Honest Question: If you're not a fan of GSW or Cleveland, what's the point of the upcoming season?

[pantalones]

So watching the Olympics and FIBA officials made me even more convinced that the NBA is much more of an entertainment product than a true sporting competition. The NBA players on Team USA were utterly shocked when traveling was actually called against them and barreling into a defender with the ball tucked under your wing like a fullback at the 1 yard line was not called a defensive foul; in other words, the calls were actually called as written, regardless of who was committing them and/or playing defense. The NBA has sold "superstar players" as their major brand identity for so long now, that we as fans just accept it; often times we hear, "he's a rookie, he has to earn that call", or "their not gonna call that on him, he's a superstar", why is this acceptable? Why do we as fans put up with this? For all intents and purposes the NBA is WWE with a ball and we just blindly go along with it. It's over 9 months before the playoffs and I can see with almost certainty that it will be GSW and Cleveland in the finals, just as I said this time last year. We all know this because it's what we expect of the NBA, selling, marketing and promoting the teams with the superstars, via officials making subtle, and sometimes not so subtle calls that will favor the superstar teams. last year the 4 division winners in the NFL were not the division winners the year before, due in large part to the NFL actually selling the product on the field and not the superstars inside the jerseys.

Before every MLB, NHL or NFL season fans of almost every team can say, "this may be the year" and they could be right, in the NBA no such hope exists. If you're a fan of Charlotte or Denver, or Indiana, your team has no chance whatsoever of being in the finals in your lifetime, unless they acquire a marketable superstar. So what's the point, honestly? if we say, "because we love basketball", I ask you, is this really basketball? I would argue again, it's more WWE with a ball.

[ImSlower]

You are entitled to your opinion. I still enjoy watching professional basketball.

[nbafan38]

The NBA has always been kind of like this but I agree this year is even worse. I think Durants move will lower playoff ratings in the western conference by a lot. The finals will still be heavily watched though.

[pantalones]

You are entitled to your opinion. I still enjoy watching professional basketball.

I've been a die hard sports fan my entire life. I'm 44 and honest to goodness am so fed up with the NBA insulting our collective intelligence, that I'm starting to lose interest (and I was that guy that could literally tell you where every single player on every team went to school) due to the reasons that I listed in my op. Just as I grew sick of the WWE, I'm growing more and more sick of the WWE with a ball.

[iamworthy]

As a laker fan its been a while since we had a team of really young talented guys so for me the growth process is going to be exiting. Hopefully in 4-5 years we are ready to continue winning championships. We are really young at the prefect time because no one is beating the Warriors.

[JBautista3]

Didn't even read your post, but I like to watch basketball?

[Forte IV]

I'll watch just for the small chance we might actually win this year. I'm still a fan of my team and I'm still a fan of the NBA at the end of the day.

[HeatedEnd]

"Happiness is a function of expectations"

[franktony]

As a Spurs fan

Pull an upset.

[mg]

For the most part the NBA has always been like this. The team with Bill Russell was most likely going to win the title. The team with Magic or Bird was most likely going to the Finals. The team with Jordan was likely going to win the ship. Now the team with LeBron is likely going to the Finals every year.

I'm actually still looking forward to the next season though. It's always interesting to watch the new rookies. I'm also intrigued to watch the progress of the 2nd year guys KAT, Porzingis, etc. A young up and coming team like Minnesota could be fun to watch. Indiana may be the surprise team in the EC that makes it to the ECF. Obviously the Warriors will be the heavy favorite in the WC but don't think incorporating Durant and getting him shots will be as easy as some think. Thompson and to a lesser degree Green will have to defer to make it all work. I'm guessing they win fewer games in the regular season due to the adjustments they will have to make.

[pantalones]

Didn't even read your post, but I like to watch basketball?

I love the irony.

[ooptolebron]

If you weren't a fan of the Bulls was there a point of watching ball in the 90s? If you weren't a fan of the Celtics or Lakers was there a point of watching ball in the 70s/80s?

How about the Spurs/Lakers in the 2000s?

There has been 6 different teams in the Finals in the past 6 years: Gstate, Cleveland, Miami, Spurs, Thunder, Mavs.

The Warriors are not a 100% lock to make the Finals for two reasons.

1. The Spurs and Clippers.

2. Injuries (both KD and Curry are prone to serious feet, ankle, or knee issues) and chemistry.

[pantalones]

I'll watch just for the small chance we might actually win this year. I'm still a fan of my team and I'm still a fan of the NBA at the end of the day.

Win what? The Clippers will not win the NBA championship this year. You're team, like 27 other teams has zero chance of winning the NBA championship this year. Precedence has told us this.

[Devassa]

Because we don't have many games of Nowitzki left to watch

Also I'm excited to see what Carlisle can do with Anderson, Powell, (Seth) Curry, and Barnes. It's the first time Dallas has had any remotely exciting young talent in a long time.. So it'll be TV worthy anyway

[PKABOOICU]

to see the growth of my team and some others I'm interested in such as the wolves, bucks, and 76ers.

[Cappy_Smurf]

Yeah, it's not like players ever get injured.

[Rubio9Guy]

People always talk about the lack of parity in the NFL and it is true, but I think the parity of the NFL and MLB is overstated.

Since 1991 here are the number of different title winners in the big three:

NBA: 10
MLB: 13
NFL: 14

So yes, a little more parity but not much. Anyways, my Wolves won't be contending for 2-3 years anyways, but it's still exciting to watch.

[bmurph128]

When LeBron left Cleveland the first time and we drafted Kyrie, I watched to watch him play.

I imagine fans of other teams will feel the same. The Raptors never really had a chance to beat the Cavs last year...but for Raptors fans that was the most exciting basketball season they've ever had. It's not always about the end result...the journey can be very enjoyable too.

Most NBA stars grow into themselves. When Curry and Kawhi first came into the league, how many people really thought they'd be top 5 players? Not many.

Wouldn't you want to watch to see if you have the next Steph Curry or Kawhi on your team? (in terms of development)

[malgus]

The shadow of Donaghy looms over the league too: Crooked refs.

Are the outcomes of games because the NBA wants Superstar Calls or because the ref wants to affect the outcome for another reason? That reason could be they don't like player X,Y,Z ala Joey Crawford, or maybe they don't like this city or that city, this team or that team, or maybe they're placing bets like Tim Donaghy.

Yeah, I've been saying this for a while now - It's National Basketball Entertainment.

[og15]

To see where the Clippers rank at the end of the season, to see if the Clippers can get to the WCF and if so to see if they can somehow pull it off against GS if GS is the one there (very likely) or at least see how far they can push them.

Then of course there's the fact that injuries happen, which could change things.

Also see the progress teams and players have made.