10.30.08 Where Amazing Happens: Wow

The new NBA season is upon us. The time is now for so many young and old NBA talents. There’s so much to do and so much to achieve. As always, some of it will happen and some of it won’t.

Can Kobe Bryant become his own man and step out of Shaq’s still very large shadow?

LeBron James has put himself in a position to become a legend; will he step closer to making that possibility a reality this year?

Dwight Howard may be the best center in the NBA. This needs to be a career year if he’s to start to climb onto that all-time list.

Chris Paul had one of the best seasons in the history of point guards last year. Anything less than a repeat performance this season will be a let down.

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen want to be remembered as Celtic legends. The only way to become such is by winning several championships. They’ll get their chance this year.

All of this and more is what is possible for this season. Any of that could be added to the NBA history books this year. It seems like every season something happens that becomes a memorable part of NBA history.

Last season the Boston Celtics proved themselves to be a team for the ages in giving the city of Boston another parade.

The season before LeBron James gave one of the greatest playoff performances in NBA history when he decided he’d win a series by himself.

The year before that Dwyane Wade was well, the 2006 version of Dwyane Wade.

The list goes on and on…

Remember Magic Johnson’s baby hook shot?

We all remember “John Havlicek stole the ball!” Even if some of us weren’t even alive.

You can’t pick about a ten dozen moments of the legend that is Michael Jordan. From scoring 63 in the Garden to willing his team to its sixth championship, there are plenty of moments to choose from.

What will happen this year? Something will happen in NBA basketball this year that you’ll never forget. What will it be? Will you be there when it happens?

I don’t want to sound like a commercial, but there’s a reason those NBA commercials are so cheesy. The NBA has so many great moments. Whenever you go into the old nostalgia bag it’s going to seem a little bit cheesy.

Still, the point remains, will you be watching this season when that one special moment happens? Will you be watching when you’re favorite player has one of those amazing games? Will you be there?

Will you?

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09.27.08 Where Amazing Happens: Failure

Why do we love basketball? There’s plenty of sports out there, why this one? What makes this game so special?

To everything that is good in life there has to be a little bad. You can call it the yen and the yang or whatever you like. Whatever its name, the bad is the balance of the good.

In basketball, that’s especially true. For every 60 win team, there are two or three teams that are lucky if they can win a third of that total.

It’s the risk all players, coaches and in the end, teams face. We’re coming up on the new season, and the risk is approaching. There will no doubt be teams that succeed beyond the hype and expectations, but the opposite of that awaits the unlucky and unprepared.

This new season will be a career year for several NBA players, but it will be just the opposite for so many as well. The brutal path of a losing season lies ahead for 14 unfortunate teams.

For all the possibility of glory, there’s even more possibility for failure. Only a select few players end an NBA season being truly satisfied. It’s the way it should be.

When a player misses a game winning shot, sometimes, that’s how it has to be. If every buzzer beater that’s attempted goes in then the act itself loses all meaning.

The most precious thing about winning a championship isn’t born out of success, but out of the failures of seasons past. It’s why Michael cried when got his first ring and why KG tried to pretend the tears weren’t there when his moment came.

What made Kobe Bryant’s MVP win this year a little more special than most wasn’t because he had a superior season. No, it was because he’d failed to win the award so many other times. Ultimately, he did succeed. It’s a great story.

There is a flip side to the coin of achieving success out of failure, and that’s simply achieving failure. The picture on this page shows a team fully aware of that concept.

So many NBA cities have either gone totally without a championship or it’s been so long since they had one that the memory and feeling is gone.

The pain of fans losing is sadly what makes sports so interesting. If everyone was a winner there would be no point to it all. If one is to win, someone else has to lose.

It may be horrible to witness, but it has to happen. Your heart has to be broken. You have to be disappointed. Would you want it any other way?

No matter how awesome it may feel to see the team or player we love succeed, it’s equally important to see them fail. For if they don’t first fail, the success just isn’t as sweet.

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09.20. 08 Where Amazing Happens: Surprises

Why do we love basketball? There’s plenty of sports out there, why this one? What makes this game so special?

Who wants all the predictions to be right? What would the point be of watching the games if all that has been said before hand comes true? I want to have some measure of suspense.

It’s why we watch the games. We want to see what’s going to happen. We, as the audience, need to see the result unfold before our eyes.

We’ve seen Jerry West’s half court shot. That’s a memory that’ll never leave the halls of NBA history, but what it was originally was a surprise.

What about the picture on the top of the page? The Mavericks were massive favorites to not only defeat the lowly 8th seeded Warriors, but to possibly win it all. How did that work out?

Everyone has seen the shot a thousand times, but how many people would’ve bet on the Bulls knocking off a higher ranked Cleveland team in 1989?

Did anyone expect LeBron James to give one of the greatest playoff performances ever in the minutes leading up to the game five showdown with the Pistons? I know I didn’t see that explosion coming.

What about Kobe Bryant’s 81 point game? Even though he had scored 63 points in a game against Dallas earlier in that season, I don’t think anyone expected to see an 80 point game in the world of post-Wilt.

As much as any reason for why we love basketball is that there are very few certainties. On any given night any team can beat any other team. The talent level is that high, and the game of basketball lends itself to those possibilities

Basketball is rarely a game of force. The sport is more about finesse and accuracy. Given that a lot of what goes into a team playing well is mental, that creates openings in every game we watch.

Your team is down by twenty points? They can always come back in basketball.

Any player can catch fire on any given night, and for that one night, become unstoppable.

It’s about desire, focus and having a lot of luck. No team has ever won an NBA championship without having had a great deal of luck on their side at one time or another.

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09.12.08 Where Amazing Happens: Commitment

Why do we love basketball? There’s plenty of sports out there, why this one? What makes this game so special?

It’s been never easy. Basketball is a team game, first and foremost. Though, it allows itself to spectacular individual brilliance as well.

Money too often influences that brilliance. The true test is when money is possible, but not taken. The riches are left behind for the rewards of a team.

Glory is far more rewarding than fortune. It’s that principle that has always drove the best to become great. The best want to be the absolute best, monetary rewards becomes secondary.

It’s about sacrifice above all. It’s about knowing that you are more than just yourself. It’s about winning above all. That’s the most important thing.

A player places himself into a program and an environment for the better of both. A player wants the success, at any cost. Even if that cost is his own personal success.

That’s what is called integrity and honor. Many players in the sport that is basketball claim to have both, but few truly do. It’s not about talk, but actions.

To be apart of something larger than yourself, to be apart of a team, that is greatness. Not just in name, but to be apart of a unit that is a collection of pieces.

The collection of everyone’s heart, will, strength and passion can be unbeatable. The sum of the parts is always stronger than when they’re separate. Strength in numbers indeed…

The ends may be selfish, but the path must never be. The path and the journey is what it’s all about. There are no shortcuts. Only the most adamant about the virtue of the path will prevail.

There will be setbacks, no doubt. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy, as true champions of basketball always learn. The road is always brutal, but would it be worth it if it wasn’t?

If the goal was easy to achieve, would it even be a goal? The concept is to achieve what few have ever done. There has to be a reason for that.

The goal can’t be achieved by one man. It takes agreement of souls and blending of minds. Teammates must share in success and defeat if either is to mean anything in the long run.

The long run is what the goal is. It’s the entire and whole shebang. It’s what the sprained ankles, long nights, early practices and the pain are all for. The idea of winning, that’s what it is.

The championship parades, the banners, retired numbers, hall of fame inductions and all of the rest of it grow from this. Winning and success grow from this. It’s above one’s self and one’s own personal ambition.

There’s only one word to describe all that it takes to win a championship in the NBA. One word that has applied to Russell, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Michael and Timmy. One word that equals maybe the greatest act a player can do in the NBA or all of professional sports.

Commitment.

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09.06.08 Where Amazing Happens: Drama

Why do we love basketball? There’s plenty of sports out there, why this one? What makes this game so special?

Drama is one of the things in life that makes it worth it to stick around as long as possible. We love the suspense of what might happen next. There’s no end to the possibilities inside your own head.

All year you’re team has been playing amazing. The team’s play has been so amazing that a championship parade isn’t out of the question. It’s early, but a fan can dream, right?

The team has made it to the midway point of the season and seems to be playoff bound. You’re so hyped for the future and so you tune in to watch a seemingly meaningless game against a far inferior team with a losing record.

The game goes well for the first half. You’re team leads at the break and victory is almost certain. The boys come out and play with passion! This is a team on a mission!

Then… tragedy strikes! Out of nowhere you’re team’s best player, the team’s everything, is hurt. He’s being carried off the floor, and you can’t believe your eyes. This can’t be happening.

Your team manages to hold on and win the game, but that doesn’t matter now. The franchise is hurt, and without him this may be the last win for a very long time.

The prognosis isn’t good. It’s not career threatening, but he’ll miss the rest of the season. The space you’d picked out for that championship banner in the team’s home arena will have to remain empty.

You fear the future. The team looked so good, but it was obvious that he was the glue. He was the guy who made everyone better. It’s over now, and you know it.

Immediately, your worst fears seem to be realized. The losing streak you’d predicted is here, and it’s ugly. Teams you’d once looked down on with contempt are now picking the bones of your beloved franchise clean.

For the short time your hero was in the game, the team did pile on a lot of wins. They looked to be a top seed and were becoming serious contenders. You hope they can hold on and at least make the playoffs. It’s just a hope, but sometimes hope is all you need.

Your hope, your prayers seem to be rewarded. The team is playing well and looks to be closing in on a playoff spot. After the mass losses, a measure of success may still be able to be found.

It’s been a rough road, but the boys have made it in to the playoffs, barely. The star was injured and the team was shook to its core, but they came through to the other side. You can feel joy that the season turned into a simple disappointment and not a catastrophic failure.

They lost in the first round, but you knew they would. It wasn’t about winning the series. It was about getting to play the series. The one thing you can take solace in is, wait until next year!

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08.29.08 Where Amazing Happens: Promise

Why do we love basketball? There’s plenty of sports out there, why this one? What makes this game so special?

You wait on draft night, who will your team pick? The draft can change a franchise’s fortunes in the blink of an eye. Will this be the next Duncan or the next Kwame? Everything or nothing, all hangs in the balance. The pick is…

A little man, kind of funny looking, walks up to the podium, this is the commissioner of the NBA. This is David Stern. His presence, or more importantly, his voice has been attached to all the great memories we have of this night.

“With the third pick the Chicago Bulls select… Michael Jordan!”

Will this happen again?

Your team has made its pick; he’s hyped as a special player. He’s one for the ages, they say. He’ll do great things, they say.

You start to dream about the MVP trophies, the game winning shots, the championship parades… You’re team has a date with destiny!

You see the promise, and soon, so will everyone else!

In his first game, the hope of your franchise doesn’t explode. The true vision of his greatness will have to wait. You know it’s coming, but not tonight.

Now a few weeks have gone by and you’re still waiting. The promise is still just promise. You want results.

Sure, you’ve seen the glimpse of what he can be, but what if he never gets there? What if the pedestal is too high?

You’re franchise has wasted this opportunity. They could’ve picked anyone, anyone but this scrub.

You sit in front of your TV on all-star weekend, hoping the rest will give him the spark he’s lacked. The rookies once again lose to the sophomores, and he didn’t even put up a fight.

All-star weekend comes and goes, with it, your playoff hopes. The team is losing and your big pick, the bet of the franchise has let you down.

Still, you decide you’ll tune in and watch his last few games of his rookie season, hoping he’s better next year.

The game is close; you’re up against a tough team. This team will go to the playoffs that you’re team won’t.

He has the ball with mere seconds to go left on the clock in the fourth quarter. The score is tied! Like Jerry, like Magic, like Larry… Like Mike, he steps on the floor after his team’s last timeout is used. He’s calm. He’s confident. This is his moment. This is your moment. What happens next?

What happens next?

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