“I just can’t get into the NBA, it’s all about the money, no heart, not like college basketball.” “It’s just not the same game.”
“It’s just not the same game.”
“You don’t see players like back in the day.”
These are all quotes I have heard recently when voicing my excitement about a game, a team , or a player. Frankly, I find comments like these ignorant, lacking of knowledge of the game and full of personal bias.
On, Wednesday night April 13th, NBA fans everywhere witnessed history and the power of the game. At the same time, on ESPN and ESPN2, fans got a glimpse of history and greatness.
Love him or Hate him, Kobe Bryant will go down in NBA history in the top 5 of the greatest to ever play the game. Controversial at times, criticized for his selfish play, his talent, passion and competitive spirit were never in question. Fans watched him go from at times unlikeable, to in the words of Phil Jackson; “an ambassador of the game”. As a lifelong Celtic fan, I found myself as one of those fans that felt contempt for Bryant at times, with his arrogance and Black Mamba persona. As a blogger and someone who prides myself on remaining objective, I am in awe. If you consider yourself a real fan of the sport of basketball, you will be able to take the blinders off and see what is before you.
After a twenty year career, Bryant hung it up last night. There is no doubt that the expectations for his performance were high. His teammates undoubtedly would be integral in making sure the ball would be in his hand at all times. The plan worked. The performance last night was not the finesse Kobe that we spent years watching, he went 22-50 and just 9-21 from 3-pt. range. Yet, at 37 years old after multiple injuries and extensive rehab, the resilient Bryant played 42 minutes to score 60 points proving yet again the level of his resolve and intensity. The Staples Center was electric, each fan knowing it would be the last time they would see his signature fade-away jumper and Black Mamba scowl. He labored through in the final minutes, his exhaustion evident to everyone watching.
There is an extensive laundry list of Bryant’s accomplishments, 5X NBA champion, 18X All-Star, only one of 4 players with 25,000 points, 6,000 assists, and 6,000 rebounds, just to name a few. With current and former teammates, athletes around the league, coaches, and celebrities shared their admiration and thanked him for the memories. The 2015-16, relaxed, jovial version of Kobe thanked the family, the fans, and the media. He joked, he laughed and gave us a glimpse into the future, the retired Kobe.
370 miles away in Oracle Arena, the defending champion Golden State Warriors took down the Memphis Grizzlies to set an NBA record at 73 wins. They have now won more regular season games in a single season than any other team in NBA history. In the process, many other records were broken team-wise, as well as player records. At the helm, is phenom Steph Curry. Some basketball purists refuse to recognize the greatness of this Warriors team and the special player that leads it. Curry’s penchant to rely on the 3 has drawn critics. Last night, Curry set a record for 402 3-pointers in a single season, surpassing his own record at 286. This season Curry shot 50.4 percent from the field, 90.9 from the line and 45.4 from 3.
To critics, I say: the game has changed, it will never stop changing.
The Warriors continue to silence critics. Draymond defended his team in the post-game press conference by saying this of those disregarding the Warriors. “Oh, it’s a different era, or, oh, they couldn’t have done this in this era. Well, they couldn’t have done what they did in this era.”…”We really don’t care, you know, what they say. But, to add it to your resume says a lot.”
Perhaps, the best way to do that is to win the championship this year. Although win or not the record will stand, no one can take that away from them, still the naysayers will continue to chirp.
The Steph Curry era is in full swing and he will continue to smash records and wow fans on his way to the Hall-of-Fame. For now, the Warriors have a little more work to do.
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