NBA: Why We’re Happy The Season Is Back

It’s just one day away, ladies and gentlemen.  We’re one day away from the beginning of the 2014-15 NBA season.

This upcoming year, above any else, is supposed to be the most invigorating season the NBA has ever seen.  We’re fresh off San Antonio’s fifth championship in the last 16 years, and a rising stud in Kawhi Leonard winning the Finals MVP Award.  Each year, it’s almost as if more experienced veterans are claiming the illustrious award (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan).  But, Leonard was the second youngest Finals MVP in history, trailing only Magic Johnson (age 20).

To offer some perspective on how interminable the Spurs’ success has been since 1999, consider the fact that Leonard was just seven years old when teammate Tim Duncan won his first championship.

Now, all grown up and ready to snag the torch of the franchise, Leonard is set out to keep the banners coming for the AT&T Center.

It seems as if San Antonio’s latest championship is just a sidebar to the many stories we have entering the season.  It’s always been that way, though, and that’s no secret.

Why should we be overly joyed in the return of the NBA?  There’s a few reasons, actually.

SO.  MANY.  INCREDIBLE.  MATCHUPS.

There’s no comparison in any other sport when it comes to providing the best, most hyped matchups throughout a season.  The NBA gives us our proper dosage.

Think about it.

In the NFL, there’s only 16 regular season games per team.  With an abundance of teams in the league (32), and the mandate of having to play your divisional foes twice a season, you don’t always get marquee matchups that you would hope for.

During the MLB season, there are incredibly too many games to even get excited over one.  162 games, with the rare occasion of cross-league matchups (NL playing AL), just removes all the enjoyment out of watching the Red Sox take on the Yankees.

The NBA doesn’t have a perfect system, but it’s definitely a better regular season to tune in to for six months.  Some of the best games throughout the year feature East vs. West matchups, and everyone involved is circling those games on the radar.  LeBron James looks forward to his two annual rematches vs. Tim Duncan, and Kobe Bryant is driven to go toe-to-toe with his strongest two-guard competitor, Dwyane Wade.

Even if you consider the games between teams in the same conference (West vs. West, East vs. East), it’s still riveting.  Who can forget the well-documented matchups last season between Indiana and Miami, two teams that were battling for a No. 1 seed.

It’s also the same concept in the Western Conference, with the memorable meetings between the Warriors and Clippers.  Although divisional enemies play each other four times in the NBA, it’s especially favorable because those four head-to-head games are spread out in six months.  Therefore, you never have the issue of games “getting old,” or the excitement dying down.  When each matchup comes around, everyone is on the edge of their seats.  The players drool at the fun games, and the fans are the true winners.

It’s a better product than the NCAA

This has been a controversial subject for a while, and it’s time to put it to rest.  The NBA is the better configuration of basketball than the college product.  Yes, we know … “Where do you think all the NBA players come from?”  But, in terms of just the viewing experience and the flow of the games, professional levels seem to exceed the collegiate.

Even though the NCAA recently made the hand-checking rule a heavy point of emphasis, the amount of ticky-tack fouls have always been higher in college than pro.  At least, that’s from my experience.  There’s nothing worse than watching a game that has no cohesive flow, and one that has a whistle nearly every play up the floor.

The shot clock variance also comes into play, since there is absolutely no need for a 35 second shot clock.  Avid viewers of the NCAA will tell you that the game should be quickened, and that’s the best way to do it — lower the shot clock down to NBA standards, which is 24 seconds.

In the NBA, the 24 second shot clock is what makes it so appealing.  By the time you get past halfcourt, there will be about 19 or 18 seconds on the clock, meaning you better be acting quickly.  It’s the fast-paced, high intensity styles that we love watching, and the NBA supplies that more than college.

The NBA is a superstar’s league

Walking down the street, into a mall, or even at a local park, you’ll see a profusion of NBA jerseys.  Little middle school children sporting Kevin Durant, a high schooler owning both Miami and Cleveland versions of LeBron James’ jersey, and the local scoring phenom wearing Carmelo Anthony‘s blue and orange Knicks gear.

Take it back further, to the 1980’s if you will.  You’ll still see Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan apparel scattered across the country, and it’s evidence that people care about the game’s superstars.

While it may not be the best preaching topic to younger generations, sometimes the name on the back of the jersey is more important than the name on the front.  Now, while that’s certainly not true when you consider teams win championships, not players, it holds some truth for the league.  In popularity, the marquee stars are the ones that increase the well-being of the NBA, and draw more crowds of viewers.  It’s not the teams, as much as we would like to believe.

People tune in on any night of the week for nationally televised games to see how huge of a performance Durant or Russell Westbrook is going to explode for, or a potential 3-point shooting barrage from the Splash Brothers in the Bay Area.

There’s nothing greater than a league where all the brightest, cockiest, and sometimes humble egos are on full display during a season.

The Playoffs are lengthy … and glorious

Some folks out there are heavily in favor of the NCAA’s system, where the March Madness tournament lasts just over three weeks.

But, since we’re the ones that never want our favorite sport to end, why should anyone be opposed to the NBA Playoffs lasting two months?  From mid-April to mid-June, it’s the most rousing, nail-biting eight weeks in sports.  When you begin with the first round, all hell usually breaks loose.

Seriously, did we forget how extraordinary the 2014 first round happened to be?  Five of the eight series went to a decisive seventh game, with three of them coming in the West.  Heck, the five-game series (Washington-Chicago) and the six-game series (Portland-Houston) were just as entertaining as the longer series.  When most of the games are coming down to the wire and championship hopes are being decided, there’s no other destination you want to be rather than in the arena, or in front of the television set.  The only series last season that wasn’t worthy of a first round watch was the Miami and Charlotte four-game sweep.

Other than that, you wouldn’t choose a single sport to produce a better playoff experience than the NBA.

When the Finals roll around in the beginning of June, there may be some thought of people being sick of basketball.  But, we know for a fact that when the summer rolls around, we’ll be missing the postseason.  We’ll be missing hoops, each and every day we realize there’s zero games on the schedule.  The lengthy playoffs should be embraced, and not taken for granted.

For the first and second rounds, especially, nothing is better than the “40 games in 40 nights” schedule the NBA provides.  As soon as one round ends, the next one begins.  There is no week wait.

For every season ahead, take note at how invested you are in the playoffs.  Then, compare that to any other sport out there.  The NBA is rising to new levels each year, and could perhaps top every organization out there in the world of athletics.

If you want the total package, look no further than the league that begins in less than 24 hours.