Don't hate the player -- hate the game.
For many that saying is just a phrase, but for the NBA it is reality.
Whenever a conversation about the NBA playoffs is started someone has to say the NBA sucks or no one cares about the NBA. But why is this?
As all true NBA fans know, this year is one of the best for the sport and this year's playoffs is a perfect example.
Down to the semifinals, the best four teams are playing and are playing well. Most haters of professional basketball blame the players for not taking the game seriously or not giving all they have. Others detest the NBA because of the lack of defense and style of play most teams and players have adapted.
While a good chunk of teams fit into this category, there are some that do play the game it was supposed to be. Not all teams resort to the let's slap the floor
hike up our shorts and pretend to aggressively play defense style of play nor do all the players forget what a mid-range jumper is.
Out of the four teams left in the playoffs, only the Phoenix Suns lag on defense. The Pistons remain the best defensive team in the league, the Heat has Shaq securing the paint and the Spurs have quick defenders in Bruce Bowen and Tony Parker.
More haters complain about shot selection in the NBA. They have good arguments. Too many players have lost the art of shooting inside the arc and are focusing on their perimeter game. It's to the point where forwards are playing behind the arc instead of working down low on the blocks.
Forwards like Antoine Walker of Boston and Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas are prime examples for this. Instead of using their size to take advantage of players they resort to jacking up threes. In the 2003-2004 season, Walker shot 305 3-pointers and only made 82 of them for a percentage of .269 and a year. Before that he hoisted up 582 shots from the land of plenty. For a player that has never had a 3-point percentage higher than 36, that is too many threes.
But on the other side, there are players like Detroit's Richard Hamilton and Miami's Dwyane Wade, who can step in from the arc a few feet and be proficient shooters. Players like these show that there are still fundamentals left in the game and that you can't let a few rotten apples ruin the bunch.
The playoffs this year are as exciting as they have been in years and no matter what two teams meet in the finals, it has the making to be a solid series. The Heat has been the only team thus far to mow through its competition and that will all change as the Pistons stand in the way to the finals.
So now is the time to pick a team to follow and start tuning in to the NBA playoffs. They are worth watching whether you think the NBA stinks or not. And please...stop hating. 17
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Nick Miller
