it's in the air....

I don't follow basketball like I used to.

When I was twelve I knew more about MJ and Scottie than their mothers did. I could have picked Dino Radja out of a lineup of 10 other guys who look like eastern European bad guys from Bond movies. On occasion, I slept with a basketball.

But now things are different. While I publicly blame the awful job ABC has done with presenting the national games, and the Bulls giving me Ron Mercer as the best player on my team for a year, I must admit: I simply don't have the time I did when I was in sixth grade.

No excuse; I know.

But, like the all of life's finests, a new appreciation for the sport I grew up on has developed over the years. Here's why I love basketball, and why you should, too.


-It's candid.
In football, helmets and mouth guards shield most on-field emotion. The league shields most off-the-field emotion. The unscripted kind, anyway. And where I come from, in baseball, managers fall asleep (although I'm surprised that the MLB doesn't have more Albert Belles and Mannys with leadership like Bud's).

On any given night in basketball you're going to see scowls. You're going to see yelling. And you know the TV stations can't resist subtly relaying a few F-bombs to the people watching at home.


-The announcers.
Basketball analysis is hilarious. It's one part stating the obvious, one part infomercial (ABC), and one part former players who are bored, have little training, and have nothing to lose (Stacey King). Announcers also try addressing both of their main audiences (those who relate to Allen Iverson and those who relate to Archie Bunker) at the same time. It is great entertainment.


-Rivalries.
LeBron & Co. aside, the NBA features some of the best team rivalries and best individual rivalries. The game allows so much focus to be poured defensively on one player, that he is bound to get pissed off over the course of the never-ending postseason. This brews hatred. Every team has a Chris Pronger.

-Players from other countries.
Crazy hair, crazy accent, crazy jump shots. These aren't your daddy's Tony Kukocs. Dirk, Pau, and Nash aren't afraid to tussle with people who are much stronger than them.

-Inept coaches.
What other industry do you not need credentials to get top positions and 7-figure incomes? Welcome to the NBA. Not only are coaches allowed to be inept, but they are encouraged to be second mascots for the team, doing jumping jacks up-and-down the sideline, and they're not afraid to one-up the routines of the cheerleaders.



It may be different now, but I still love basketball.


Let the season begin.