Today in Boston we celebrate the Boston Celtics 17th NBA Championship by honoring the team with a parade through the city. In a city that is now used to winning, this championship victory brought a little extra sweetness because it happened at home; was over its most hated foe, the Lakers; and it capped off a remarkable year in which the franchise completed a 180 degree turnaround from worst season ever to one of the greatest in its storied history.
Great sporting events like the NBA finals provide a rich environment for a multitude of story lines. As a PR professional I found several concerning image and reputation management to be almost as intriguing as the games themselves. First there was the clear effort to not only crown Kobe Bryant as the king of the NBA and on par with Michael Jordan, but also as team leader, all around good guy and family man. It was Kobe this and Kobe that. We saw Kobe at home with his family, and even hugging and kissing his children and wife at halftime! Clearly he is one of the best individual talents in the game today, but I think that the NBA and its network partners went a bit overboard with its campaign, especially given his reputation leading into the series. See this interesting blog post by Red Sox pitcher, Curt Schilling, reporting on what he saw and heard while sitting next to the Lakers bench during one of the playoff games.
Another interesting development was the breaking story that NBA referees influenced the outcome of the Lakers' Game 6 Western Conference finals win over the Sacramento Kings in 2002. In that game, the referees called fouls that gave the Lakers a staggering 27 fourth-quarter free throws. This accusation was leveled by Tim Donaghy, a former NBA referee now awaiting sentencing in a gambling scandal, so some may question the source. Nonetheless, it was and is a big story and a perception problem for the NBA. Strangely, NBA commissioner, David Stern, who built a reputation as the man who turned around the league's image when he took it over in the early 80's has been criticized in his handling of this matter for his passive response to these charges. Sure, the response strategy was to focus on the games and minimize the claims by calling them a desperate move by a convicted felon to help obtain a lighter sentence. Still, when the integrity of game is called into question at such a fundamental level, a stronger response is warranted.
And finally there is redemption and vindication. Nobody can be feeling any better these days than several Celtics. Take Paul Pierce for example. He stuck it out through the tough times in Boston and even survived a near death experience. He has achieved his dream, and in doing so, has pushed himself into the rarefied air of super stardom and Celtic hero. For Kevin Garnett there is the satisfaction of putting to rest all those who questioned whether he could win the big one. He certainly is on the top of the world now. And finally, congratulations to GM Danny Ainge, who was often ripped on local sports talk radio for his handling of the team. His ability to come back after losing out on the lottery to concoct the trades that brought us Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett was something that even Red Auerbach himself would have been impressed with.
