I wasn’t always an NBA fan. Growing up in South Auckland however, I was one of the many that would race out to the basketball court every lunch time to play my heart out.
I simply loved it.
But as those childhood years merged into teenage adolescence, music, cars and drinking slowly dominated the once makeshift school basketballer I thought I was.
It wasn’t until moving across to Australia six years ago that my interest in basketball was once again sparked, thanks to the generous updates from 24 hour sports channels and living with the biggest Boston fan ever.
Now, with just two days left until the new season tips off in Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles, it’s time to get out the Air Jordans and prepare to witness Dwight Howard in yellow and the new, slightly confusing combination of Jeremy Lin and James Harden in H-Town.
See for me, the greatest thing about watching a basketball game is the energy and sense of community among the fans. We ‘tweet cheer’ our teams, and we whinge together when our team loses.
Not to mention the emotions involved! Like when you think your team is dominating up until the third quarter, only to then crack the shits when they throw it away in the fourth or, even worse, having to put up with heart palpitations due to a game going into overtime.
It can all be terribly exhausting.
Now I hate to drone on about the guy (or more to the point, alienate followers), but hate him or love him, June this year marked the day we finally saw LeBron James win a ring, a day for me that will never be forgotten.
The elation I felt from that game is still so fresh in my mind, it’s right up there with watching the eighth placed Warriors beat the first placed Storm back in the first round of the 2008 finals (I screamed so loud that day the police even came to my door). I will remember both forever.
For those of you who have already purchased your NBA league pass, you don’t need to be told about the impending excitement the next eight months hold, but for the few sceptics that just don’t get into it, here are some pointers of what to look forward to and perhaps start to sound like you know what you are talking about.
– Pick a team and buy some gear. Jerseys, snapbacks, and other NBA merchandise are ‘trendy’ and indeed cool to wear, thus giving you the perceived an image of a baller.
– The Block shots. These are physical statements a defensive player imposes on the offensive player. It’s the “not in my house” block, like what LeBron James did to Tyson Chandler. The ultimate in-your-face fist pump.
– Miami Heat’s Ray Allen and his return to Boston’s TD Garden in Jan 2013. The former Celtic now dubbed by some as a traitor, Allen’s revenge quest will not be lacking motivation, stakes or opportunity.
– Former MVP Derrick Rose’s return from a knee injury. The Bulls were a huge contender until Rose went down in the first game of the play offs. Chicago are more than capable of winning without him, but we at home would rather watch Rose out on the court as soon as possible.
– Start listening to Kanye West and Rick Ross. They spit out NBA-associated lyrics every second song, a handy trait when wanting to sound like you are up with the play and want to show off your rapping skills.
– Kevin Durant. Enough said.
– The new Brooklyn Nets. Again hip hop gets involved, with part owner Jay-Z having spruced up the image of the formerly well-known New York/New Jersey Nets. With new signings, new kit and a new name, you would hopefully think it won’t mean the same old story.
– The moment when LeBron does something freakish like jump over an entire human to score. What miracle will we witness next?
– Thanks to the brilliance of different time zones, there is nothing better than waking up on the weekend and flipping open the laptop to enjoy some NBA over bacon and eggs, and throughout the week you have the abilty to live stream over lunch on your tablet or smartphone. Brilliant.
– Following Australian talent like Andrew Bogut and Patty Mills. To think that these two grew up down under, with a dream to play in the NBA. Extraordinary.
– Saving the best until last are the dunks, the alley oops, the full court long past, the winning last second shots. These are the moments that thrill the most, are what the game is built on and why we keep coming back for more.
So give the NBA a crack this season. Do it.
If it’s cool enough for Jack Nicholson…
Hayley Byrnes
Roar Guru
Tristan it is only polite to follow me back on twitter, Lakers are indeed scary!
Tristan Rayner
Editor
It's all about Lakers vs Heat for mine this year Haylz. Nice piece too. As an aside, I played (badly) all through-out school and I've been to a few NBL games, but I saw my first NBA game earlier this year with a Heat vs Knicks game at MSG during the playoffs. Was a great experience, and has cemented my fandom for the sport, which had disappeared post-Michael. Best of luck to your man LeBron. If I recall correctly, Johnno famously claimed that James was massively overrated. Not forgotten, Johnno!
Johnno
Guest
I love NBA and NBL. For me just 2 things, i want fixed. Bring back hand checking rewards good hard detroit pistons and body defence style, not just attack, and i wish Baskebtall would cut down the time outs. Just scrap all coach time outs, and 1 tv time out per half done. I hate it in basketball when a team is in a tough position unlike say rugby or soccer, they can just so easily dig themselves out by calling a time out. It is annoying, one of the challenges of sport should be digging yourself out of trouble and withstanding a opposition team getting a roll on. And momentum. But in basketball you can just call a time out then re-set your defence and tactics, and done kills of momentum of the other team too. Not to mention a general rest for the starting 5. Less time outs also would increase the demand for good subs make b-ball a true 10 man game not say a 8 man game.. So 1 tv time out per half, and bring back hand checking then B-ball can just about be the best sport in the world .