NBA and It's Stars: Past, Present and Future

So I sat down to watch the 2010 NBA All Star game Sunday night and I was left a bit disappointed. Though it was a pretty exciting game with the final score being 141 to 139 East, there was something missing. Now call me a hater if you will, but I can't stand Kobe Bryant! I think he's an arrogant SOB! With that being said, I missed that arrogant SOB on Sunday! The game just wasn't the same if I couldn't root against him and enjoy the fact that he was on a team that would lose! But what I also missed, was the drama that he brings to the game. That final three pointer that Carmelo Anthony took on Sunday and missed... there's a chance "the black mamba" might've made it, and I'd be typing a whole different blog and using the words "SOB" and "hate" a lot more! But he wasn't there... in the basketball game with the highest attendance on record (some 108,000 plus people) at Cowboy stadium.

That got me thinking. It got me thinking about the history of the NBA and the stars that have graced its courts throughout time! I thought about the Dr. J's and the Isiah Thomases and the Larry Birds and the Magic Johnsons and of course Michael Jordan (the greatest of all time). And I thought how much the game had changed. When the above mentioned names played in an all star game, you knew it was going to be something special. I don't know if I get that same sense when "King James" or Dwayne "Flash" Wade or Melo hit the court! But as much as I hate him, I gotta admit that I still get that "uh oh, look who has the ball" sense when Kobe hits the court! I root against him with the same fear that I'm sure many Lakers fans or Boston fans or Knicks fans had when Larry or Magic or Michael had the ball in their hands with the game on the line. Kobe might hit that shot! I mean I can't stand the guy, but he's the best closer in the league today.

Don't get me wrong, the future of the NBA however looks bright with names like Lebron James, Derreck Rose and Kevin Durant. And some day, to some dude, these guys will be his Magics, Birds or Jordans, but I will always miss the aura of invincibility that Magic, Michael and Larry brought when they stepped on the court. You never know if Lebron is going to be able to pull it off, I mean his team did get bumped out of the playoffs by Howard and the Magic last year and we were robbed of a Kobe vs Lebron finals (the Present vs the Future). D. Wayde is struggling to keep his team in the playoff hunt and although the Thunder are doing their thing thanks to Durant, he has a long way to go before we can start making predictions about how they have a chance at bumping the Lakers out of the playoffs.

So in conclusion my friends, The NBA All Star game on Sunday was a fun game to watch, but I'd much rather watch an All Star game of the 80's and 90's where Dominique was flying out of the building and Shawn Kemp was raining tomahawks down on opponents. Maybe it's nostalgia since there were some pretty amazing dunks by Lebron and company. Maybe it's that the NBA has lost some of it's luster. Nah, I think it's just me. And although I miss the old days, I'll be tuning in tonight when Lebron takes on Melo and Kobe takes on the Celtics! I love this game! I'm out ya'll!

Medinamus