66 reasons to watch the NBA
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
In this area, residents (or so it seems) prefer to watch high school and college basketball over the pros. That's fine, I enjoy both of them as well, but I'm also a big fan of the NBA.
Growing up in the '90s, I consider those my "golden years" of being an NBA fan. I grew up a fan of Hakeem Olajuwon, and I marveled over how great the Chicago Bulls were. Speaking of the Bulls … they have the greatest PA announcer in the world ("at guard, 6-6 from North Caaaaarolina, Michael Jordan!").
Then came the post-Jordan era, when all the stars from the '90s retired one-by-one-by-one, and I lost a lot of interest in the game. Between college and starting my career in the sportswriting business, I fell out of touch with the Association.
I don't know why I got back into the sport, but I think a big reason was because I started covering it at the high school level. I started watching again (sure, I kept track of the sport during some lean years, but didn't love it), and Reggie Miller was calling 3-pointers from the announcers' table and not the court. Isiah Thomas was coaching the Knicks and not playing for the Detroit "Bad Boys," I mean Pistons, and Pat Riley was a general manager, then coach, then GM again.
Now, the NBA isn't like it was in the '90s (at least for me), but it sure is close, and though I haven't missed the NBA so much this year, I'm glad it is making a grand return as Santa is bringing a tripleheader on Christmas Day (we also have a NFL game that evening as well).
The NBA lockout seems to be done and over with (for now) after all the paperwork, voting and tear-wiping is all close to being wrapped up.
Since there will be a 66-game season, I got 66 reasons (to watch) but Adam Morrison ain't one.
1. I can't wait to see if the Dallas Mavericks can repeat. Dirk Nowitzki and his teammates finally won the big one, but I don’t think they can do it again. I liken Dirk to Peyton Manning … one title in a Hall of Fame career, which isn't such a bad thing.
2. Hearing Bill Walton analyzing games.
3. A season without the following sentence: "Phil Jackson and his zen make him the greatest coach of all-time."
4. There will be no out-of-shape Shaquille O'Neal lumbering down the court in a Boston Celtics uniform. I prefer to remember Shaq at his greatest … being a Blue Chip for the Western University Dolphins, eh, I mean playing for the L.A. Lakers.
5. Steve Nash's basketball handling skills.
6. Seeing the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls do battle in the regular season.
7. Hopefully seeing the Heat and Bulls in a rematch, preferably the Eastern Conference Finals.
8. Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy and his mustache.
9. "YES!" - Marv Albert.
10. How this season, the Heat has zero chance of surpassing the 72-game win season of the '96 Bulls.
11. Knowing as a Houston Rockets fan, I won't have to suffer through another Yao Ming foot injury.
12. Derrick Williams in an NBA jersey will be an amazing thing. Bold Prediction: He'll be the Rookie of the Year.
13. The alley-oop.
14. Reading Bill Simmons' columns about the NBA.
15. The owners and players apologizing (but not meaning it, of course) for having a lockout to begin with.
16. A Christmas Miracle: Having the NBA on Christmas and it being the season opener all in one. (Yes, I know that isn't the true meaning of Christmas, lay off. This is all for fun.)
17. Blake Griffin dunking a basketball ... maybe this year he can dunk it over a semi-truck instead of a car.
18. Praying that Kevin McHale is as good as a coach (in Houston) as he was player (in Boston).
19. One last run for the Big Three in Bean Town.
20. Seeing Mike Brown let his team (he's the new Lakers coach) be run by Kobe Bryant.
21. The '11 rookie class … watch out for the rebuilding project in Cleveland (look up Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson). Will be fun.
22. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert releasing a Comic Sans letter to the fans on why they stink without LeBron for the second straight year. One day, it will be a positive letter, or should be.
23. Shaq and Charles Barkley sharing opinions on the same set.
24. Retro jerseys. The NBA (I’m including the ABA) has the absolute best retro jerseys of any sport.
25. The return of Adam Morrison to the NBA from Siberia. (OK, now the list headline should be 65 reasons …)
26. Chris Bosh being the third wheel behind the duo of D-Wade and LeBron James.
27. Seeing Mr. Kardashian ... I mean Kris Humphries (not Lamar Odom) going back to be a role player in the league, never to be heard from again.
28. A jersey with the last name of either Peace, or World Peace … first name Metta. (See Ron Artest.)
29. Seeing how much better Dwight Howard will be with a second year of working with "The Dream."
30. NBA MVP (prediction): Dwight Howard.
31. The Laker girls. (I'm kidding, Caitlin … really, I am. Don't hurt me.)
32. No more Billy Hunter taking up time on ESPN when they could be talking about Tim Tebow.
33. Learning how to pronounce “Bojan Bogdanovic” (rookie guard for the Miami Heat).
34. No Dick Vitale yelling (what he calls “commentating”) during NBA games.
35. John Wall will become a superstar.
36. The last stand for the San Antonio Spurs. Will make 2nd round of Western Conference playoffs.
37. The transition of Jimmer Fredette the college player into Jimmer Fredette the professional player.
38. Correctly predicting the Toronto Raptors will be the worst team in the NBA for the 2011-12 season.
39. No questions of when and if Brett Favre will return.
40. Knowing the name "New Jersey Nets" is short on life. "Brooklyn Nets" has a better flow to it.
41. Rajon Rondo playing in the playoffs … even if he is traded from the Celtics. He might be more fun than watching Steve Nash … not sure.
42. It's wishful thinking, but a healthy season for Greg Oden.
43. Another prediction … the return of Allen Iverson.
44. The competitive, killer-look Kobe Bryant gets in his eyes right before he blows up for 50 points. Such a great player. He’s in the Top 5 “Best Players of My Lifetime” list.
45. How teams handle the back-to-back-to-back games. Celtics and Spurs will struggle the third of those three days.
46. Catching a replay of a game on a random night at 2 a.m. following a night of covering high school games.
47. I will read "The Breaks of the Game" this season. Heard it is the best basketball book on the market.
48. No more lockout talk … that is the last time I mention it.
49. A full season of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire on the same team. They might have a big three of their own if the Knicks trade for Chris Paul.
50. Watching Eastern Conference games. So much talent in that conference.
51. Knowing we are guaranteed six years (possibly 10) of uninterrupted basketball.
52. The progression of the bags under Jeff Van Gundy's eyes from the start of the season until the final game. They would be five times worse if he still coached.
53. Wondering what ever happened to Darius Miles.
54. Hoping Pat Riley stays a GM and lets Erik Spoelstra coach the Heat when D-Wade and LeBron give him permission.
55. Remember the synthetic microfiber basketball? Yeah, it won't be back this year either.
56. Derek Fisher playing basketball instead of speaking in front of a podium about basketball. (I didn't say lock…)
57. Just realizing the Hornets were in New Orleans. That nickname "makes" sense for a city full of wonderful culture.
58. Another bold prediction: Chris Paul will be the NBA scoring leader.
59. Eastern Conference Finals of Bulls-Heat.
60. Western Conference Finals of Thunder-Mavericks.
61. NBA Finals of Heat-Thunder.
62. NBA Champion … gulp … Miami Heat.
63. Cleveland will be sad over the above occurrence.
64. Have I mentioned every round of the NBA Playoffs? Hopefully a few Game 7s along the way.
65. Avery Johnson coaching Nets games and not analyzing Nets games.
66. An opportunity to watch the best basketball players in the world.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]
Growing up in the '90s, I consider those my "golden years" of being an NBA fan. I grew up a fan of Hakeem Olajuwon, and I marveled over how great the Chicago Bulls were. Speaking of the Bulls … they have the greatest PA announcer in the world ("at guard, 6-6 from North Caaaaarolina, Michael Jordan!").
Then came the post-Jordan era, when all the stars from the '90s retired one-by-one-by-one, and I lost a lot of interest in the game. Between college and starting my career in the sportswriting business, I fell out of touch with the Association.
I don't know why I got back into the sport, but I think a big reason was because I started covering it at the high school level. I started watching again (sure, I kept track of the sport during some lean years, but didn't love it), and Reggie Miller was calling 3-pointers from the announcers' table and not the court. Isiah Thomas was coaching the Knicks and not playing for the Detroit "Bad Boys," I mean Pistons, and Pat Riley was a general manager, then coach, then GM again.
Now, the NBA isn't like it was in the '90s (at least for me), but it sure is close, and though I haven't missed the NBA so much this year, I'm glad it is making a grand return as Santa is bringing a tripleheader on Christmas Day (we also have a NFL game that evening as well).
The NBA lockout seems to be done and over with (for now) after all the paperwork, voting and tear-wiping is all close to being wrapped up.
Since there will be a 66-game season, I got 66 reasons (to watch) but Adam Morrison ain't one.
1. I can't wait to see if the Dallas Mavericks can repeat. Dirk Nowitzki and his teammates finally won the big one, but I don’t think they can do it again. I liken Dirk to Peyton Manning … one title in a Hall of Fame career, which isn't such a bad thing.
2. Hearing Bill Walton analyzing games.
3. A season without the following sentence: "Phil Jackson and his zen make him the greatest coach of all-time."
4. There will be no out-of-shape Shaquille O'Neal lumbering down the court in a Boston Celtics uniform. I prefer to remember Shaq at his greatest … being a Blue Chip for the Western University Dolphins, eh, I mean playing for the L.A. Lakers.
5. Steve Nash's basketball handling skills.
6. Seeing the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls do battle in the regular season.
7. Hopefully seeing the Heat and Bulls in a rematch, preferably the Eastern Conference Finals.
8. Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy and his mustache.
9. "YES!" - Marv Albert.
10. How this season, the Heat has zero chance of surpassing the 72-game win season of the '96 Bulls.
11. Knowing as a Houston Rockets fan, I won't have to suffer through another Yao Ming foot injury.
12. Derrick Williams in an NBA jersey will be an amazing thing. Bold Prediction: He'll be the Rookie of the Year.
13. The alley-oop.
14. Reading Bill Simmons' columns about the NBA.
15. The owners and players apologizing (but not meaning it, of course) for having a lockout to begin with.
16. A Christmas Miracle: Having the NBA on Christmas and it being the season opener all in one. (Yes, I know that isn't the true meaning of Christmas, lay off. This is all for fun.)
17. Blake Griffin dunking a basketball ... maybe this year he can dunk it over a semi-truck instead of a car.
18. Praying that Kevin McHale is as good as a coach (in Houston) as he was player (in Boston).
19. One last run for the Big Three in Bean Town.
20. Seeing Mike Brown let his team (he's the new Lakers coach) be run by Kobe Bryant.
21. The '11 rookie class … watch out for the rebuilding project in Cleveland (look up Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson). Will be fun.
22. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert releasing a Comic Sans letter to the fans on why they stink without LeBron for the second straight year. One day, it will be a positive letter, or should be.
23. Shaq and Charles Barkley sharing opinions on the same set.
24. Retro jerseys. The NBA (I’m including the ABA) has the absolute best retro jerseys of any sport.
25. The return of Adam Morrison to the NBA from Siberia. (OK, now the list headline should be 65 reasons …)
26. Chris Bosh being the third wheel behind the duo of D-Wade and LeBron James.
27. Seeing Mr. Kardashian ... I mean Kris Humphries (not Lamar Odom) going back to be a role player in the league, never to be heard from again.
28. A jersey with the last name of either Peace, or World Peace … first name Metta. (See Ron Artest.)
29. Seeing how much better Dwight Howard will be with a second year of working with "The Dream."
30. NBA MVP (prediction): Dwight Howard.
31. The Laker girls. (I'm kidding, Caitlin … really, I am. Don't hurt me.)
32. No more Billy Hunter taking up time on ESPN when they could be talking about Tim Tebow.
33. Learning how to pronounce “Bojan Bogdanovic” (rookie guard for the Miami Heat).
34. No Dick Vitale yelling (what he calls “commentating”) during NBA games.
35. John Wall will become a superstar.
36. The last stand for the San Antonio Spurs. Will make 2nd round of Western Conference playoffs.
37. The transition of Jimmer Fredette the college player into Jimmer Fredette the professional player.
38. Correctly predicting the Toronto Raptors will be the worst team in the NBA for the 2011-12 season.
39. No questions of when and if Brett Favre will return.
40. Knowing the name "New Jersey Nets" is short on life. "Brooklyn Nets" has a better flow to it.
41. Rajon Rondo playing in the playoffs … even if he is traded from the Celtics. He might be more fun than watching Steve Nash … not sure.
42. It's wishful thinking, but a healthy season for Greg Oden.
43. Another prediction … the return of Allen Iverson.
44. The competitive, killer-look Kobe Bryant gets in his eyes right before he blows up for 50 points. Such a great player. He’s in the Top 5 “Best Players of My Lifetime” list.
45. How teams handle the back-to-back-to-back games. Celtics and Spurs will struggle the third of those three days.
46. Catching a replay of a game on a random night at 2 a.m. following a night of covering high school games.
47. I will read "The Breaks of the Game" this season. Heard it is the best basketball book on the market.
48. No more lockout talk … that is the last time I mention it.
49. A full season of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire on the same team. They might have a big three of their own if the Knicks trade for Chris Paul.
50. Watching Eastern Conference games. So much talent in that conference.
51. Knowing we are guaranteed six years (possibly 10) of uninterrupted basketball.
52. The progression of the bags under Jeff Van Gundy's eyes from the start of the season until the final game. They would be five times worse if he still coached.
53. Wondering what ever happened to Darius Miles.
54. Hoping Pat Riley stays a GM and lets Erik Spoelstra coach the Heat when D-Wade and LeBron give him permission.
55. Remember the synthetic microfiber basketball? Yeah, it won't be back this year either.
56. Derek Fisher playing basketball instead of speaking in front of a podium about basketball. (I didn't say lock…)
57. Just realizing the Hornets were in New Orleans. That nickname "makes" sense for a city full of wonderful culture.
58. Another bold prediction: Chris Paul will be the NBA scoring leader.
59. Eastern Conference Finals of Bulls-Heat.
60. Western Conference Finals of Thunder-Mavericks.
61. NBA Finals of Heat-Thunder.
62. NBA Champion … gulp … Miami Heat.
63. Cleveland will be sad over the above occurrence.
64. Have I mentioned every round of the NBA Playoffs? Hopefully a few Game 7s along the way.
65. Avery Johnson coaching Nets games and not analyzing Nets games.
66. An opportunity to watch the best basketball players in the world.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]