Coming off National Basketball Association Finals with two traditionally powerful teams competing for the crown, it's safe to say the NBA is back.
The league went through a series of tough years when television ratings dropped and fans stopped coming out to games in the numbers they used to. But with the influx of exciting new talent and teams that run up-tempo offenses, fans are heading back to the game.
NBA diehards were treated to a classic NBA Finals last season, furthering the resurrection of the league. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers renewed their rivalry in the championship, rekindling fans' memories of the old glory years of the league.
ESPN basketball analyst and former player Mark Jackson was as excited as anyone to see the Celtics and Lakers rekindle their rivalry.
"It was a blast to call the finals. You're talking about the two best teams in the league with star power and history," Jackson said. "It really was great for the [announcers] and for the fans. It turned back the hands of time and gave them the opportunity to reminisce about the days of Wilt [Chamberlain] and [Bill] Russell or Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird. We had it once again, and it was a great series."
The Celtics victory in the finals set up what will be a captivating 2008-2009 NBA season, which started Tuesday night. Led by power forward Kevin Garnett, the Celtics captured their first Finals crown since the 1985-86 season.
Even though winning a championship established Garnett as one of the best players in NBA history, Jackson believes Garnett has always been an example of what's great about the NBA.
"He was spectacular way before the Celtics outlasted the Lakers in the Finals," Jackson said. "He's a guy that does it the right way, conducts himself the right way, and leaves it all on the basketball floor. "
Along with the Celtics, the Lakers are once again looking to reach the championship. With the return of dominant center Andrew Bynum from injury, Laker fans are expecting to once again win the West.
Jackson agrees the Lakers could once again win the West.
"I think the Lakers will have a successful season once again. Right now [Lakers head coach] Phil Jackson is trying to figure out a starting lineup and rotation," Jackson said. "They certainly have something to build off of after last year's success. This is a team that got better with young talent and I think the experience made them better, so I think they'll be in the hunt and have a legitimate chance of returning to the Finals and winning it all."
The start of a new season also gives hope to teams that struggled the year prior. Among these teams are the New York Knicks, a squad with a new coach and a new attitude.
Coming off a 23-59 season, Knicks faithfuls were energized with the addition of Coach Mike D'Antoni, who led the Phoenix Suns to the playoffs the last four seasons. He has implemented his up-tempo system to the Knicks, which will bring exciting basketball back to Madison Square Garden.
ESPN basketball analyst and former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy has been impressed with D'Antoni's job resurrecting the franchise.
"I think he's done a remarkable job right off the bat in narrowing down his rotation and not only how he wants to play, but who he wants to play," Van Gundy said. "He's played his guys big minutes in the preseason, which is unusual, but I think it's smart. It gives them the best chance to start off the year quickly and do what they do as well as they possibly can."
With the new attitude and passion, Van Gundy believes Knick fans and players should be thinking playoffs.
"I can't see them not making a dramatic jump in wins from the low 20s to the high 30s or low 40s. I think that's what they should expect to do and qualify for the playoffs," he said. "You don't pay all those players that much money if they don't have talent, and I think Mike has done a nice job of bringing the talent together so far and it'll be interesting to see their chemistry throughout the season."
The new season also brings along a new team. Under new management, the Seattle Sonics moved to Oklahoma over the summer and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Led by second-year stud Kevin Durant, the Thunder has a load of young talent that will strive towards success in front of a new and energetic fan base.
"It's going to be tough for them to obviously be successful right now because when you look at the talent level, it's so young. They're learning how to play together, learning how to win, that's a process," Jackson said. "But what you can do is go out and play with passion and force, and what fans recognize right away is this is a team that makes it easy for them to root for, and I think that's the first step. Go out and leave it on the floor, whether home or away, and the community will embrace you."
Both ESPN and TNT will be carrying NBA games all season long. With Hall of Famer Magic Johnson joining the analyst team, ESPN will have doubleheaders every Wednesday and Friday.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
