Joe Chacon's Blog
The NBA season has come to a close and for many of us it's on to the dog days of the MLB season as we wait for football to arrive.
I'm sure the LeBron haters have realized that he winning a ring isn't the end of the world. Besides, right after the Heat won the championship we were all back to our miserable lives while he was celebrating.
Personally, I'm looking forward to the break in the NBA. Not having to deal with ridiculous post game wardrobes and accessories is definitely a step in the right direction for my sanity.
Here are five other things fans won't miss about the NBA:
5. Most Teams Have No Chance of Winning It All
Let's be honest. If you are a fan in Milwaukee, Charlotte, Toronto, Minnesota or Washington, then you know you have no shot of winning the NBA Championship. Regardless of how the league wants to talk about there being parity (there isn't any), or how every team starts with a clean slate, only a few teams can really be excited to make a run for the trophy.
In the last 32 years there have only been nine different franchises winning championships. By comparison, Major League Baseball has had 18 different teams win a ring and the NFL has seen 16.
Most NBA fans predicted the NBA Championship was going to come down to Oklahoma City and Miami.
Unless there is some sort of contraction in the NBA that lessens the amount of teams in the association, this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
4. LeBron vs. Kobe Debates
You see it everywhere. ESPN.com, FOXSports.com, Yahoo!, and even here. Fans start to discuss something regarding the NBA and it somehow always leads to bickering between who's better; LeBron James or Kobe Bryant?
The conversation can start out as something as obscure as how good of a coach Gregg Popovich is. NBA fans start talking about his coaching which then goes down a path such as this:
Popovich coaching > Tim Duncan > Duncan's four rings > Kobe has one more than Duncan > LeBron would have six if he had Shaq > Kobe is more clutch than LeBron > LeBron......well, you get the picture.
Just come to the conclusion that both players are great and move on.
3. Selfishness
Professional sports are filled with selfish athletes but they really seem to shine the most in the NBA.
I've reached the point in my NBA fan career that I don't know if I can deal with another season of these guys who walk around with a self-righteous attitude all because they can put a round ball through a basket.
It's no secret that I'm a huge Laker fan. I have been my entire life, but the thought of going through another season of following Andrew Bynum and his selfish attitude gives me a headache just thinking about it.
Russell Westbrook (OKC) is another player who epitomizes the selfish attitude that I see on the court. Every time the man makes a shot he pounds his chest like he just did something important. The Thunder could be down by 15 late in the fourth, but that won't stop Westbrook from telling everyone to "look at me!" after making a three point shot.
Would it kill these guys to just get back on D?
2. Flopping
Remember back in the day when Vlade Divac was the only flopper in the NBA? I seem to recall Muggsy Bogues dribbling down court and seeing Divac sprawl back as soon as Bogues made contact.
For those that don't remember, Bogues was a 5'3" point guard best known for his time with the Charlotte Hornets.
When did it become acceptable for a 6'7" forward to launch himself backwards as soon as his man makes contact with him? Seeing these grown men throw themselves to the ground in a purposeful attempt to deceive the referee irks me to no end.
Man up, hold your ground, and play tough defense. Show some respect for yourself.
1. Players Crying After Every Foul
How many fouls do fans witness during the course of any given game? Of those fouls, can you guess how many don't include a player throwing their hands up in dismay? The answer is 2%. Only 2% of the time do players agree that there was a foul. There is no source or proof to go along with that claim, but trust me, that has to be the number.
In many cases you can see on the replay that somebody got hit hard and the person who did the damage still complains as if he was five feet from the play.
I understand there is a game within the game in dealing with the referee's, but c'mon, this is the single most annoying thing about the NBA today.
Remember when the NBA implemented a rule last year that gave an immediate technical foul to anybody who expressed dissatisfaction toward the ref's? What happened to that rule? It only lasted a few weeks. Bring it back!
What did I miss? What is it about the NBA that makes you want to turn a game off no matter how close the score may be?
Joe Chacon is a staff writer for Operation Sports and a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.
# 1
shadia147 @ Jun 25
Overly loud Hip-Hop music, or any other music blaring over the PA system during Timeouts. I'm 55 Yrs old... The music is driving me away.
# 2
lavy23 @ Jun 25
Personally, I would have had Russell Westbrook's outfit in that picture at number one.
All jokes aside, #5 is less of an issue to me because teams like the Spurs and Thunder have proved that small-market teams can still dominate if they have a great GM and the right type of players. I would have put people complaining that the refs are biased on the list also because that is so annoying. The only "rigged" game I've ever seen is Kings-Lakers Game 6 and maybe the '06 finals.
All jokes aside, #5 is less of an issue to me because teams like the Spurs and Thunder have proved that small-market teams can still dominate if they have a great GM and the right type of players. I would have put people complaining that the refs are biased on the list also because that is so annoying. The only "rigged" game I've ever seen is Kings-Lakers Game 6 and maybe the '06 finals.
# 4
wallofhate @ Jun 25
I totally agree with all of this. My pet peeves are for one example the whole is he the next? Question. Is he the next jordan? Is he the next magic etc. no he's who he is it'll never be the next of something that has already existed besides it gets people jumping to conclusion way too fast....harold minor rings a bell for anyone???. Another is the constant zooming in to the players faces to catch them saying something off color or controversial. We should have never seen Kobe using a gay slur because the camera should have beenore focused on what we tune in for...the damn basketball game!!! Why do I have to miss baskets being score or a steal because you wanna turn nba on espn into basketball wives.
# 5
tril @ Jun 25
#5- most teams have no chance of winninga championship. IMO, Thats the only thing wrong with the NBA. THE NBA should get rid of gaurenteed contracts. have a hard cap. then give each non playoff team the same % of winning the draft lottery. This would help teams rebuild quicker.
The NBa doesnt need to contract but maybe play less season games, in acompacted season. This year we got to see alot of players play that we probably wouldnt see if teh season were the regualr length. There are alot of ballers in thsi league, and next year we wont see as many breakout performers/perfomances.
#3 as far as selfish players, I dont think its a selfishness "me attitude", its immaturity. Most the players people complain about are young, I mean really young, and usually shadowed by an elite star on a team.
Westbrook-is a stud, who is seeking acknowledgement. I believe he's only 24.
Bynum- Great Center on the cusp of greatness but overhsadowed by Kobe, plus he's really young still.
These selfish players will eventually mature, and get it together. Those that dont wind up like Allen Iverson, Latrell Sprewell, etc.
nothing bothers me about the NBA. Stern has done a good job of cleaning up the image.
The NBa doesnt need to contract but maybe play less season games, in acompacted season. This year we got to see alot of players play that we probably wouldnt see if teh season were the regualr length. There are alot of ballers in thsi league, and next year we wont see as many breakout performers/perfomances.
#3 as far as selfish players, I dont think its a selfishness "me attitude", its immaturity. Most the players people complain about are young, I mean really young, and usually shadowed by an elite star on a team.
Westbrook-is a stud, who is seeking acknowledgement. I believe he's only 24.
Bynum- Great Center on the cusp of greatness but overhsadowed by Kobe, plus he's really young still.
These selfish players will eventually mature, and get it together. Those that dont wind up like Allen Iverson, Latrell Sprewell, etc.
nothing bothers me about the NBA. Stern has done a good job of cleaning up the image.
# 6
aimiami @ Jun 25
#1 just refs overall
They are so inconsistent its terrible. They can influence the game so much its annoying...
good list
They are so inconsistent its terrible. They can influence the game so much its annoying...
good list
# 7
Graphik @ Jun 25
This is the greatest current summary of NBA Hoops I've ever read. Makes it hard to watch sometimes but the NBA is all we got really.
# 9
fsufan4423 @ Jun 25
Flops, charges, refs, sideline reporters, and so on. The part of the NBA is TNT's coverage.....Kenny, Ernie, and Charles is freaking hilarious.
# 13
Gramps91 @ Jun 26
NBA and WWE are like the only sports I'm into (if you even count WWE as a sport). So I kinda miss it and have a big empty spot between mid june and late october, but that leaves more time for NBA Games and other video games. I like the product for the most part. I like the 30 teams and actually wish they would expand to 32. I don't like the flopping but it doesn't really bother me that is just part of the game. I only don't like selfishness and players crying. Also, One thing I used to dislike so much about Lebron is how he used to celebrate before winning anything, but if you noticed this year he even told Chalmers to settle down when they had a substantial lead in the last game. So he's matured a lot.
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