Why do players do this?

Image from sports.yahoo.com

Professional athletes have always been a superstitious and cowardly lot, so why on Earth would they potentially "jinx" themselves by posing with the NBA trophy before they've even played a single game of the Finals?

Seriously, even if you don't believe in hexes and curses, at the very least it makes the player look like they've somehow earned the right to place their grubby little mitts on the trophy just by making it to the Finals ... Hasn't everyone on both teams proclaimed that "they've achieved nothing" and that "the goal hasn't been reached yet"? If that's the case, then why be seen with the trophy when it's not yet in your possession?

So far, I haven't seen any photos of Celtics players posing with the Larry O'Brien trophy (but feel free to post links in the comments section below if you have) ... Something tells me that Ray and Paul and Kevin aren't willing to get within ten yards of the thing until they've actually EARNED the right to do so.