When will we learn?
Many cocky Laker fans welcome the news of point guard Jameer Nelson's possible return to the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals that begin Thursday at Staples Center.
"His timing will be off. He'll only disrupt the playoff rotation the Magic have already established. He'll do more harm than good in the Orlando lineup," these Laker fans foolishly prattle.
Normally good arguments, except when it comes to L.A. in the NBA Finals.
May I present the Willis Reed Curse. For those too young to remember or too shattered to bring it back to their stream of consciousness, Reed was the center of the New York Knicks who hurt his right thigh muscle in Game 5 of the 1970 Finals against the Lakers.
Yes, the Knicks were once good even before Patrick Ewing and Pat Riley tried to physically beat up the rest of the league.
After Reed's exit, New York rallied from a 16-point deficit to take Game 5. Then all basketball fans must have seen video at some point in their lives of what ultimately transpired in the series.
With the series tied 3-3, a hobbling Reed trotted out for Game 7 in Madison Square Garden and scored two points. His return, however, ignited his teammates -- especially Walt Frazier, who had 36 points and 19 assists -- to a 113-99 victory and the championship.
What does that have to do with Nelson?
Hopefully nothing.
Remember, however, that Nelson was instrumental in Orlando's regular-season sweep of Kobe and the Bryanteers -- he had 27 points five assists and four rebounds in the Magic's 106-103 win in Orlando on Dec. 20, overcoming Bryant's 41-point effort. For an encore, Nelson scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to go along with eight assists and six rebounds in a 109-103 win at Staples. Kobe's triple-double? Nullified.
Back to the future. Let's imagine that the Lakers and Magic are tied 1-1 going into Games 3, 4 and 5 in Orlando -- L.A. was tied with both Houston and Denver 1-1, and all of Orlando's series this postseason were 1-1.
Not hard to believe, right? Now, let's believe it's the third quarter of a Game 3 that is a back-and-forth struggle, when coach Midas Van Gundy inserts Nelson.
On Orlando's first possession with him, Nelson eludes Laker Derek Fisher (again, not hard to believe) and hits a 3, sending the Magic Kingdom crowd into a frenzy. The momentum spurs Orlando to a 2-1 win with two games left at home.
Uh-oh.
Still think it couldn't happen? Then let me take you back to a memory fresh in every Laker fan's mind: Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals.
Pauline Pierce carried off the court in the third quarter after a SERIOUS knee injury, then taken via wheelchair to the locker room, missed all of 1:45 of the game and fueled the Celtics to a 98-88 victory. If the Lakers could've stole Game 1, who knows what would've happened? L.A. might now be gunning for the championship that ties the franchise for the most titles with Boston at 16, instead of trying to pull back within two of the C's 17.
So let's not be so quick to dismiss the role Nelson could play in a love-hate relationship the NBA Finals has had with L.A. (14 up, 15 down).
Someone has to play history professor so that we do learn.
Keywords: Jameer Nelson, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Paul Pierce, Willis Reed
