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!!!!!

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Welcome back NBA: The 2012/13 NBA Season

Soon the NBA will officially begin and I couldn't be more happier.  This has always been my favorite time of the year and I am very curious at how the season will play out.  Recently, as a season ticket holder of the Orlando Magic, I had the privilege of attending a "Meet and Greet"which the franchise hosted and was front and center as they laid out what their goals are with the current team and what direction they are trying to move towards.  The organization seems to be focused on what they are trying to accomplish and didn't seem at all disappointed in the off season decision.  I know it will be a challenging year for them, but I am happy that they acquired the strength to make the tough decisions and move forward.  The Dwightmare saga appeared to hinder the franchise for much of last season and the change needed to be made, a new direction had to be chosen.

In an attempt to become more competitive, NBA franchises made many off season moves.  We saw the Los Angeles Lakers become the center of attention again with their moves and we aslo saw the NBA Champion Miami Heat add to their already loaded roster, picking up some nice additions in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis that I think will help them greatly down the stretch of the season.  The New York Knicks suffered an early roster loss with Jeremy Lin departure for Houston but they made a few changes to improve their ever changing roster.  One move that the Knicks made that I'm a little skeptical about is the signing of Rasheed Wallace.  I didn't really understand that move and I feel this way because they literally pulled Wallace out of the retirement home and my last memory of Mr. Wallace involved him laying out on the court injured and having fouled out before his teammates had to lift him up as he was done.  With that being said, I have no problem with Wallace as a player as he is funny to watch while he argues with the officials and entertains with little activities on the court.  He's also known for knocking down big tree-pointer but if Wallace can return.....why the hell can’t anyone pick up Allen Iverson!

I just wanted to say welcome back NBA and I look forward to this season and all the new changes we have made here at The Hardwood Nation. I thank you guys will like the new look and features we have added  and I look forward to seeing your comments this year.  Never forget that we are fans and we do this for you.

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The Pressure to stay relevant: Kobe Bryant and the Lakers

By H.F. Blanco

Kobe Bryant is now entering his 17^th season in the NBA and currently he is facing controversy on whether if he is too old to win a sixth championship and is he capable of winning said championship without Phil Jackson.  In his career, Bryant has always had someone to rely on for support whether it was Shaq, Coach Jackson, and even Derek Fisher.  As a matter of fact, all five championships were won with Fisher at Bryant's side which shouldn’t be an eye-opener to anyone because you can’t spell finisher without the Fisher!  Consider these circumstances, the normal wear and tear of an 82 game NBA regular season, potential lengthy playoff run and a new playbook scheme has caused many to believe that Bryant's goal of a sixth NBA Championship is out of reach.  During last season, Bryant's shooting efficiency decreased and the team chemistry was rarely seen.  A prime example of this was displayed during the game four loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2nd round of the Western Conference playoffs.  Bryant’s frustration was shown when he placed the blame on Pau Gasol by stating the following “he (Gasol) needs to be much more aggressive and not pass the ball so often.”  Anytime there is a dispute between teammates after a loss that becomes public, a truth of disharmony between players is revealed and that never looks good for any organization let alone the Los Angeles Lakers. 

With the disappointing end of last season at the hand of the Thunder, the Lakers decided to acquire veteran players Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, and Antwan Jamison, which just adds to an already aging roster.  This team is full of wisdom (there’s probably nothing they haven’t seen on the court), but the question is simple...can they stay healthy for an entire season and compete against the youth and athleticism that other championship contending teams have to offer such as the Thunder, Knicks, and the defending NBA Champion Heat?  We’ve all seen what happened to the veteran roster of the Boston Celtics when they faced the youthfulness of the Heat in the playoffs the last two seasons; it wasn’t even a match as the Celtics were annihilated.  So my question is if acquiring these big name players are just a last ditch effort for the Lakers organization to stay relevant and mentioned in the same conversation as the previous teams listed or are they the real deal soon to be crowned 2013 NBA champions?

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