Tonight could be the last night of the 2004 NBA Finals. My Lakers are on the verge of elimination. In the history of the NBA, no team has won the championship after losing four games. So things do not look good. But that’s not why I am writing.

I was at my parents� house last weekend and my mom gave me some of the “junk” that I still had stashed at their house. Included was a Lakers champion t-shirt from 1988. That was the year the Lakers beat the Pistons to win back-to-back championships. It was kind of cool in a retrospective kind of way.

That year, my father and went to the parade. I got the day off of school, and he took me to Downtown Los Angeles. For some reason, I remember that trip as the most exciting trip to LA. I had been to LA before, but this one sticks out. It was a very clear day and there seemed to be a million people at city hall. I sat on my dad’s shoulders and got to see Magic, Worthy, and AC. We didn’t stay too long, but it was a great time.

It took 16 years, but thanks dad. For taking me to the Lakers parade and cementing my love of the home team.