February 28, 2024: The Last Season

Just got done reading a book with my son. He has to read every day; it’s part of his homework. After he finished reading a book with my wife, he picked one to read with me. It was a sports book; go figure! Except, it wasn’t the type of sports book you would think… It was The Last Season, the story of the 2003-2004 Lakers. Huh?

Yeah, this was my aunt’s book; she was a big Phil Jackson fan… I am too. So, just because it was about the Lakers, it was the Zen Master who was writing it. Did you think I really wanted to read about Kobe and Shaq? I hate the Lakers. I hated Kobe. I wasn’t a fan of Shaq. After the Bulls dynasty ended, and MJ retired for the 2nd time before going to the Wizards, and then finally retire for good, my interest in the NBA waned. The greatest to ever do it was no longer roaming the court. Our Bulls… had fallen on very tough times. Kobe, the next heir apparent to Jordan, was out there winning rings, a 3 Peat actually with Phil and Shaq in the purple and gold. It was not a fun time. Still, if this was the book my son wanted to read, what was I going to say? We’ll get to all the Chicago sports books I have on the shelf.

Man, all the drama in LA… You had Kobe and Shaq battling each other. You had Kobe going through his court case. Phil was dating the owner’s daughter. Phil’s relationship broke down with Kobe, and when he shared that with management, essentially sealed his fate. It was the Lakers team with Karl Malone and Gary Payton. It was an absolute train wreck of a regular season, but when the playoffs started, the team came together; great… Now I have to read about the Lakers winning another title, but… to my surprise, this was not the case. The Lakers did make it to the NBA Finals that year against the Pistons; what a mismatch, right? No… lo and behold, the Pistons beat the Lakers in the Finals that year, to end this season with a thud, and put a big smile on my face. You think I would have remembered that.

Yes, Phil got canned after that. Shaq got traded. Kobe took over the team, and would have to struggle through a bunch of seasons before winning his last 2 rings, this time without Shaq, although Phil WAS back. Yes, the surprise ending to this book had me very happy about reading this book. The Lakers with Kobe and Shaq losing on the big stage? Priceless. You see, as a Bulls fan, I don’t know anything about losing on the big stage… 6-0 ring a bell?

I enjoyed reading Phil’s thoughts. He was really the only reason I would think about being happy for the Lakers success. Phil is a legend, always will be. He almost matched his success with the Bulls out there on the West Coast… almost… But, 6 is greater than 5 last time I checked. Still, 11 total titles as a coach? Bravo Phil, bravo. On to the next book…