If you watched NBA basketball at all from the early 1980s through the early 1990s, you might remember that ad campaign. It was David Stern's attempt to capitalize on what was a golden era for the game, a time when Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and a handful of other players made NBA basketball the hottest ticket in many towns. Their skill, athleticism, and intense desire to win made the game fun to watch, exciting, and compelling. It was fantastic.
Fast forward 30 years later, and too often NBA is none of those things. Sure, the talent level is as good as it's ever been. Players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant will at some point be considered to be among the best to ever play the game. And on any given night, you can see a well-played, fast-paced, perhaps even thrilling game. But that seems to be pretty rare these days.
Which brings me to tonight's Minnesota Timberwolves game against the New York Knicks. The Timberwolves came into the game fresh off a 4-1 road trip that had provided some oxygen for their fading playoff hopes, while the Knicks had lost seven in a row in a season in which it seems they've done everything they can to get their coach fired. Two teams going in different directions. One with momentum, the other, not so much. A no brainer, right? I tweeted before the game that if the Timberwolves lost this game, they were dead to me.
So, of course, the Timberwolves let the Knicks get off to 9-0 start, score 66 points in the first half, and ultimately cruise to a 118-106 victory. At one point in the game, as my blood pressure was rising, I told my daughter that Minnesota should be beating the Knicks because they're a better team. "It sure doesn't look like it," she responded. She's perceptive, that one.
Now, in an 82 game season, these things happen. Sometimes teams can't miss, as was the case with the Knicks, led by elite scorer and consummate ball hog Carmelo Anthony. Sometimes teams come out flat and can't hit the side of the backboard, as was the case with the Timberwolves. And when neither team plays defense or really seems to be all that invested in the outcome, the team that's hitting their shots is going to win. And that's where we are with today's NBA. I think I saw more intensity and dedication to their craft from the halftime act, the Sandou Russian Bar Trio (who may or may not have been doing an acrobatic interpretation of the situation in Crimea).
Part of this is a rant about the Timberwolves. I split season tickets with a former colleague this year, and seeing this team up close 10 times has exposed me to all their flaws. While they're certainly talented offensively, have a phenomenal player in Kevin Love, and can be fun to watch, they show no interest in playing defense, and they melt at the first sign of adversity. And that's where this becomes more of a critique of the NBA, because that statement probably applies to 20 of the 30 teams in the league. There are too many nights where it just seems like NBA players don't give a shit. I'm not asking every NBA player be a win-at-all-cost A-hole like Michael Jordan, but at least show me you care.
And the fans know the deal. Maybe Minneapolis isn't a great basketball market (let's face it, the Timberwolves haven't given us much to cheer about over their 25 year existence), but on the nights I've been at the Target Center this year, the place has been dead. NBA players are some of the most gifted athletes in the world. It should be a thrill to watch them. But when you can sense they're going through the motions, it's hard to get excited. The loudest I've heard the crowd at Target Center is when they do the T-shirt giveaway in the 4th quarter (and I swear I better get a T-shirt before this season is over, or my daughter is going to disown me).
I grew up New York, and I can remember the first Knicks game I attended at Madison Square Garden. It was against the Chicago Bulls in 1980. After several down years, the Knicks were winning again. I was 9, and I went with my dad and my brother. It was thrilling. It felt like the place to be, for the entire game. There was a brief moment tonight (it may have lasted 3 minutes) when Minnesota pulled to within 2 points late in the third quarter and looked they might take the lead. All of a sudden you could feel the energy in the building rise. It was palpable. It felt like the place to be. And then the Knicks hit a few shots and they were up by 10, the moment was gone, and the crowd started filtering out.
I know that I'm never going to have the feeling about a sporting event that I did when I was 9. Too much has changed. And Target Center is never going to be Madison Square Garden (although that $100 million renovation should help). But if I'm going to drag my ass down there on a cold March night, at least give me more than 3 minutes of compelling basketball. How about a whole game full? And a free T-shirt, too? That would be fantastic.
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