Best NBA season in a long while?

Wondering how the collective intellect of the board views the current state of the NBA. Seems to me it's in the best shape it's been in a long, long time. And I'm really just focusing in on my teams, not individual players. I watched a good portion of the Lakers/Suns game last night, and it was compelling to watch. Very compelling for a February regular season game. Consider:

You've got the two most storied franchises back amongst the league elite in the Lakers and the Celtics.

In the Western conference, you've got some exciting, high energy, high pace teams in Phoenix, LA, Denver and Golden State. And the playoffs are simply gonna be loaded: All 8 teams will be solid or better entrants. Potential 1st round matchups like Lakers/Nuggets or Suns/Spurs. The survival of the West may be some of the best postseason hoops action in a long, long time..

Now, the Eastern conference is a bit of a hoops wasteland admittedly.But you do have the potential for a good Celtics/Pistons conference final. Plus, Lebron and the Cavs bring interest, and even a team like the Raptors could be interesting to watch.

Seems like the NBA has to like where they stand right now.

 

Until we get another crap Finals.
The East sucks. Time to blow up the playoff format.

 

I think it has a lot to do with the Magic/Bird/Jordan dynamic going on in the league today. LeBron/Carmelo/Wade and Chris Paul to an extent have shaped the NBA into a good mold.

Edit: Plus, the NBA never really had the explosive talent of those four in a while and look what LeBron has done. Two consecutive triple-doubles and he's only warming up. Only if the Eastern Conference was respectable.

 

I gotta think if either the Pistons or Celtics get there, they both make it a competitive matchup.

If it's Celtics/Lakers, look out.

 

If it's anyone but Pistons/Spurs, I hope you like your defense like Britney Spears does underwear. Not there and it'll be very ugly.

 

The NBA's Western Conference is absolutely outstanding right now. The East may never have been worse.

There are three teams with losing records in the East currently in the 6-7-8 slots.

 

Regardless of the East/West dynamic, I certainly believe that the NBA is at one of its more exciting points in several years. As Kirk said, I've found it relaxing to come home at night, turn on the TNT/ESPN game and check out two of the league's better teams going at it. I was pumped for Suns and Lakers as early as this weekend - only to remember that I had to cover a game last night.

Now, that's not to say that Memphis/Milwaukee would be just as exciting - it certainly wouldn't be. I went to a Bobcats game in person earlier this season and it was atrocious. But amongst the top, oh, 15 teams, there's plenty of excitement, which will do good in drawing even the most casual of fans back into the fold.

 

I could do without watching the Spurs again. They don't have any personality and I'd really enjoy not watching Manu "I have a vagina" Ginobli flop and bitch for four or more games.

 

If the Spurs don't make it, then you better hope the Pistons do. The NBA Finals aren't supposed to have scores in the 100s by the third quarter.

Ginobili is a gamer. Sure he flops and draws charges, but what NBA player doesn't beside those on the New Jersey Nets. He averaged 20.8 PPG in the 2004-05 playoffs and 16.7 last year.

 

Ginobli might be a "gamer." But he's still an annoying little bitch, especially when his Spurs are the only game in town for at least four games.

And I'm not an NBA purist. I watch the Finals for entertainment. I couldn't care less if the score was 149-143. If it's entertaining, it's entertaining. And the Spurs, led by their fearless leader, the ever-vanilla Tim Duncan, are boring.

At least the Pistons have a little flavor.

 

The Spurs just added Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas. They're hip, they're with it.

 

I hope somebody else wins the championship this year besides the Pistons, a Phil Jackson-coached team, or a Texas team. Other than the Heat two years ago, you have to go back 20 years to the Showtime Lakers.

The NBA is more inbred than a lab mouse.