The Heart Stopping Back-and-Forth (LAL-UTA Game 3)

One would be foolish to say we haven't seen a lot in this NBA Playoff season. After all, we've seen blow outs (Magic v.s. Hawks Games 1 & 3), we've seen upsets (OKC taking LA to a Game 6, Spurs taking down the Mavs), and on a few momentous occasions, we've even seen history made (Magic get first playoff sweep in franchise history, LeBron becomes youngest player to ever win back to back MVPs, and Kobe- despite the unbelievable number of superstars to grace the pristine court of the Staples Center- sets the record for all time scoring leader of Los Angeles).

Despite these accomplishments, however, not until last night's game between the Lakers and the Jazz did we experience the heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, stomach-turning excitement of a classic back-and-forth. Beginning halfway through the 3rd quarter, I counted at least 15 times when the lead was exchanged. If that's not crazy enough for you die-hard basketball fans, in the last 2 minutes (120 seconds of game play), I counted 7 (count'em 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, SEVEN) times when the lead was traded-off or tied. These two titanic teams battled it out into the very last second of the 4th quarter, neither one of them willing to accept the crushing defeat of losing by 1 point in a playoff game. Ultimately, the Jazz missed a final jumpshot and a last .1 second lay-in to hear the screeching tone of the buzzer, signifying the beginning of an agonizing night riddled with "what-ifs" and "we could haves". But alas, you didn't.

"That was quite a game," said head coach Phil Jackson, "It was fun for fans to watch. It wasn't great for coaches to watch."

We must never belittle the importance of the classic back-and-forth. It is what fans want to see. Even fans who think they want their home-team to blow a team away, actually want a back-and-forth. Of course they want their team to come out on top in the end, but they feel like they've gotten their moneys-worth when they spent that game shouting at the top of their lungs, spilling bear on their neighbor, professing their hatred for their favorite player, then their love, then their hatred, then their love (i.e. "he never follows through, he's gonna blow it..." and then "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, CAN'T NOBODY STOP KOBE!"). It's human nature: we get bored with predictability. For us to truly appreciate good times, a little bit of bad has got to be in the mix.

"Sunny days wouldn't be special, if it wasn't for rain/ Joy wouldn't feel so good, if it wasn't for pain..." - 50 Cent, Many Men

I really hope we get to see more 4th quarter back-and-forths this playoff season- no other phenomenon in sports is quite as entertaining.

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- The Supersonic Zombie (Girmay)