Watching this Celtics-Heat game and seeing the older Boston squad systematically dismantle the younger, sexier Heat reminds me of the difference I'm noticing between last night's Chianti and tonight's Pinot Noir. The C's know all the veteran moves and have all the savvy that the Heat lack, just as the Chianti - made by an ancient Italian winery - shows all the touches of pedigree and class that the California Pinot does not.
I probably sound like a pompous ass commenting on pedigree and class (see how I can rhyme?), but there's truth to what I say. The Pinot - incidentally made by Robert Mondavi - is mass produced and shows no evidence of effort to create quality wine, whereas the Chianti is smooth, complex and made as if it were an artist's chef d'ouevre. The flavors of the Pinot are simple and flabby - cherries, raspberries, smoke, tobacco and leather tasting like they've all been jammed together. The Chianti, however, has flavors that go on for days - the layers of flavors are readily discernible and you could spend ten minutes just picking out the dozens of different flavors.
I say this not to imply that the Mondavi isn't perfectly drinkable, but rather to point out that there is a giant difference between boutique wines that you have to search for and mass-produced and creatively marketed bottles that you can grab for $9 at the grocery store. There's no reason to turn your nose up at a $9 bottle, but on occasion it's worth the splurge to get into a $30+ bottle that's been hand-crafted by a winemaker with years of experience in the trade.
Similarly, while we all get caught up in the hype surrounding the Heat, it's only a fool who gives up on a Celtics team that carries a minimum of four Hall of Fame players who have been honing their trade for many years in the League.
