I was watching ESPN and saw the worst examples of defense, fighting and sportsmanship that had ever been taped for television.  For NBA fans to sit back and laugh or like this type of street action in an professional setting is reason that the NBA should start to find its identity again.  The NBA first of all is not the NHL.

     I have watched a few games of the NBA and certain announcers will call the NBA "the league".  The copyright and registered trademark that all the teams are known legally and by the public as is the National Basketball Association and the last I heard is that the NHL has the bragging rights to be called "the league"; legally, by the fan base and announcers.  This brings me to the NBA not knowing its own identity, the association is in crisis.  An identity crisis and professional.

     First, the professional crisis is not having set guidelines in the rules for fighting.  This is total unprofessional management  and leadership by the association.  To brawl the NBA way  is to do it anytime and anywhere.  The excuses for the brawl has been everything from the Nuggets running score up to self defense.  I have had fun with those excuses if the Knicks played defense the Nuggets would not need to defend themselves.  The NHL has rules by which the referees can manage fighting, call penalties, and eject or suspend players for instigation and whatever else.  This is one reason why the NHL is the league and not the association.  Its reputation past present was built on fighting not brawls.  It has been maintained professionally for over 70 years.  The association of basketball has built its repuation on professional players running and scoring like Julius Erving.  He did not brawl the NBA way he played and became an icon the NBA way, defying gravity, not defying the rules.  "Dr. J", is the reputation of professionalism in the NBA he made them "the association", the present leadership need to relocate the professionals that make basketball the association and not the league.

    Now, the idnentity crisis of the NBA brand has fans and sports journalists angling as to how cast the blame for the start of the brawl.  The obvious blame can be seen in the players not controlling emotion and the coaches encouraging playground behavior, the playground is not a professional venue.  Another way to play the "blame game" is to say that NBA marketting scheme is not working and is being mismanaged.  The NBA is not the league and never will be.  The association would have to rewrite history for that to happen but then they would have to leave out Magic Johnson, Dr. J, and Dominique Wilkins becuse these players were professionals in "the association".  That is why the NBA is in a drastic identity crises.  The brawl  looked worse than any hockey fight and professional association of players in recent time are being mismarketted as, "the league".  The NBA is an association not league.