Lakers, Suns, Celtics, and 76ers go classical

With the NBA Playoffs in full flight, I will take this opportunity to explore some classical music via the logos of some of the teams in contention this year. Some teams, such as the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, simply defy a classical music comparison. Other teams, such as the Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks, also buck a comparison in spite of team mascots that one would think to have classical music representation. No classical music about deer and nothing about grizzlies unless you consider Edward Elgars' “The Bears” from The Wand of Youth but that’s a bit esoteric. However, we will look at four teams that have good matches.

The sun appeared to be setting on The Phoenix Suns and their championship aspirations after they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Yet now the Suns are rising again with the late-season acquisition of superstar Kevin Durant. The obvious musical comparison here is “Sunrise” from Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss. The trumpets herald Durant's descent from the mountain top of talent into the Valley of the Sun.

A team that could through cold water on the Suns is The Los Angeles Lakers. Lost in the mists of NBA history is the fact the Lakers started as the Minneapolis Lakers. That name makes sense. In 1960 the team moved to LA and the name came with them. The Lakers face long odds this year. Their odds are almost as bad as Alexander Nevsky’s during the battle on the frozen lake from the motion picture score Alexander Nevsky by Sergei Prokofiev. Can LeBron James, the role of the battle-hardened vet, lead his troops to an unlikely victory?

The Boston Celtics have an Irish leprechaun for their mascot but the Celtic peoples lived across almost all of Europe at one point. Celtic Gaul was conquered by Julius Caesar and incorporated into the Roman Republic which was soon to become the empire. The opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini tells the story of a Gaulic priestess caught between her people and her love for a Roman officer. The Gauls prepare for war with a battle chorus “Guerra, guerra! Le galliche selve.” The Boston Celtics will battle it out with the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers have the most interesting classical music match. Composers James Hewitt wrote a short piece of classical music about George Washington’s victory at the pivotal Battles of Trenton and Princeton. The 76ers have lost every pivotal playoff battle they have fought since they won it all in 1983. Perhaps this year MVP candidate Joel Embide can play the role of Washington and lead his revolutionaries to a victory.