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Where is The NBA Heading?
July 29, 2010 By Erik Krevh
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My first taste of the NBA came listening to Joe Tate calling Cavs playoff games during the Miracle of Richfield in 1976. His call of ‘Bingo' when Bingo Smith would hit a jumper still sends chills down my spine. Austin Carr, Jim Chones, Jim Brewer, Campy Russell and Nate Thurmond were all key players in the Cavs first ever playoff series win. I don't remember watching a single game of the seven game series against the then Washington Bullets on TV. In an age of high def TV, it's hard to imagine only listening to a game being called on the radio. Joe Tait pulled it off by making it seem as if I was at the games and I was sitting next to him. To this day I will sometimes watch the game and listen to Tait's call of the game.
After knocking off the Bullets in ‘76, the Cavs were riding a wave of confidence heading into a series with the dreaded Boston Celtics. It looked as if the Cavs really had a shot at beating the mighty Celts, until Jim Chones broke his foot in a practice prior to the series. This was my first taste of an ‘only in Cleveland' moment. I have since experienced many, many more. The Cavs still made a series out it, but ended up losing in six games.
In the early eighties, Ted Stephien gutted the team and turned it into a joke. He was an owner who meddled into the team's personnel decisions so much, that the league was forced to set up rules for his own protection. Teams are no longer allowed to trade consecutive number one draft picks because of his basketball ignorance.
During the eighties, the league was all about Boston and LA. No other teams seamed to really matter. (Except for the Sixers in ‘83, and the Pistons winning the decades last two.) The Cavs had some nice teams as well in the late eighties and early nineties. They had a team of hardworking, nice guys which we were all proud to cheer. Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance were the nucleus of a very formidable team. To their chagrin, a fellow by the name of ‘Michael' was just getting into his prime during these years.
The Bulls dominated in the 90's with a dash of Rockets championship wins in '94 and '95. It was the Bulls again and after their second run ended in '98, it has pretty much been a Lakers and Spurs. There was, for the first time, some parity in the decade with wins by the Pistons, Heat, and Celtics. Other teams also had a shot, which I perceived as good for the sport. The Cavs were a serious contender as well over the last five years, but like the other ‘avs' team (the Mavs) they just couldn't get over the hump.
Some people like when a sport is dominated by a handful of teams. This is a concept that I have a hard time understanding. Why wouldn't you want each team to be fairly equal? Do you think the level of play is diminished? As great as Jordon was, his dominating style has somewhat tainted the game. No longer do you have a true team concept. It has become who can appear most on ESPN's highlight reels. Jordan inspired a selfish and spoiled group of athletes who think they are entitled to win championships based on how popular they think they are. They are great athletes to be sure, but instead of bettering their game to win championships, they are now taking shortcuts and joining their foes to make life easy for themselves.
If you don't think that is the case, then why would an athlete choreograph a dance routine with his teammates instead of doing something productive, like watching extra game film? Or why would he goof around shooting underhanded half court shots before games, instead of practicing free throws? The irony of course is the person who inspired this new breed of athlete, did all of the things that made ‘him' a better player and ultimately a better teammate.
After the somewhat entertaining first decade of the 21st century, we are headed once again into a league dominated by a few teams. This means going into the season, twenty six cities know their team doesn't really have a shot. In a troubled economy, that can't be good for the NBA.
