The year was 1947, and many of your parents weren't born yet.
But there was a thing called the BAA.
Basketball Association of America.
And that year not long after the worst conflict to ever ravage our earth, culminating in the detonation of two nuclear weapons and the awful discovery of systemized death camps, the US convened what would become:
THE NBA PLAYOFFS
&
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES!
That initial year it was the Philadelphia Warriors over the Chicago Stags. 4-1. WWWLW.
Who are these teams now? The Warriors? The...Stags?
The following year it was the Baltimore Bullets conquering the home advantage Philly Warriors, 4-2. LWWWLW.
Five games the first year to six years the following.
And then in 1949 the Minneapolis Lakers started doing their thing. 4-2 against the Washington Capitols. WWWLLW.
And the powers of the NBA have been the same ever since.
Oh, there was the anomaly Rochester (Royals?) in 1951, as well as the Syracuse (Nationals) in 1955, but from then on it was the Lakers, Philly, Boston, New York (twice), Milwaukee one time, and the occasional western team like Seattle or Portland.
But this is a game of the big cities: Chicago, Houston, and now San Antonio and the one time Heat of Miami.
So who will carry on the tradition?
LA? San Anton? Detroit? Boston again?
Overall count:
Boston...............16
Minn.-LA...........14
Chicago...............6
San Antonio.........4
Everybody else: 3 or less, including Detroit right on 3 with Philly-Golden State and Syracuse-Philly 76ers.
Most NBA teams have zero championships.
So, who do you want to win? The 17th, the 15th, the 5th or the 4th for the haves?
Last time for each?
Spurs: Last year, 2007.
Pistons: 2004.
Lakers: 2003.
Celtics: 1986.
Good luck all. I am a Jazz and Pacer fan. See you in the future, we hope. But overall, I just LOVE the NBA. And what does it mean? A little pride, a little hope, and a lot of fun. And courage and soul.
Well, obviously I would like to see the Spurs win their 5th. But I understand how frustrating it is for fans whose teams have never won, or haven't won in a long time to see the same team keep winning. There was a time it looked like the Spurs would never get there.
edclinch
The Spurs have won four championships over the last decade. And I for one am OK with that. As you've so rightly said there have been teams that've yet to win one let alone win multiple championships.
The best teams in the end always tend to come to the fore and show their worth. If it's meant to be then it'll usually happen.
edclinch I don't even think that they're in the nation's top 25 as a market. But their succes has been predicated on sound astute management. And financially they've very prudent as well. Something that we can't always say about a lot sport's franshises.
Last night's game proves what an uohill task the Spurs are now facing. They had this game within their grasp and they allowed it to slip from within it. Chances like that when you've created 'em you ought to deal with it appropriately. Something that they definitely didn't do last night !
rampant' aka tophatal .......
Last edited by rampantfanatic on May 22nd at 7:05 AM.
edclinch Wouldn't you agree that all professional team sports needs a dynasty to create the interest there for the fans ? Otherwise without it the interest in reality just wouldn't be there.
All four major sports have had it or are doing their best to revive it in one form or another.
edclinch
What would hockey be without the Canadiens and Red Wings ? The NBA without the likes of the Celtics , Lakers , Spurs and to a lesser extent the Pistons ?Baseball without the folklore of the Yankees, Red Sox , Cardinals and Braves.
Each of the four major sport have had it and they need it if they're to keep their popularity going. The same can be said also within collegiate sports.
I like that we can debate this matter as adults rather than children.
See my two most recent posts titled Bill Belichick Is In The Employ of The NSA ! Poignancy And The Relevance of Memorial Day It Begins To Hit Home Hard !
I'll look forward to reading your comments.
I have lived in a few different sports areas and I am faithful to these places and their passions, give or take. I was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana (1970-1989). Bob Knight was a central figure. I then lived in Chile for two years, where soccer became more of a presence on my global map. After returning to the Hoosier state one year, 1992, I became more aware of college football for a five year stint in Provo, Utah (1993-1997). BYU Cougar football! I made another return to Indiana from 1997 to 1999, and then spent the last six years in southern California, minus the last six months of 2005, in southern Chile again. And I got back yesterday, UPDATE:Now in Loudoun Cty, Northern VA! I am in the South! I love sports enough to think that they matter...Some how.
