NBA

There has really been a lot to talk about when it comes to the sports represented by these three organizations: the NBA, the NFL, and MLB. I will begin with the National Basketball Association because I read on another blog about how the Brooklyn Nets would win the title this year. That will not happen. Before I tell you why let me begin by saying that over the last 3-4 years I have really become an NBA fan again. If you can look past the overwhelming number of tattoos on the players you can really see some amazing talent in the league right now. I grew up in the Magic, Bird, Jordan, etc. era and when they all began to retire I began to lose interest in the style of play in the NBA. I preferred the team effort that was so apparent in college basketball over what appeared to be a more one-on-one game in the pros. As I have watched more and more over the years I now have a greater appreciation for the value of the rest of the team along with the super-stars. Speaking of super-stars, the NBA is full of them again. There have always been several greats of the game during the time since Michael Jordan retired, but the amount of young talent right now is as high as I have seen it in a while. One such talent is LeBron James. I am guilty of watching the ESPN special of him announcing where he would sign a few years ago. I was really hoping he would stay in Cleveland but didn’t really care where he went. Of course he went to Miami which is why the Nets will not only miss the Championship Series, they won’t get out if the Eastern Conference. LeBron has become such a complete player that he not only can take the team on his back, but he has made those around him better. All the great championship teams have had more than one superstar because in the game of basketball, one guy can’t do it all every night. LeBron has matured to the point now that he realizes the mistake he made in broadcasting his desire to “take his talents to South Beach.” He has also matured on the court to the point that his team will, for the foreseeable future, be the team to beat. There is part of me that wants him to silence the critics and win seven titles (one more than Jordan). However, there is also a part of me that would like to see one of the other great super-stars of the game get one for themselves. Chris Paul is right now the best point guard in the game so he along with Blake Griffin could win with the LA Clippers. Kevin Durant, maybe the second best player in the NBA deserves one. I would love to see one of the “local” teams (Atlanta or Charlotte) win it all. The Hawks have a much better chance than the Bobcats, but the Michael Jordan owned Bobcats would be a refreshing upset. Indiana and Chicago probably have the best chance in the East to knock off the Heat. San Antonio, Golden State, Memphis, Oklahoma City and Houston are probably along with the Clippers, favorites out West. But to pull for a Russian owned, former New Jersey team that has been relocated to Brooklyn New York, team is mind-boggling. Perhaps the writer of that blog would care to expand on those great reasons to pull for the Nets so he doesn’t lose credibility with his South Carolina readers.