This is a well crafted video that details last second shots, great games with great finishes, and a conclusion featuring a rivalry that transcends Awesome Endings itself.
Everything works in Awesome Endings. The narration is simple and effective and the voice does not detract from the basketball images. The video also devotes most of its time to both the early days of the NBA and up to the modern era (late 1980s). But it also clearly leans towards the Boston Celtics. One gets the impression that the Celtics is the favorite team of the producers. Indeed, the final sequence of the video chronicles the great rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics. Some other highlights include the last second shots segment, the Willis Reed story (with vintage Marv Albert commentary), the Greatest Game Ever Played--Game 5 of the 1976 Finals, and the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals.
It is a great time capsule into life in the NBA in the pre-Jordan era, when Magic, Bird, Kareem, Dr. J, Chamberlain, and West dominated their teams and time spans. But perhaps the most effective part of Awesome Endings? The writing. Great over the top lines read with deadpan seriousness such as: "But Bird quickly doused the flame as he refused to be denied"; "On that day, Larry Wright shed his anonymity and stood alone in the spotlight"; "The glare of the spotlight becomes too harsh on its would-be heroes"; "...led with reckless abandon by Dave Cowens"; "Philly was confident that lightning couldn't strike twice. Could it?"; "The Sixers looked homeward for salvation."
Awesome Endings showcases great plays and players in a video that seems Classical. It hints that in basketball lies destiny. And redemption. For me, this has been a great video of inspiration. It's been in my possession since 1990 and I still bust it out every few months. In fact, when I want to just kick back, this is the ideal video to pop in. When I'm in a good mood, I'll put it in. The last time I watched it, I wanted to celebrate the great mood I was in because I was going on a date the next night and so I watched Awesome Endings. If you're a Celtic fan, it ends on a downbeat note. Because the video ends with the collapse of the Celtic Regime. And so you rewind, and watch it again. "It's like you're putting your hand in the basket and as it goes through your taking your hand out. It's an awesome feeling." -- Isiah Thomas
