Basketball is my favorite sport…
I like the way they ALL dribble down the court.
By Ben Osborne
Opening Day is here, and I am so ready.
No one asked, but in light of the season starting and with my excitement growing, I thought that I, a massive sports fan, would give my personal explanation for what I love so much about the NBA. In short, it’s the players, and how incredibly athletic/exciting/entertaining/fresh/savvy/really f-ing good so many of them are.
Check it out. Besides the NBA, my favorite “sports” to follow are Major League Baseball, the NFL, and college basketball (with some love for college football, European and MLS football/soccer and even hockey/tennis/golf when the time allows).
I like the history and tradition of baseball, and I love the stats, but truthfully, this year’s Playoffs kind of put me to sleep. Thing is, I’m a lifelong Dodger fan, and when their season ended in late-September, so did any true passion of mine for the game. I get the Extra Innings package, which is great, but over the course of the season I bet I watched three games on there that didn’t involve the Dodgers; the rest of the players/teams just couldn’t sustain my interest.
I like the hoopla of the NFL and I respect the execution of these 11-man units, but truthfully, it’s rare for me to watch an entire NFL game…unless the Giants are involved. Like with my baseball team, I go out of my way to watch the Giants, and I care deeply about how they will do every Sunday (making this season surprisingly fulfilling so far), but my knowledge of who plays for the Giants and what their strengths or weaknesses are is about 10 times stronger than the rest of the league. I know what’s going on around the NFL, sure, just like I always know the basics of a given MLB season, but my true caring in both cases is team dependent.
Ultimately, I don’t have this problem with the NBA. Put a gun to my head, I’m telling you my favorite team is the Bulls, forged by MJ, Pip and a father who grew up outside Chicago loving the likes of Jerry Sloan. But it’s been an up-and-down fanship. For much of grammar, middle and high school, my main focus was the Nets, as I loved being different from the Knick fans I went to school with and I dug Net players through the years like Micheal Ray Richardson, Chris Morris and Kenny Anderson.
There were even stretches where I reversed fields, rooting for the Knicks, at least when the player I fell in love with as he hot dogged his way through his St. John’s career, Mark Jackson, was in his prime. Then there were times I pulled for the TWolves because they were cool enough to draft KG out of high school and team him with Steph. Or the times I rooted for the Clippers and then Pacers because Mark was running the show for them. Or the Blazers cause Sheed was so ill for them. These allegiances were confusing to my friends, and even me, and they only “worsened” as my time spent on SLAM increased. A Cav was cool to me in the locker room? Go Cavs! The Knicks locker room was about as much fun as middle-school detention? F the Knicks! It just got silly.
Meanwhile, the talent level of players on every team grew. Steve Nash blew up. AI went all out, every night. The Bron/Melo/Wade/Bosh quadrant entered the League the same year.
So I made a new decision: besides the faintest of loyalties to the Bulls and Nets, I don’t root for any team. And I watch every team. Considering the early signs of fatherhood indicate that this season might have me on my couch, chilling with my daughter, five or six nights a week, this policy will pay dividends: since I can be easily entertained by any NBA game, I be in for a fun season (esp if my Fantasy Team does well…speaking of which, I love that Slamonline readers organized a League, but I’m in year 5 of a $ league with friends and I can only concentrate on one fantasy team per season).
And yes, I know that caring who wins a particular game has its value, but so does not caring; lets me enjoy the individual talents that much more.
26 Responses to “Basketball is my favorite sport…”
Oct.30 at 3:23 pm
Tarzan's Jane says:
First??? For me this was a snoozer.
Oct.30 at 3:24 pm
Blue says:
What?!? You didn’t dig Derrick Coleman?
Oct.30 at 3:27 pm
Myung says:
Mark Jackson’s ears got more pointy as he grew older.
Oct.30 at 3:28 pm
Cub Buenning says:
Michael Ray! Denver’s finest! You had to slip a MarkJax shot in there….
Oct.30 at 3:51 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
as the season goes on, ben will be cheering more for the nets than knicks.
Oct.30 at 3:53 pm
white hot eboy says:
) Sorry for the emoticon. It was needed.
Ben, really, really good to read your thoughts on the game as opposed to usually just seeing you give props and knowledge to others. Much Like you, I just love the game period, with the Heat as my forefront team just due to my place in the world. I can watch a game anyplace, anytime and that’s why I love it so much, too. To you, all I can say is, keep up the great work, know that we as readers love what you do, and that in some small way, you’re a beacon to the insight of how a publication is run and your continued openess with your readers keeps us coming back for more (some more than others
Oct.30 at 3:55 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Yes, Blue, I loved DC too–I’ve got a great replica Nets jersey of his, in fact, that I like rocking on summer weekends. And I dug Chris Childs. And Drazen.
Oct.30 at 3:55 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Thanks Eboy. Always appreciated.
Oct.30 at 3:56 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
That t-shirt Mark is wearing is amazing.
Oct.30 at 4:03 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Cub, I should’ve saved the Mark shot for when I do a column just about him (and run a Kurtis Blow pic instead), but a-I’m dragging my feet on the Mark column, b-I was too lazy to look for a Kurtis Blow pic and c-what russ just said.
Oct.30 at 4:08 pm
Chris O says:
So is Tarzan’s Jane saying zzzz? More proof that this is Tarzan Cooper’s girl. I can’t forgive MarkJax for the shimmy or the knockoff LJ sign. He always reminded me of a turtle.
Oct.30 at 4:14 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
basketball was one of the first hip hop songs i remember. what year was that? 1985 maybe. damn. ..this column reminds me that i need to order league pass. although since the sixers are gonna suck there is no pressure. last year i ordered it for the suns and i still feel them. Although i still cannot fathom how a team with title hopes can allow such a thin frontcourt to maintain!!
Oct.30 at 4:20 pm
Chris O says:
I haven’t sent out my annual email to the League office yet, but I’ll put it out there in case the Commish or an owner is reading: I’m more than willing to play for the minimum (or some sort of under the table deal where I get paid the equivalent of 10 day contracts all year) for any team, particularly the Suns. True, I’m only 6 feet tall, but I’ve been guarding big men all my life. I might not score a lot, but I can make some crucial stops when needed. I also can guarantee hilarious locker room antics that will provide comic relief for the team throughout the season.
Oct.30 at 4:24 pm
white hot eboy says:
Chris, you can be like Juwanna Man and play for the Mystics or the Sparks.
Oct.30 at 4:35 pm
Chris O says:
I wonder how many guys out there thought of the concept of Juwanna Man years before the movie came out? I wouldn’t join the WNBA unless Toronto got a team. Or Vancouver. The Lionesses?
Oct.30 at 4:37 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
drazen was that dude.
Oct.30 at 5:13 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
that basketball song was the first video on a tape of “Hot Trax” my brother had when I was a kid. I used to think Kurtis Blow and Dr. J were the same person.
Oct.30 at 6:21 pm
jbn74sb says:
Kurtis Blow. The first rap superstar.
And great piece, Ben. I enjoyed reading this.
BTW - My buddy plays in a rec league that I Don’t Know A Mark Jackson plays in. He backs everyone down, posts them up, and then passes when the double comes.
Oct.30 at 10:39 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Thanks Bodie. Ask your buddy this: if the double doesn’t come, does Action hit em with the quick turnaround teardrop? I’m sure the answer is yes.
Oct.31 at 2:56 am
jbn74sb says:
I imagine that the double never doesn’t come, since he is a legit (former) NBA player playing in a rec league. It really just illustrates the obscene size of NBA players. Mark is/ was a PG, yet posts people up all day in a rec league. Nash looks like a 4th grader, but is probably about 6′3″, 200 lbs.
Oct.31 at 4:50 am
Tariq says:
My allegiances to teams work in the same way yours do, Ben. I really liked the Sonics in the 90s until they traded Kemp. I also basically rooted for anyone who played against the Bulls just because I would have like things to get interesting. Then the Iversons for a while. It changes. I was comfy and cozy on the G-State bandwagon last season, so…
Oct.31 at 7:48 am
Holly MacKenzie says:
I am SO with you on this Ben. I have been a Lakers fan since Magic made me fall in love with the game, I love the Suns because of Nash and they are just full of guys who are fun to watch and of course I love the Raptors, but really, I just love this game. I love the players, I love the coaches, sheesh, I love the announcers (well… some of the announcers). Really, I just love the excitement, the newness, the familiarity, the old faces, the rookies, the stand-bys, the traditions and the history waiting to happen that comes with each game. It is unmatched by anything out there! And I know what you mean on talking to players and shifting loyalties. Kurt Thomas was sweet to me last Friday, lets go sonics! ahahah I loved this piece Ben. It captured the way I feel about opening night perfectly!
Oct.31 at 9:49 am
Drolfe says:
I’m so happy to read all this multi-team supporting stuff. Being from Australia without any geographical alliance to any NBA team, i just watch every game i can, and root for the underdog or the team with my favourite players. I always thought i was missing out on something not having a team i supported religiously, but now i know im not alone. Thank you, SLAM family.
Oct.31 at 5:19 pm
Dudemeister says:
giants are going to the superbowl this year fo sure
Oct.31 at 8:26 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Yeah dude!
Feb.29 at 8:26 am
Otome Opuoro says:
We love Basketball. Definitely that’s the sport.
You can express yourself on the Basketball court unlike any other GAME. I could go on forever. Bottom line. We love this game.