I did baseball (parts one and two) and football (one and two), and now…I am going to take a crack at the NBA. Yep, I am talking about basketball! Remember, this is the first thing I think about or associate with each team, so no need to argue with me about these choices.
One quick caveat: most of my basketball knowledge comes from the 1990s and early 00s. Sooo, you can imagine how skewed this will be…shit, even the team names are messed up to me.
Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn? When did they move from New Jersey? I seriously can only think of two things when I hear about them: 1) Does Jay-Z own them? 2) Derrick Coleman was such a wasted talent.
Los Angeles Clippers
I know that nowadays they are a good team, but I will always think of them as that terrible team of the 90s. I remember when we got the internet, we looked up ticket prices for different teams. Clippers tickets were ridiculously cheap, like courtside seats were $100 for another bad team. I think the cheapest Lakers courtside seats were $1500 minimum. I think that was from their official sales stuff, not the secondary market. Insane.
Atlanta Hawks
Dominique Wilkins. He was one of the greatest dunkers of all time. He was also a pretty awesome player. I remember a few seasons where he was close to leading the league in scoring. During Wilkins time, the Hawks were always really good, but could never seem to reach the great level.
Denver Nuggets
Dikembe Mutombo. He was always a funny guy to watch, but I always think about the time MJ made his free throw with his eyes closed. “Hey Mutombo, this ones for you baby!”
New Orleans Pelicans
I know nothing of this team. Seriously. I did not even know it was a real team until I looked up the standings.
Oklahoma City Thunder
They were the Seattle SuperSonics, right? I think so. I could mention Durant and Westbrook, but blah. The first thing that comes to mind when you mention the Sonics (and by extension the Thunder) is Shawn Kemp and his fifty kids. Okay, not that many. He has seven confirmed to six different women, but the rumor is possibly eleven.
Phoenix Suns
The inbounds play from Scottie Pippen. He made Dan Majerle. I think that was who it was. Does anyone else remember it? He fakes it then tosses it off Majerle’s back, catches it himself and lays it in? I swear that was against Majerle.
Milwaukee Bucks
People tend to forget that Ray Allen started his career with the Bucks. It was an odd thing, Minnesota drafted him, but traded him to the Bucks for Stephon Marbury, who was the 4th pick. I think the Bucks got someone else in the deal, but it always struck me weird. I think it worked out well for the Bucks.
Sacramento Kings
Meh. Vlade Divac?
Philadelphia 76ers
I have tons of memories of the 76ers. Uncle Shawn and I used to go to Sixer games. We started going during Jerry Stackhouse’s rookie year. I think we bought a ticket package, like five games, so that we could see Michael Jordan and the Bulls play. Anyways, after that season we were invited to the Sixers draft party, they had the first pick. We were both huge Iverson fans, so we definitely went there to witness him get drafted first. It was pretty cool.
Utah Jazz
Karl Malone & John Stockton. They were such a great duo and they ran such a simple play, the classic pick & roll. They executed it perfectly and they gave the Bulls a pretty good run in the finals, but Jordan was too much for them.
Indiana Pacers
Reggie Miller! I remember seeing him defeat the Knicks by himself in the playoffs. I think he scored 15 3-pointers in like 9 seconds or something insane. Okay, it was two threes in a few seconds, but it was still amazing.
I wonder what kind of numbers Reggie would put up in the modern NBA. Imagine him playing for Golden State or Houston. Being told to just keep shooting threes. I know, his career 3-point percentage is not nearly as good as Curry, but Miller did not get the attempts. I remember Reggie being one of the best shooters ever.
Dallas Mavericks
I realize Jason Kidd played for just about everyone, but I remember him as a rookie with the Mavs. Kidd had a fantastic career, but during those early years, there was no one quite as exciting as him (except Iverson).
Toronto Raptors
I remember when the Raptors became on expansion team. It was so cool having a team named after a dinosaur. When it comes to a player, Vince Carter will always stand out as the most memorable. Obviously I have a thing for fancy dunks.
Memphis Grizzlies
I can remember two things about the Grizzlies: they used to play in Vancouver and their first ever draft pick was Bryant “Big Country” Reeves. I vaguely remember the move to Memphis. Although, I thought they were going to change the team name to the Express when they moved. I guess that never happened.
Minnesota Timberwolves
I remember Kevin Garnett being taken with the fifth pick in the ’95 Draft. He was this 6’11 kid who had like a a 40″ vertical. He was definitely fun to watch over his career. Insanely skilled player.
Charlotte Hornets
They were teal. Does anything else matter? My brother was a Hornets fan. He was young and definitely just liked the colors. Damn, the 90s were so cool. So much teal…I think my brother had a bunch of Hornets stuff.
Detroit Pistons
The Bad Boys of the late 80s…damn, I was young, but I was just starting to like basketball. I was a huge Jordan fan (my uncle was a Jordan fan, so I wanted to be like him). I remember watching the Pistons defeat the Bulls in the conference semifinals. Isaiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman. They seemed so tough and badass.
Houston Rockets
Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. Crazy how you never hear about those two, but they were seriously two of the best players in the league during their era. Clyde was like a lesser version of Jordan, much lesser, but still, he was always pretty good (and yes, I realize he played mostly with Portland). Hakeem was probably the best center during that time.
Portland Trail Blazers
Isaiah Rider and his legal troubles. If I remember correctly, he was arrested for possession of marijuana while with the Timberwolves and after he was traded he was like “I just want a fresh start.” Then he got arrested a few days later for pot again. A Blazer indeed…
Orlando Magic
Penny Hardaway and those awful commercials. When Jordan retired, the Magic stepped up to fill that void. Shaq and Penny (I remember when Jordan came back and almost defeated them in the playoffs). I feel like a bunch of injuries caused his career to stall a bit. Is that accurate?
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry is the obvious choice. Or perhaps the fact the Warriors have caused me to almost pay attention to basketball. But come on, when I think of the Warriors, I think of Chris Mullin. He was a member of the Dream Team!
Miami Heat
LeBron and his big announcement. Otherwise known as The Decision. Building championship teams is something the Heat seem to do. I suppose Dwayne Wade should be the player that always comes to mind, but The Decision is the thing that always sticks out. I feel like that was one of the moments where LeBron was pretty much hated by tons of fans out there.
Washington Wizards
Another team that Uncle Shawn and I went to see play live. I think we went to their first game as the Wizards (maybe?). I know we went to the first game at the CoreStates Arena (or whatever the Sixers place is called) and there is a chance we went to the opening game at the Wizards arena. I know we went to see them play when they were the Bullets. I was a huge fan Chris Webber and Juwan Howard as a youngster.
New York Knicks
They always seemed to be the Bulls rival when I was first getting into basketball. I absolutely hated Patrick Ewing and always got annoyed that he never got called for traveling because he took like fifteen steps when he got the ball.
Boston Celtics
Larry Bird. There are so many Celtics greats from players to moments, but whenever I think of them, I think Larry Bird. He was one of the smoothest shooters I ever saw. Like Reggie Miller, I always wonder what he would be like if he could play in this new NBA style?
Los Angeles Lakers
Think about all of those great Celtics teams and players and what automatically comes to mind? The Lakers. How would I pick a moment or player? I mean, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Mikan, Wilt, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Shaq….and Kobe Bryant. When the LeBron vs. MJ debate starts, I always wonder how long until someone mentions Kobe. And rightfully so.
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James! Seriously, what else can you think of when you hear Cavs? Shit, what else can you think of when you hear Cleveland? I love the argument over who is better, LeBron or Jordan. James is a physical freak, if he played MJ one-on-one when both were in their prime, it is no contest…LeBron destroys him. However, when you get to that team aspect and the fact that with two seconds left, who do you want to have the ball? Well then, obviously the ball goes to Michael.
San Antonio Spurs
Dynasty. They were so dominant for so many years. They drafted Tim Duncan (I will always remember Marcus Camby being so hyped in college and Duncan was considered just a bit less…however, I liked Duncan because he had a cool story) and paired him with David Robinson, giving them one of the best big men combos of all time. During eras of great players like Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron, it is always easy to forget about Tim Duncan. Maybe he did not put up the points like those guys, but he did win. And sometimes that is all that matters.
Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan. MJ. His Airness. Whether it was the young Jordan winning Slam Dunk contests or the smooth shooter hitting buzzer beaters in the biggest moments, there is no denying that Michael Jordan elevated the sport to a whole new level. Would Nike be the global giant they are today without Air Jordan? It is impossible to pick one Jordan moment that stands out, but one of my favorites is the layup against the Lakers…
When you watch it live, it looks pretty normal (especially when you consider all of the stuff we saw MJ do), but then you watch it in slow motion and you see how long he is in the air, how insanely good his vision was to see Perkins and react that quickly. I mean, it is all so surreal and yet it looks so easy and natural for him.
Jordan was a perfect combination of talent, skill, determination, cockiness, showmanship, and fun. He would talk trash, but back it up. He would crack jokes and do funny stuff, but he would also make sure every player out there knew he was the best on the court.
One of the coolest things was getting to see him play live. I think he had like 31 points and had a few moments where he made Stackhouse look foolish out there.
So who are your favorite NBA players or perhaps memorable moments?
