Sportscaster

NBA is back: No seriously this time

The NBA and their playoffs are finally on their way back to being recognized by avid boating enthusiasts previously known as NBA fans. For the first time in a long time the NBA is getting interesting. Not Jordan vs. Magic interesting, but one step at a time people.

The NBA has been broken into three segments in my lifetime: there is the pre-Jordan era, the Jordan era, and the desolate wasteland of young, useless “raw” talent otherwise known as the post-Jordan era. Obviously, I can’t speak much for the pre-Jordan era being as I basically starting watching games when Jordan entered the league in the mid-80s. But word is, Lakers and Celtics won a lot…a lot.

During the Jordan era basketball, by comparison to today and according to those living through the pre-Jordan era, was at its peak. And as the title suggests it was all centered around Jordan. He made the NBA what it was at it’s height, he made his teammates better, the teams he played against better and the league better. Today, he is still the barometer from which we measure almost everything. Every and any player worth talking about is compared endlessly to Michael. Kobe is good, but is he as good as Jordan? LeBron is a freak, but does he have the cutthroat nature Michael did? AI never dies, but where are his rings? Point is it seems as though we can’t move on. I think are finally getting to the point where we can. His days with the Wizards don’t count in my book, from his last Championship with the Bulls in 98’ the league crashed.

So we get to the post-Jordan era from 1998 until around 2005ish the league hit rock bottom, nobody cared the least bit about anything related to the league. Not to mention highschoolers coming out left and right, very few of which had any true talent. The overall level of play dropped off the charts. The Lakers were winning with Shaq and Kobe and Duncan and the Spurs were the next best thing, yet no one really cared, no one was paying attention. Shaq and Kobe did nothing but bitch at each other every day even during the playoffs and I’m sorry Timmy but you just aren’t fun to watch, you may be fundamentally sound but watching you get 20 and 10 is as exciting as driving a Geo.

Slowly but surely the league is finally recovering. Kobe parted ways with Shaq and although hasn’t been able to lead his team far he’s been scoring at an unparalleled pace. Steve Nash materialized in a Mike D’Antoni let loose style of play and low and behold the Chicago Bulls are back and have a great chance at making it to the NBA finals this year, things are coming full circle. So get off your schooners and check out this years NBA playoffs, because you might just see something special.

PS-Rest assured I will give my two cents about the NFL draft, but wait until it’s over that makes it more fun.