NBAmazing

The NBA – where amazing happens. \nWhen I first saw those commercials, I thought they were a load of crap. How amazing could the NBA really be when it had cheating officials, multiple player arrests and unbalanced conferences? \nOk, so that was actually my second thought. My first thought is how fun it would be to make a parody of one of those commercials. Picture the music rolling and then a picture of Ron Artest in the stands and the ad says “where brawls happen.” Next is a picture of Allen Iverson sitting at the press table and with the picture saying “where ‘practice?’ happens.” The final picture can be of Wilt Chamberlain and a girl saying “where getting lucky happens.” Then we will roll to the NBA logo with the normal “where amazing happens.”\nBut this year, amazing has happened. As we head into the All-Star break this weekend, we have already witnessed two blockbuster trades, great playoff races in both conferences and two unbalanced conferences that have turned comical.\nSo let’s see why this first half of the season has been one of the best in years.\nTo start, we have seen Shaq go West and Pau Gasol go to L.A. \nGasol is a great addition and makes the Lakers a huge threat in the Western Conference. He fits the triangle offense and is a great compliment to Kobe and Lamar Odom. \nAnd then there is Shaq. As he said, “the sun will rise in Phoenix.” I have no doubt Shaq will make Phoenix better. Many critics think he is out of his prime and won’t be able to keep up with the Suns’ run and gun offense. But I think the Diesel has plenty left in the tank, and he will make the Suns even more of a contender than before. Shaq plays when he wants to, but when he gets angry at critics, he is known for winning championships.\nPlus, can’t you imagine the media heyday that will happen if a Kobe-Shaq Western Conference Finals showdown happens? The matchup will be an amazing best-of-seven games.\nBut before we get to the playoffs, we have the great races going already. In the East, the 6th, 7th and 8th seeds are completely up for grabs, and there are eight teams within six-and-a-half games of getting as high as the sixth seed. In the West, the difference between the 1st and 9th seeds is five games. Five games! That is unheard of. \nIf the races are this tight before the break, I can only imagine what’s going to happen after. \nBut what might sum up the amazing is the difference in the conferences. The “Leastern” conference has been well below the West for awhile, but may have hit a new low. The 9th seed in the West is 11 games over .500. In the East, the 8th seed is sitting six games under .500. The balance is severely tilted towards the Pacific, but hopefully it will even out over time.\nOf course, there is still a lot of basketball to be played and even more time for more trades. So all we can do is sit tight and watch it all unfold. \nPlus, the more you watch, the more “where amazing happens” commercials you get to see.