To the average hoops head, the NBA offseason feels like an eternity. We love basketball so much that not seeing it played at the highest level for a few months is enough to make life a lot less interesting. I personally can’t do it. Whether it’s watching FIBA tournaments or clips of old games on YouTube, I always get my summer hoops fix. Still, nothing compares to the thrill of an 82-game NBA season stretched out over six months.The well of NBA-relate material never runs dry from November to April; there are tons of games to watch, a lot of story lines to follow, endless debates to have with friends, and a vast amount of stats to read. This particular season is more special to me than most of the previous ones, because now that I live in Boston, it’s the first one in which I can actually go and see the games in person. In fact, just today I printed my ticket for the Celtics’ season opener against the Nets.
As if things couldn’t get any better, it turns out that Rajon Rondo might actually play in the game. His recovery has been running ahead of schedule, and he just got through his first full-contact practice since his mysterious injury. I was feeling a little bummed out when he got hurt; not only for the selfish reason of not getting to see him play after I had already purchased the ticket, but because it was a meaningful setback for this up-and-coming team. This news today is therefore twice as sweet. If he comes back ahead of time, the team will be in a better position going forward, and I’ll also get my money’s worth on Wednesday. I can’t wait!
P.D.: Sorry for quoting Laker fan Ice Cube in the title of this post, but that song is a rap classic, and as my blog post illustrated, it truly was a good day. I also bought a fantastic book about The Beatles in Barnes & Noble (with a 15 percent discount), so you can imagine how happy I am.
A Journalist Who Bleeds Green 