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Sports & Recreation Congratulations to the following teams ...
Show Time! Can the NBA Still Draw a Crowd?
Patrick Ewing with the Sonics!?! The Knicks losing to the Clippers?!? ... And I don't know whether to cheer or mourn the fact that Patrick and the Sonics pulled a win over the Knicks in their first meeting of the season. ... Oh, well. ... Brace yourself for a curious NBA season. ... It was a bunch of summers back now when I took my kid to Toronto to see the Dream Team sequel. That year, it was Reggie Miller outscoring the Puerto Rican team at the half by two points, along with then young and up-and-coming players like Steve Smith, Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, and the then newest kid on the block, a big talent by the name of O'Neal. But amid the rumored squabbles and derision, there was a shining star -- Joe Dumars, the team captain who voluntarily sat on the bench periodically in order to give some of the younger whining players more time on the floor. Dumars was a class act. No question. And he had rings. But that wasn't the issue. The first Dream Team was legend even as it was being put together. That's how it got its name. Magic, Bird, Jordan. ... The stories seem apocryphal now. How the opposing teams would ask them for their autographs, want their pictures taken with them, even after being trounced. The original Dream Team was a tough act to follow, no question. And it might be for all eternity. But if so, it's not only because those guys knew the game. Not that only, though they knew it better than most folks get to know their respective professions. No. It was a tough act to follow because, like Dumars, and then some, all those guys had Class with a capital 'C'. With the advent of players like Magic and his Lakers, Bird and his Celtics, Zeke and his Pistons, Jordan and his Bulls, the game of basketball took on an almost supernatural air. It was a direct effect that was so strong, it wasn't until this season that the Bulls finally played before less than a sell-out crowd. And in his own right, Ewing, even if only by virtue of his commitment to the game and his team, brought something of the same to Knicks fans. But now, Patrick is gone ... gone far ... all the way to the other coast. Maybe there's some solace to be had in an old War Horse like Karl Malone, who just chalked up his 1,200th career game. But I don't find much solace in it. Malone may be a solid player, but he just never had the Class these other guys had. And among the new breed, it was supposed to be Grant Hill -- quiet, intelligent, un-tattooed -- who was going to provide the juice for the resurrection. Oh, well. ... I used to get miffed at NBC, before we got satellite, not showing an NBA game until, of all things, Christmas Day. {I remember Kevin McHale, a devout Catholic and family man, protesting the scheduling of games on Christmas Day. He was another Class Act. But he had to know he was shoveling dung against the Zeider Zee.} Now. ... Now I can wait. And that may be just the kind of problem the NBA is facing. lmc
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