Bucks Stop With NBA Title

It has been half a century since the Milwaukee Bucks last won an NBA championship, when two future Hall of Famers named Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson led the team to their first title.  You might know Alcindor better as a Los Angeles Laker who changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then won a few more titles.

In 2021, the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in six games for their second championship trophy, winning 105-98 in the clincher at Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the team's focal point, scored a career high 50 points to wrap up a season in which, thanks to COVID-19, was anything but typical. 

The NBA 2020-21 season started around Christmas, due to the previous season ending in October.  The shortened and compressed schedule resulted in injuries to key players, and to rescheduling games around postponements due to the virus.

Then the playoffs came in mid-May. The Bucks won the Eastern Conference by defeating the Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks. The Suns, led by Chris Paul, went through the Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers to win the West.

LeBron James didn't make it to the NBA Finals this year, but he did make headlines battling Bugs Bunny at the newly reopened multiplexes for the new "Space Jam" movie. 

Marv Albert has called his last basketball, hanging up his mic following TNT's coverage of the Eastern Conference finals. He had been broadcasting sports for decades in his signature style that others have imitated, but never duplicated. He leaves as one of the greats, whether you are a basketball fan or not.  Yes Marv, your career still counts. 

This was not a banner year for the NBA, or for anyone else. For the Milwaukee Bucks and their fans, the only banner they care about is the one that's going up the rafters of Fiserv Forum next fall.

Lightning Strikes Stanley Cup Again

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens in five games Wednesday to win the NHL Stanley Cup, allowing it to establish a Florida residence for the second consecutive year. 

The Lightning won it before their home fans--something they couldn't do the previous season--when Ross Colton scored the only goal of the match. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskyiy, who shut down the Canadiens for much of the series, was named recipient of the Conn Smythe trophy as the outstanding player of the finals. 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to shorten this past season to 56 games starting in January, with play restricted to teams playing each other within their own divisions and crowds gradually admitted inside arenas.  Still, that didn't stop some teams from shuffling their schedules due to players catching the virus.

The playoffs began in mid-May, a little later than usual.  The Lightning went through the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders to get to the finals.  The Canadiens got past the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights to attain their first final since 1993. They were also the last Canadian-based team to win the Cup that year. 

This was also the final year for NBC to televise NHL games, dating back to the post-lockout year of 2005, which happens to be the longest relationship the league has ever had with an American TV network.  ESPN, ABC and Turner Sports will take over coverage next season. 

To close, two things.  First, Tom Brady of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers should not be allowed anywhere near the Stanley Cup. He's already notorious for tossing the Lombardi trophy to a teammate during the victory parade.

Second, and most important:  May we never see hockey in July ever again.