, after they defeated the Detroit Pistons in game seven of their series. Sure, everyone knows that already, and sure, it was a good series, but I'd like to set the record straight.

I'm a hockey kind of guy. This past year has been one of the most difficult in my life. The void in my life thanks to the lockout has been a tremendous one. Saturday nights just haven't been the same. Although on a positive note, I did watch a lot of basketball this season. I paid more attention to Canada's team, the Toronto Raptors. I could go on about them, but they suck, plain and simple. Just for the record though, I loathe Vince Carter. I wish misery upon his soul.

Anyway, I?m getting a bit off track. Basketball's a good game. Not quite hockey, but it did the job. Personally, I'd like it more if body-checking was part of the game. Imagine Manu Ginobili going up to the lane and getting Ben Wallace's shoulder planted right on his face? That would be nice.

I was hoping for the Phoenix Suns to make it to the NBA Finals. I really wanted Steve Nash, our Canadian hero, to win a championship. Hopefully, it will happen for him, but this year the Spurs were just too good.

But there's a difference between being good and being boring. These NBA Finals pitted two of the most boring teams against each other. Two teams coached by brilliant basketball minds ? Larry Brown and Greg Popovich. Two teams without a flashy superstar that the league uses to sell its product. The Pistons and Spurs are two teams that play solid basketball as a unit, and they've proven in the last two years that defense wins championships. For the league, the series was a ratings nightmare. The first four games were terrible, and if the last three games were not so close, this series would have been one of the worst of all time.

Yeah, I watched most of the series. It was the Finals after all, "Where Legends Are Born." But it definitely wasn't the match up I wanted to see, and in honour of that, I give you now, seven random things I hated about this year's NBA Final:

7) No NBA Lockout

The NBA averted a lockout by agreeing on a new CBA with its players. They had to announce it during the Finals, when everyone was watching, and even talk about how they didn't want to go through what the NHL did. I was kind of hoping the NBA would suffer a bit like the NHL did, and would have to shut down. But the NBA isn't as dumb as the NHL, and that's all too clear now. No, I'm not bitter.

6) Too many T's!

Why is it that in the most important games of the season the referees feel the need to take the game into their hands? Sure, the Pistons have a reputation of taking too many technical fouls, thanks to Rasheed Wallace, but it's the Finals, and the refs have got to let the players play. There were way too many technical fouls, on players and coaches.

5) Best of Three

Did anyone let the players know that games one through four of this series were part of the series itself? The first four games were absolutely brutal, with the home team dominating each game. At first, it seemed like San Antonio was going to sweep, then it seemed like Detroit was going to win in six.

4) Eva Longoria

There were way too many shots of Eva Longoria throughout this series. Every game in San Antonio, whenever there was a chance, there she was, on the screen. I can't really blame the camera man; she's more exciting to watch than the game. But I don't need a constant reminder that Tony Parker is dating one of the hottest women on television. Damn that Tony Parker. Actually, now that I think about it, I have more animosity towards Tony Parker, and am quite happy with continuous shots of Eva Longoria.

3) Lack of Star Power

It really makes a difference when you have a Jordan, a Shaq, or a Kobe in the NBA Finals. The games are better, the quotes are better, and it's just better for the league. Imagine Lebron James in the Final. These two powerhouse teams are built on their defense, and don't have a flashy star player who can get everyone out of their seat every time he touches the rock. Yeah, people will argue that Tim Duncan is one of the best players in the league, has won a few rings and MVP trophies, but I think he's boring. Everything about his game is boring. He has no facial expression. Even his nickname, "The Big Fundamental," is boring.

2) Too Much Love!

I remember back in 1993 when the Leafs were playing the Kings and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final was on the line. Marty McSorley had clocked Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark beat the piss out of him for doing it, and Pat Burns wanted to rip Barry Melrose's head off. He had to be restrained at the bench! It was glorious. Seeing how good of friends Larry Brown and Greg Popovich are made me pretty queasy. They said they had dinner on the eve of Game 7. Give me a break. There's way too much love in basketball. Friendship gets put on the side while you battle for the ultimate prize. It reminded me of Vince Carter as a Raptor, who would go and hug his opponents with a big smile on his face, after losing the game by more than 20 points. Damn that Vince Carter.

1) Too Much Manu Ginobili

What's the deal with the love-in with this guy? Everyone was going crazy about Manu, how he drives to the hoop with reckless abandon, which he does, and how he's the next big superstar who plays the game the way it should be played. He had a couple of huge games to start the series, but was pretty average after that. To be honest, I can't really stand the guy. Yeah, he drives to the hoop, but you lay a pinky on him, and he's on the ground. He's Argentinean and it's clear he's got soccer in his blood, because he can dive with the best of 'em! I'm off Ginobili, huge.

Another NBA season has come to a close. Congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs.

*Yawn*