This or That

2008 was a very special year in politics, or the NBA. Barack Obama, or the Boston Celtics, made history when he/they won the election for the presidency of the United States of America, or the NBA Championship, this year. Obama, or the Celtics, had many naysayers on the way to realizing his/their goal and the path to success was definitely not an easy one. “Not experienced enough,” proclaimed the critics when he/they began his/their journey to prominence. Sure, he/they was/were an instant fan favorite, but many of the experts labeled him/them as unfamiliar with the entire election, or playoff, process. They were unsure if this was the man, or the team, who could lead the Democrats, or the Eastern Conference, to glory. Besides, the Republicans, or the Western Conference, had won 17 of the past 26 elections, or 7 of the past 9 NBA championships.

So the race, or the season, began and Barack Obama, or the Boston Celtics, stood out from his/their peers from the very start. His/their only real competition in the party, or conference, was Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, or the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons. Edwards, or the Pistons, would fall early, leaving Hillary, or the Cavaliers, as Obama’s, or the Celtics’, greatest adversary. Hillary, or the Cavaliers, managed to push Obama, or the Celtics, to an epic and historic democratic nomination race that ran until just days before the party’s convention, or game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Barack, or Boston, was miraculously able to pull out a triumphant and hard fought victory and looked forward to the race for the presidency, or the NBA finals. His/their opponent in this climactic showdown was the impressive John McCain, or Los Angeles Lakers. McCain, or the Lakers, had an extremely easy path to this finale, having demolished any competition that stood in his/their path. In fact, it was known for quite some time that McCain, or the Lakers, had won the Republican nomination, or the Western Conference title, and he/they was/were just waiting for his/their tired and fatigued opponent to be named.

In a surprising twist, the crowds got behind Obama, or the Celtics, in a big way. People were suddenly ecstatic about their candidate, or team, and showed great support. Even though many experts favored McCain, or the Lakers, early on because of his/their impressively storied past, it became quite clear soon into the race, or series, that Obama, or the Celtics, was/were running away with the show. It all came together on election night, or Game 6 of the NBA finals, where Obama, or the Celtics, simply bulldozed right through his/their once formidable opponent. The final score: Obama 364 McCain 163, or Celtics 131 Lakers 92.

As president-elect Barack Obama so eloquently put it: “This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.” Or, as Celtics Forward Kevin Garnett so eloquently put it: “ANYTHING IS POSSSSSIBLLEEEE!!!”