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                         April 26, 2002

NBA playoffs not worth watching

Commentary by Jim Fox
Staff Writer

Someone just informed me that the NBA playoffs began Saturday. Really? I must have been busy and missed it. Oh, well, no loss -- they’ll drag on until late June anyway.

I understand that Murphy and I are actually squaring off against each other again. This time it is a Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers playoff match-up.

Now, I know some of you out there won’t believe me, but I am actually more of a Boston fan than a New York fan. The Yankees are the only New York team I favor.

See, I’ve been a Celtics fan my whole life. I just haven’t been as fanatic in recent years due to their demise in the mid-‘90s.

The Celtics are back in the playoffs but are a flawed team with limited potential to advance very far. Just like all the rest of the Eastern Conference teams.

I have no strong affinity to pro hoops anymore. I still hate the Los Angeles Lakers, but don’t hate the 76ers like I used to in the late 1970s and 1980s.

The NBA has the best players in the world, blah, blah, blah.

Who cares? They aren’t even teams anymore, just collections of highly paid players who wear the same uniforms.

It’s unwatchable. Even college ball is going downhill with all the best players who should still be in school opting for the NBA draft early. Then, for the most part, college ball’s best talent sits on the end of an NBA team’s bench as the 11th or 12th player instead of lighting it up in the college ranks.

I don’t want to get into a discussion as to why they leave early. That’s their right and how the rules are written. That’s fine. I don’t care why. I’m only looking at the end result.

Pro and college hoops are not as good as they use to be. Today’s college and pro teams are on a different level than the teams of even the recent past.

In the NBA, outside of the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Byrant, tell me, who is worth watching?

Name me a player, other than Bryant, who is an intriguing, complete player?

There are a few who are very good at their positions, like San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and Seattle’s Gary Payton, but none in my book who bring the game to another level.

O’Neal, for all his greatness, is hard to watch at times. As dominating as he is in almost every aspect of his game there is still one glaring part that is embarrassing and even maddening to watch.

Yes, I mean his free-throw shooting.

How can a professional athlete not work at correcting a glaring Achilles-heel of a weakness to his team’s success when he knows that the one way opposing teams can beat him is by putting him on the line?

I try to watch come playoff time, I really do. But I can’t.

I’ll find something else to do with my time.

With Michael Jordan gone . . . Oh, sorry, he’s back, or was. I forgot. There isn’t anyone to hate enough to watch anymore.

I used to like to at least watch teams try to beat him.

Kobe is interesting though. He is worthy of admiration, but I hate his team and his smug coach. But there is really no good reason for me to hate him. Kobe’s likeable enough.

I used to look forward to the NBA games on the weekends when I was younger. During what I look back on as the glory days of the NBA when Julius Irving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas were king.

There were some great teams back then that produced some great rivalries. When team play was evident.

Now the pro game is about individuals and one-and-one matchups. It’s garbage and unwatchable.

Now I don’t even care that Murphy and I are matched up.

Of course, the Celtics will end the 76ers run this round. Then Murph’ will have to concentrate on his "Phloundering" Phillies.