NBA is A-OK
Despite some criticisms, the league is thriving this year
Posted: Wednesday February 26, 2003 12:44 PM
I've jumped aboard this particular pony on previous occasions, but I think it's worth saddling up again. The drumbeat of anti-NBA sentiment, reflected in a recent Sports Illustrated poll, is very much a reality, no matter what Commissioner David Stern thinks. I hear it all the time. The complaints about today's stars. The conjuring up of Larry and Magic, and even Bob Cousy and Bill Russell, as the last guys who really played the game the right way. The denigrating of the NBA in comparison to other sports, particularly the NFL and college basketball.
I have always thought -- and continue to think -- that the basis of those complaints is racist. Much of white America will simply not accept a black-dominated game. White America is too quick to judge the sport as a whole because they don't like Allen Iverson's hairstyle or Rasheed Wallace's tattoos. It's not quite that simple. But it's almost that simple. I think Stern knows this and it makes him mad, understandably so. But to say that the NBA doesn't deserve negative publicity is different from saying that it has a problem with negative publicity. At some level, perception becomes the reality.
But, look, my mission here is not to suggest a different marketing strategy for the NBA. It's to point out the positive storylines that obviate most of the negative stuff.
Consider:
The wide-open race for the championship. How many teams do you think can win the NBA title? Four? (Dallas, San Antonio, Sacramento and the Lakers.) Maybe even six, if you believe in a couple of contenders from the East -- Indiana and New Jersey perhaps? I remember many seasons when the legit contenders numbered two. And when Michael Jordan was in his prime, that number was one.
The fundamental brilliance of Tim Duncan. The league is often criticized for being too flashy, too oriented toward dunking and high-wire acrobatics. But here's a guy who still banks his jump shot, keeps his hands up (Bill Walton-style) when he rebounds, defends and has the footwork of Fred Astaire. Why doesn't anybody bring up Duncan's brillance when the NBA is being trashed?
The performance of Michael Jordan at age 40. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at 46. I'm not sure the following feat is as impressive, but it comes close: Three times this season Jordan has scored his age, i.e., he had more points than he has years. And there are still two months to play.
The Detroit Pistons. This is a hard-working, blue-collar team constructed in the image of general manager Joe Dumars, who was a star in the league, and Rick Carlisle, who was a journeyman. The club is defined by Ben Wallace, he of the throwback ABA hair.
The race for Rookie of the Year. It's usually clear-cut, but this season Houston's Yao Ming, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire and Miami's Caron Butler are all candidates.
The Sacramento Kings. If I hear one more person tell me how great the old Boston Celtics passed the ball, I think I'll gag. The Kings pass it better than Boston did.
The depth of the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, love 'em or hate 'em, have five guys averaging in double figures and are the most balanced team (sort of like the old Celtics) I can remember since the Detroit Pistons of the late '80s and early '90s. While we're on the subject, let's also give a nod to the New Jersey Nets and two teams that aren't so hot, the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors.
The best players in the league are also the best guys. That's how it used to be, back when Magic and Michael and Larry ruled the day. Granted, superstars are not always the easiest players for the media to deal with. Shaquille O'Neal is great when he's on, but has been less "on" than usual. Kobe Bryant is available, but reserved and cautious in a way that Jordan never was. Dirk Nowitzki is still learning his way, and Duncan takes reserved to a new level. But this hierarchy of players, which includes two others (Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady) who are terrific with the media, plays hard, stays out of trouble and sets an example for others to follow.
The toughness of NBA players. We hear a lot about the courage of NFL players. So be it. But Utah's Greg Ostertag is playing with one kidney (he donated the other to his sister) and, if doctors would let him, Miami's Alonzo Mourning would be running around the court with kidney disease.
The wildness of Steve Nash. The Mavericks guard takes, and makes, more wild shots than anyone this side of a playground H-O-R-S-E game.
The rebirth of Golden State. Eric Musselman, son of Bill, seems to have the Warriors turned around. (Well, maybe it's a little early to sell that one.)
The officials aren't that bad. Yes, there's been entirely too much acrimony between the referees and the players and coaches this season. But no more than in baseball, where umpires are in a constant war with players. And anything is preferable to that endless, ridiculous replay system that turns many an NFL game into something more tedious than a Senate filibuster.
There are plenty of unsung heroes. Here's an all good-guy team, none of whose members get much publicity. Elton Brand of the L.A. Clippers; P.J. Brown of the New Orleans Hornets; Darrell Armstrong of the Orlando Magic; Eric Snow of the Philadelphia 76ers; Malik Rose of the San Antonio Spurs.
An old coach can still teach new tricks. Jason Williams of the Memphis Grizzlies was for most of his career a moody out-of-control point guard who reinforced many of the stereotypes about the league's spotty play. This year he's reined in his game under the direction of a 117-year-old coach, Hubie Brown. Go figure.
Long-lasting duos. Simon and Garfunkel sang together at Sunday night's Grammys. The only combo that's been around as long as them is Karl Malone and John Stockton. And, like S&G, the Utah tandem can still get it done.
The wide-open race for MVP. I went into chapter and verse on this topic last week, but I find it fascinating. Bryant, Duncan, McGrady, Garnett, Nowitzki, and perhaps even O'Neal will all get first-place votes.
Men behaving not-so-badly. No one on the Portland Trail Blazers has been in trouble for at least a month.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum covers the NBA for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Click here to send a question to his Mailbag.
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