NBA Christmas Day Surprises

Randomly memories can flood one's mind and often I have memories of the 1990's when it comes to the NBA.  Images burned into my mind that will never leave me and eras that can never be replaced.  The Jordan era is missed dearly and it was a time when real basketball was played void of all the new rules, which made it all the more exciting when greats like Dikembe Mutombo would block a shot and wave the finger as to say not come in here with that weak shit or when Larry Johnson would slam home a thunderous dunk and release a primal scream afterwards and last but not least, the high flying dunks of the Reign Man Shawn Kemp leaving the defender helpless on the floor and looking up at the  then finger pointing Kemp.  A cliche as it is, those were the good ole days and I could always count on the local department stores having the latest highlights immortalized and available for sell in the form of memorable posters.  Those memories created much excitement and already this season the NBA has had its own memorable events.

We recently saw the Minnesota Timberwolves defeat the NBA Champion Miami Heat and also championship runner ups, the Oklahoma Thunder, which entered the game with a 12 game winning streak, lose to the Timberwolves as well.  Those victories for the Timberwolves illustrates how the NBA has been extremely unpredictable this season.  No one expected that the Los Angeles Lakers would be in the predicament that they are currently in and it's a surprise for everyone.  One burning question is how long will their inconsistent play last?  Is it possible that they'll endure this rollar coaster ride for the duration of the season?  I must say that after years of futility, the New York Knicks have the look of a championship contender and I've been impressed by what I've seen thus far.  The Knicks haven’t enjoyed much success since the Ewing era and it's a known fact that the city of New York has been awaiting this moment for many many years and now with the Brooklyn Nets in town, the Knicks have more motivation than ever to become relevant again.

It's funny that a team the likes of the Orlando Magic can somehow stay relevant when they were handicapped during the off season by losing their franchise player.  They're a team that's superstar-less but somehow they have competed night in and night out.  The competitive nature of the Magic is a good thing for the city of Orlando, because when you have a young and hungry team great things can occur.  Casual NBA fans don’t expect much from the team but if the Magic can stay competitive and hungry it would allow them to gain respect throughout the league and even if they miss the playoff it would allow them to gain an upper hand by way of the draft to continue to rebuild the franchise.

If the early part of this NBA season has been any indication on what's to come, the NBA will continue to continue to ride the wave of the resurgence its seen since 2010.  With the influx of new talent and the growth/ascension of various franchises, the NBA will waver in popularity no time soon and as always by season's end a new king will be crowned, a new champion will rise but will that champion rise from the east or from the west.........stay tuned!!!!!