A site that switches off and on from real basketball discussion to my attempts at humor: Follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeKorzemba. Any questions/comments feel free to hit me up at mikekorzemba@aol.com

Monday, August 16, 2010

Whats up to my guys at technorati

They are helping me to get my blog known, this is for them

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Sunday, August 15, 2010

Don't Like the NBA? What is Wrong With You?

         For years now I have heard people whining and moaning about how they can't stand the NBA. "They don't try on defense," and "No one hustles until the playoffs." Well to anyone who has ever uttered one of the above statements, I am going to convince you that the NBA is definitely worth your times. So here are 5 reasons why you should throw yourself into the circle of NBA fandom.

Player Movement

         A good place to start seeing as the biggest influx of player movement just occurred. Basketball is a sports fans dream for following transactions and debating their significance. The NFL has too many so it is impossible to track. Players in the MLB suddenly become much better or worse in different settings so their significance cannot be measured until the season. In the NBA it is cut and dry. When Carlos Boozer joins the Bulls, we know he is going to put up numbers similar to what he has done in his career. Armed with this information, we can now debate to our heart’s content on whether the Bulls are a top four team in the East and if they have the pieces to win a championship in the future. Rarely does a high profile free agent become a complete bust unless hit by injuries. This is not the case in baseball, where half the free agents who sign with The Yankees suddenly look like Bernie Mac in Mr. 3000.

Loyalty To Players

        Today’s college basketball landscape is shaped by multiple players leaving early. Most of the top talent entering the college game is gone before the school semester officially ends. How can you possibly feel an attachment to a player when you know he is going to be drafted to a team across the country in a matter of months? The NBA, strangely enough, does not have this problem. Look at Kobe Bryant. The love Laker fans show him is unmatched. At the end of a game with him on the line, you know the roof will be shaking with “MVP, MVP, MVP!” chants. And why wouldn’t they. Kobe is like Los Angeles’ youngest son. He has grown up from a show off ball hog to a player who knows what it takes to win championships. Sure, there were struggles along the way (like that time he allegedly raped that girl), but what relationship between a parent and son doesn’t have its ups and downs. However, Kobe will never reach the height of popularity that only a home grown superstar can reach. And speaking of homegrown superstars, lets move on to my next point.

Hatred of Players

         Lebron James. The name alone evokes many emotions, most of which are currently in the hate variety. Unless you are a Miami Heat fan (and there are about 100 legitimate ones), you probably do not like the fact that Lebron joined the Heat and you definitely do not like how he went about it. Just look at the aftermath of “The Decision.” While watching the riots going on in the streets I wasn’t sure if Lebron had left Cleveland or Satan had risen from the Earth. So why is this a good thing? It shows the hatred people now have for him. Hatred is perfect thing for any professional sport. It begins rivalries (Lakers vs Celtics), begins an “us against the world” mentality (Wilt anyone), and makes fans actually care about the games they are watching. Hate makes things personal and when things get personal, watch out (See Pistons vs Pacers, 2004)

Those Special Moments

           MJ’s shot over Bryon Russell, Magic’s mini Skyhook, Bird's steal then assist. All of these moments represent those special times when everyone who watched later looks back and realizes that history has been made. No other sport can match these events quite like basketball can. Sure, there are walk off home runs in baseball and game winning drives in football. However, when these things happen they take long enough for the viewer to realize the significance and mentally prepare accordingly. Basketball just happens; you have no time to think. The game is just too fast for that. All you know is that one second you are glued to your TV and the next you are jumping up and down, shocked that the game is over and thrilled at the outcome. And when your team loses in one of these sudden turn of events it is like a punch in the gut. You are gasping for air while someone around you is running around like they won the lottery.


Watching Players Become Legends

             In the upcoming NBA Elite 11 video game, you can make a player and put him through the hardships in the NBA in mode called “Become Legendary.” I cannot think of a more fitting title for a basketball game. While observing a players career as a fan, you can literally see them become legends. Their moments are all right there, preserved on tape for future viewers to come. We can see Magic jumping at center against Philadelphia, Willis draining two jumpers in the first, and Isiah hobbling on a sprained ankle and still scoring 43. That is what makes the NBA truly great. The possibility for the current NBA is endless. Maybe Lebron and Wade will win 4 championships in a row and cement their place as some of the greatest players ever. Maybe Derrick Rose will rise up and become the best point guard in the league. Hell, maybe Tiago Splitter will step in next year, dominate everyone and bring the Spurs right back into the national picture. But that’s the point, we don’t know what’s going to happen but luckily we get to be right there as history is written.  

Friday, August 13, 2010

First Post Ramblings

Whats up anyone who feels like reading about basketball in August. Since you are here you must be like me, a die hard fan of the game. While you are here I hope you pick up some information you can use to be a know it all later on in your day.

This blog is going to be different in that any time I reference something i will give you guys the link to tell you what I'm talking about. Gone are the days where you read something on a blog, question it, then have to find a few minutes searching for it.

So that's all for right now. I'm planning on having a lot of fun with this and I hope you feel the same way after reading a few of my posts.