Ah yes, it's that time of the year.  That time of the year when the NBA almost comes close to mattering.  But not quite.  It's at this time of the year that I might have the stamina to sit down and watch an entire NBA game.  As any casual NBA watcher can imagine, it's a very tiring event.

However, while watching my one NBA game of the year, I noticed something was missing.  And it was the same thing that I noticed last year in my one viewing experience, and the year before.  There is still no defense being played.

'Tis an amazing phenomenon.  I watch hours of college basketball games a year.  And even though the defense in the college ranks is suspect at times, there is evidence of defense being played the majority of the time.  But once an NBA contract is signed, these college kids that were once amazing defenders morph into the brainless lugs that stand flat-footed and stationary when on the defensive end of the court.

Is there some sort of clause the NBA contract stating that defense is not allowed?  Sure, one could argue that fans want to see high-scoring affairs where impossible dunks and behind the back passes occur every trip down the court, but a game where defense is played to perfection and any points scored were truly earned is a thing of beauty.

Kobe scored eighty points in a game this year...EIGHTY POINTS!  That is beyond ridiculous.  I will give Kobe his due though, he is a great athlete with amazing skill.  However, if there was any defense being played in that game, he should have been limited to no more than half of that point total.

And I understand that there are guys that you just can not stop.  In Dennis Rodman's book Bad As I Wanna Be, there is a section where he discussed defending the Chicago Bulls during the Michael Jordan era.  According to Rodman, the gameplan was always "Stop Scottie (Pippen) because Michael will get his points one way or another."  There was no reason to attempt to stop Jordan because Jordan was unstoppable.  And there is a hint of that in Bryant, but eighty is stretching that.

The NBA is supposed to be composed of the best, most complete basketball players in the world.  But it has turned into the best offensive-minded basketball players in the world.  They say that defense wins championships.  That's not exactly the case in the NBA though.  In the NBA, it's the team that is lucky enough to face the worst-shooting opponents that wins the championship.