Enterteenment - Sports

The ball falls into the net, just as it has thousands of times throughout the playoffs. The same sound as when Kobe has hit threes, as when Dwight Howard has slammed in a dunk, as when LeBron has hit a buzzer beater. The net makes the same sound, no matter whose story is being told; and these playoffs have had many stories to tell. There are the Celtics, who sought to defend their title and reach a record breaking eighteen championships. There was LeBron James, who seemed to be awaiting his coronation as "King James". Finally, Kobe and the Lakers, looking for redemption after last year's loss in the finals. In the end the finals are always about the individual stories, and this year is no exception.

The Celtics arrived in the playoffs with the third best record in the NBA and an unquenchable desire to win. Although they won the championship last year, the Celtics in no way lacked drive. The only major obstacle that they faced was the loss of superstar Kevin Garnett due to injury. And then they lost another big man, Leon Powe. It looked like the Celtics had almost no chance in the playoffs. However they fought through the adversity and managed to put together a respectable playoff run. In fact they beat the Bulls in one of the best playoff series ever played.

Throughout the entire season LeBron James has carried the Cavaliers. He played so well, earning his first MVP award, that the Cavs ended the season with the best record in the NBA. At times it felt as though the entire season was just the festivities leading up to his coronation as the king of basketball. There was an aura of invincibility and fate surrounding LeBron.

However, after winning their first eight playoff games in a row, the Cavaliers proved that it takes more than one person, even if he is the best, to go all the way. For LeBron, the series loss to the Magic did not expose a hidden weakness or even show his own mortality. To the contrary, it underscored LeBron's amazing skill set and left us all wondering what he could do with a supporting cast, which supported him.

Kobe Bryant has led a much more balanced team to the brink of his fourth championship in a decade. The three championships that Kobe and the Lakers have won were all with the aid of Shaq. Kobe is determined to win as the only star on the Lakers. A win in this year's final would validate Kobe as one of the best players ever. The fact that last year the Celtics prevailed against the Lakers is only fueling the desire to win.

Sports inspire us. They stimulate us with stories of overcoming the odds, with the unexpected, and with relentless determination. All of the lessons that we can glean from sports are boiled down into the most intense moments. The playoffs. It is in the playoffs that everything is clear-cut, where the mighty fall, legends are made, and people are truly inspired.