Exciting MLB Playoffs and A Look at the Old School NBA

Wow, this year’s playoffs have been a non-stop roller coaster ride of emotions complete with Cinderella stories and thrilling games that have come down to the wire.  I realize that my predictions have been completely incorrect due to the fact that neither of the teams I predicted to be in the World Series made it out of the first round.  Nonetheless, the playoffs have still proved to be entertaining with the Cardinals coming out of nowhere to take the National League by storm and the Rangers proving that they are a force to be reckoned with in the American League.  The series so far has been close, in Game 6 the Cardinals snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after being down to their last strike 2 times during the late innings.  David Freese came up with a 2 run triple in the bottom of the 9th to tie up the game and continue the Cardinals season.  Lance Berkman also came up with a game tying 1 run single in the bottom of the 10th to keep the Cardinal fans' dreams alive.  After escaping elimination twice David Freese provided the finishing blow with a solo walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.  With Game 7 on Friday at 5:00 pm the series is up for grabs and if Game 7 is half as entertaining as Game 6 I am excited to see the tension build until one team can overcome the adversity and win the ultimate title in baseball, the World Series Trophy.  I am predicting (against my better judgment) that the Cardinals narrow escape in Game 6 is foreshadowing as to what will happen in Game 7 and their resiliency to defeat will allow them to triumph over the Rangers.

With the NBA still M.I.A (Missing In Action) I have turned to the NBA channel's reruns of classic games, dating back to the 1970's up to the 1990's, to quench my basketball thirst.  In watching these games I have realized the following 5 reasons why the old NBA is better than the current NBA:

1. Players were loyal to their teams rather than jumping around from team to team seeking the biggest contract.  The latest example being Lebron leaving his hometown to join his competition of D-Wade and Chris Bosh when Micheal Jordan, in a similar situation decided to build a team around him to combat his competition.
2. The rivalries weren't taken personally.  Back in the day the Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson rivalry reigned supreme as the best rivalry in basketball.  These two players had nothing personal against each other; they just enjoyed beating each other.  These days most NBA stars preference is to call each other out on twitter rather than settling it on the court.
3. The lack of court side advertisements and the fact that weight lifting was not encouraged back in the day gave the game a more homely feel.  The best players were the players with the best skill set rather than the most explosive or powerful player.  Most athletes back in the day looked like regular people you would meet on the street and weren't recognizable unlike the celebrities that the NBA players of the modern era have been built up to be.
4. Referees called the game without the offensive bias that exists today.  In the classic NBA the defender was entitled to his space and the offensive player wasn't allowed to go through the defender on his drive to the basket.  Being defensive minded myself, I hate seeing good defense be ruined by the fact that the offensive player is allowed to go through the defender to get to the rim.
5. The all-star games were competitive basketball games throughout the whole game instead of the modern pattern of a skill showcase for the last three quarters and a competitive last quarter.  Players back in the day played good defense and hustled every play of the all-star games of the era which ultimately made the all-star games better quality games.  Nowadays the all-star games are more of a marketing opportunity than an opportunity to watch a quality basketball game.

So whether the NBA decides that their fans are more important than their personal wealth or not I will be plenty happy watching the classic NBA games being replayed on the NBA channel.