Random Rumblings: On Celts/Bulls, the Kentucky Derby and more...

First some thoughts on what some called the greatest playoff series in NBA history, which concluded in Boston last night with a Celtics victory in game seven.

• Let’s dispel that notion right away. For me to consider a series the greatest of all time, I need two things: 1) Both teams should be playing at their highest level, which the Celtics were not. They were missing Kevin Garnett, which would be like the Bulls missing Ben Gordon if Gordon could rebound, play defense and make his teammates better. 2) The series has to mean more than just a victory in one round of the playoffs. Chances are the Celtics will get bounced in the second round, just as the Bulls would have and this incredible first round series will have no effect on the outcome of this year’s NBA Finals.
  
  Now that being said, it was just that, an incredible first round series. I can’t think of a time in recent memory when any of the NBA playoffs became must-see TV, let alone the opening round, but that’s what this was. At least for the finals six minutes of regulation and however many overtimes the game went to.
  
  We learned a lot from this series. Ray Allen cemented his legacy as one of the great shooters in the history of the league. Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo proved they’re the future of the point guard position. And Gordon probably earned himself a max contract.
  
  Chances are it was the most exciting series we’ll see throughout the playoffs, even if the Lakers and Cavs end up in the Finals.
  
  But that doesn’t make it the best ever, does it?
  
  
• Call me evil, but I consider horse racing is the ultimate meritocracy. A winning horse, even a 50-1 stunner, will spend the rest of his/her life being treated like a royalty while it’s off the glue factory with many of the losers.
  
  Maybe that’s why it’s called the sports of kings.
  
  
• Hey, what ever happened to the Jim Calhoun scandal? Maybe the Yahoo! guys will wait until the next time UConn has a shot at a national title.
  
  
• It’s nice to see the Yankees cut ticket prices in half (in some cases) but it will be interesting to see where those tickets end up. I realize the team needs to take care of its biggest customers, but if those guys weren’t attending games at the prices they paid, what makes anyone think they are going to make the effort to sell their tickets or even give ‘em away?
  
  Hopefully, they’ll donate them to charity and use the tickets as a write-off.
  
  
• What a slap in the face to Americans it would be if London was allowed to a host a Super Bowl. In the reverse case, if the United States was granted the right to host a Champions League Final that had an English team in it, we’d be entering a war with our closest ally.
  
  
• The Dodgers went a month without losing at home and even though it’s only May, it’s hard not to think about a Manny Ramirez return to Boston in October. And early November. Thanks WBC.