NBA: Hardly thinking, hardly worthwhile

Here's all you need to know about the NBA: the two players who have seized the moment in the 2001 playoffs have been immersed in controversy--one because of his own mouth, the other because of his mother's cluelessness.

First, we have Shaquille O'Neal, he of the back-to-back 40-point, 20-board games who has the Lakers headed toward a fairly easy repeat. (Let's be bluntly honest, folks: without Derek Anderson, the Spurs will have a tough time outscoring L.A. Factor in Philly's inconsistency and Milwaukee's... well... complete lack of defense will enable the Lakers to coast home.) Shaq is on top of his game as few players have ever been, dominating everyone in his path with astonishing ease--and this without good free throw shooting. Shaq has matured as a player, has paid the physical price, and is bringing home hardware. Bully for him... on the court.

However, being a major sports figure and celebrity in the L.A. market--not to mention the worldwide basketball community--obviously has not made Shaq, the son of a military man, aware of solid morals and values. Yes, one of the most prominent athletes on one of America's most storied franchises made the contention--jokingly, he later explained--that he had slept with tennis star Venus Williams, supermodel/supercelebrity Cindy Crawford, and rap star Aaliyah.

Don't get me wrong--Magic Johnson and James Worthy actually were sexually promiscuous during their NBA careers, something that can't be said (or at least not assumed) of Shaq. Nevertheless, when it came to playing ball, speaking to the media, and conducting themselves in the public eye, the old Laker teams of the 80s gave the organization and the L.A. community the sense of class, style and professionalism that made the Lakers as loved and as respected as they were. The fact that those Lakers (along with their rivals--the Sixers, Celtics and Pistons) played a brand of ball infinitely better than today's dreck only adds to both the luster of yesterday and the emptiness of today in the world of NBA playoff basketball.

It's unfortunate but not surprising that Shaq did what he did earlier this week. As a result, many fans who either embraced him or stopped disliking him last year, after he finally won a title and backed up his words and talent, will once again regard Shaq Daddy with an indifferent neutrality or renewed bitterness.

After all, Shaq has carried himself with a not-too-subtle sense of entitlement throughout his NBA career. The fact that this big-boy rapper and ubiquitous commercial presence would choose this time to once again present an unappealing side of himself to the public--and then make his apology on "Entertainment Tonight," of all possible outlets--says a lot about the world Shaq and the NBA's culture both inhibit.

This culture--one centered around immense self-gratification and the extreme overuse of the word "respect" (not to mention the inability to truly deserve it)--reared its ugly head last week when Toronto Raptors graybeard Charles Oakley, with his team on the verge of elimination against the New York Knicks, rightfully tore into supposed superstar Vince Carter, telling him, in harsh but accurate terms, that he needed to live up to his billing and carry the team late in big games.

Carter, chastened by a veteran teammate who knows what it takes to succeed in the NBA, promptly delivered a combination of both his signature aerial artistry and a newfound supply of elbow grease to carry the Raptors past the Knicks and then to a game 1 win over the Eastern Conference top seed, the Philadelphia 76ers. For the first time in his career, Carter rose to the occasion in truly big games, and Oakley lit the fire that enabled Vinsanity to burn even more brightly.

Yet, all this got lost on Carter's mom, Michelle, who lashed back at Oakley in the press for everything the Oak Tree--a dedicated, blue-collar, lunch-pail professional--did to make Carter a better player and the Raptors a potential championship team. Just a week before Mother's Day, the mom of a mega-millionaire showed the bad side of parenting: covering up, making excuses, failing to show tough love or preach discipline.

The point is not to indict Michelle Carter as a mother, even though it might seem like I'm doing as much. Mrs. Carter has surely raised a very talented son, one who--it should be noted--responded well to Oakley's words and matured a great deal as a player and person in a short time. The example provided by Michelle Carter does reflect the often intoxicating nature of big-money sports and the stardom and success that flow from it. Anyone who breathes in this rarified air can get addicted to its aroma, and for one moment, Michelle Carter did.

One can only hope that Mrs. Carter and the Oak Tree will have a nice sit-down in the future, and that everyone involved will retain a better appreciation of what it means to be a professional. In the meantime, however, the sporting public is left with this all-too-familiar imprint: pro sports, and the NBA's flashy culture in particular--reinforced by Shaq's "joke," among other things--lead to a lot of silly and senseless behavior among people who are very lucky and blessed. As a result, the two standards of excellence in this NBA postseason won't be, can't be, and shouldn't be embraced as the stars of past decades were.