The NBA season is right around the corner and every sports fan with a hint of basketball in their blood is eager for the season to finally get underway. Over the past couple months we ‘witnessed’ a very dull NBA final, we had some big trades that went through and some that didn’t, we’ve had scandals, many comeback considerations, and much much more. However alll of that will clear the way on Wednesday night for the season openers and real basketball headlines. I don’t really mind NBA news being dominated by offcourt incidents during the offseason, especially as the alternative is no news at all, but it will be nice to finally see and talk some basketball which is the quite obviously the reason why all of us enjoy the NBA.
To tell you the truth, initially the excitement of the new NBA season didn’t come naturally to me. As I wrote about earlier, the regular season can be a very long and tedious process where if you analyze the season on a game-to-game basis, it will be very difficult to derive any meaning or purpose from any one game.
So it doesn’t just apply to the players and NBA staff when we say “work yourself back into ‘shape'”. For me, what got me back into regular season form was a combination of internet reading, media watching, and advertisement absorbing. So below I list my offseason regimen and training camp that has helped me cut that off-season fat, and gotten myself fully pumped and ready to go for the 2007-2008 regular season..
Working my way back
-NBA Previews: Any self respecting sports-reporting media outlet will have their annual season previews packed with exciting things to look forward to, predictions, and the latest developments since the end of last season. Even if you have shut basketball out of your life since a Cavs-Spurs Final had been decided, you will quickly be up-to-date on everything you need to know about. Furthermore, besides giving you the latest information it serves as a great hyping tool because there are always things to look forward to including how teams respond post-playoffs, new and exciting trades that have reshaped teams, and rookies that are sure to bring a whole new level of excitement to struggling franchises. Make sure you check out your favorite magazine/newspaper/website’s NBA season and/or team previews.
-New NBA ad campaign: The NBA has adopted a new advertising campaign this year with the slogan ‘Where Amazing Happens’. It is essentially a slide show of interesting NBA pictures that define what the league is about and conveys a powerful message when combined with the inspirational music and the slogan “Where … Happens”. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case that statement wouldn’t do the pictures justice because they communicate a feeling that words simply can not. This will surely send chills down the spine of any NBA fan. If you really are having doubts whether you want to invest ample of your time on watching basketball this season, your reaction to these ads will be the answer you’re looking for.
To tell you the truth, initially the excitement of the new NBA season didn’t come naturally to me. As I wrote about earlier, the regular season can be a very long and tedious process where if you analyze the season on a game-to-game basis, it will be very difficult to derive any meaning or purpose from any one game.
So it doesn’t just apply to the players and NBA staff when we say “work yourself back into ‘shape'”. For me, what got me back into regular season form was a combination of internet reading, media watching, and advertisement absorbing. So below I list my offseason regimen and training camp that has helped me cut that off-season fat, and gotten myself fully pumped and ready to go for the 2007-2008 regular season..
Working my way back
-NBA Previews: Any self respecting sports-reporting media outlet will have their annual season previews packed with exciting things to look forward to, predictions, and the latest developments since the end of last season. Even if you have shut basketball out of your life since a Cavs-Spurs Final had been decided, you will quickly be up-to-date on everything you need to know about. Furthermore, besides giving you the latest information it serves as a great hyping tool because there are always things to look forward to including how teams respond post-playoffs, new and exciting trades that have reshaped teams, and rookies that are sure to bring a whole new level of excitement to struggling franchises. Make sure you check out your favorite magazine/newspaper/website’s NBA season and/or team previews.
-New NBA ad campaign: The NBA has adopted a new advertising campaign this year with the slogan ‘Where Amazing Happens’. It is essentially a slide show of interesting NBA pictures that define what the league is about and conveys a powerful message when combined with the inspirational music and the slogan “Where … Happens”. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case that statement wouldn’t do the pictures justice because they communicate a feeling that words simply can not. This will surely send chills down the spine of any NBA fan. If you really are having doubts whether you want to invest ample of your time on watching basketball this season, your reaction to these ads will be the answer you’re looking for.
-2006-2007 All-Access NBA DVD: What better way to get ready for the upcoming season than to relive some of last season’s most memorable events with exclusive access to the stars, locker rooms, and every other aspect of the NBA that you just don’t get the opportunity to see everyday. While that last sentence sounded awfully like a sales pitch, watching this DVD instantly flicked on my game-face for the season. Seeing the work, tears, heart, and commitment these guys put in everyday just to be able to be out there in what I have previously called ‘meaningless regular season games’ is gut wrenching. A look into the less glamorous and more real side of the NBA, will be sure to make you appreciate more every ounce of NBA you consume.
-NBA Fantasy Games: If you think that NBA fantasy games are strictly for jocks, and the super-involved then you are mistaken. Not all games require you to have perfect knowledge of the NBA, enter a live draft, constantly make trades, and generally waste a lot of your time. Some salary cap games such as the one provided by http://www.sportingnews.com/ is easy, not time consuming, and extremely fun. Make sure you get a bunch of your friends, make small bets, engage in ‘friendly’ trashtalk and just have a good time. At best you get the chance to make fun of your friends, have a shot at the countless prizes on offer, and have bragging rights for the rest of the year. At worst, you have an emotional attachment to players, and have a genuine rush of excitement everytime you wake up and check out those box scores. There’s nothing like that feeling when that relatively unknown player on your team that your friends have ridiculed you about finally pulls through and fills up that boxscore like “The Godfather 4” would fill up the boxoffice.
-Betting: Once upon a time a very controversial issue, betting has now become acceptable in most parts of the world. Even David Stern himself overlooked the fact that everyone of his refs had broken a league rule not to gamble. In that regards, it might not seem terribly unethical to suggest that betting on NBA games is another source of fun that can motivate you towards the season. I have already announced that I will be taking on the role to beat the ‘market’ by announcing my bets and predictions, and a close following of the NBA is crucial if I am to have a shot. Also, it has been practically proven that having some money on the line when watching sports greatly increases the excitement level. The golden rule is to make sure you don’t bet any amount that will make you more unhappy than when you started in the event of a loss.
NBA works for You
There are many other methods to work yourself into the right zone to accommodate another marathon of a season back into your life. Some play 2008 versions of NBA branded video games, some follow the offseason and preseason religiously, some enter heated debates with others on what their thoughts are about the upcoming season, some blog, some commit by purchasing season tickets or satellite packages and others simply tune in randomly to a game one night and have all those feelings rushing back to them automatically. No matter what, if you love this game it will have a way of working you back into shape – that’s the beauty of being a spectator over a player. It’s FANtastic, its where amazing happens, it’s a game we love, its everything anything and nothing – it’s the NBA and it starts on October 30th at 8pm ET.
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