Your NBA team fandom & alliances

yeah especially late in the season

lotta crap teams start shutting down their best players at the end and you get a lot of mediocre rookie showcasing and 10-day g league call-ups. It can get really ugly. but you are often left with questions like: is mudiay good now? is colin sexton gonna be ok in this league? how did elfrid payton get 5 triple doubles in a row? etc

lol i love the late season random stat games tbh

I've come reeeeally close to pulling the trigger on League Pass for like 8 straight years I think but still haven't done it, honestly between NBATV, TNT and ESPN there is pretty much 1-2 games on every night and I'm not terribly picky about who I watch.

Living in NC I am nominally a Hornets fan but this year has been a pain in the ass because I don't have traditional cable and my Playstation Vue doesn't get whatever rando regional sports channel that carries Hornets games. So I've literally watched them less than any other team this year because they're blacked out on the very rare occasion they appear on one of the national sports networks. This is all probably for the best. I saw them twice in person last season and they got smoked both times, once understandably by the Raps but once by the damn Nets.

I think the avidity of my NBA fandom has definitely peaked in the last few years, maybe in part due to the fact that I've dropped baseball as a sport I follow and I only get into college hoops in March. Honestly a big part of it too has been getting into NBA podcasts, especially the Lowe Post but also some of The Ringer's stuff, it just makes following the sport more enjoyable when there's a lot of smart content out there about it (same has been true for me with the NFL).

— Who's your #1 team:

Bulls

— Why is that team your #1:

Cause grew up in Chicago 'burbs. I was 6 when MJ was a rookie, 20 when he retired from Bulls 2nd time, so whole childhood was MJ Bulls.

— Who's your side-piece(s):

Don't have one. Respect the hell out of Pop and Spurs though. If Bulls aren't playing, I just root for good ball/close game/that player who annoys me to lose in comical fashion.

— How, when, why you got into the NBA:

See above re: 6 yr old me and MJ rookie. !st games I remember watching though were when MJ came back from fractured foot; I was so annoyed with his minutes restriction.

HAWKS. moved to atlanta from charlotte when i was eight and right in the middle of the classic nique/doc/spud/moses years. don't fuck with sidepieces and really don't watch much ball unless the hawks are playing. became weirdly invested during the rebuilding years of the early 2000s and haven't backed off since.

my son is two and is already asking me to watch trae highlights. when he shoots on his little basketball goal he yells trae highlights when it leaves his hand. this is how it should be.

aw go lil man

very nice.

my kids are arizona natives so i (kinda) want them to choose their own team, i try not to fill their minds with too much warriors homerism. they have chosen wisely thus far, obv with gentle nudging + praying to steph curry every morning and night.

reddit.com/nbastreams is consistently great if you don't mind watching games on your computer

er... r/nbastrems w/e

STREAMS

rae streamerds

celtics, saw bird play in the old garden w my dad etc, have p much been a hardcore fan since, watching many games in even the direst of todd day dee brown type seasons

Same same same, but sub “grandpa” for “dad” and “jeered at” for “saw”

no flex zone

https://i.imgur.com/hP2KjK6.png

dont be rude to larry bird please thank you

— Who's your #1 team: Dubs
— Why is that team your #1: Moved to the east bay in the '90s and slowly warmed to them.
— Who's your side-piece(s): I considered myself a Pistons fan in the Bad Boys era and also liked the Knicks, but mostly watched the Lakers since they were on TV regularly. Pretended to not enjoy the Lakers due to anti-LA bias. These days: My fantasy teams/players.
— Why they are your side-piece(s): $
— How, when, why you got into the NBA: Pretty much got into NBA/MLB/NFL as soon as I noticed they existed. Went to a few San Diego Clippers games as a tyke.

"celtics, saw bird play in the old garden w my dad etc" is p much as good a tagline as it gets for sports fandom

yeah theres some great stuff in this thread.

really liked jordans miami sports breakdown, had never thought of or heard any of that.

didnt know aimless was around for the golden years of the nba! its kinda weird to me that the nba hasnt uploaded a full archive of all games played or something. would love to watch some games from the 60s-70s.

yeah even before YouTube was a thing I thought NBA should put up all its old games online. but there are a LOT on YouTube. I watched a '71 Bucks Finals game not that long ago.

i watched a celtics-lakers russell-wilt finals game over the summer and...... it was so bad, no offense to the legends and what not but russell looked like he had never held a basketball before

sadly i'm a bit too young to have gotten to see larry bird, i did go to some games in the old garden with my dad but it was during like the dee brown era

there was a couple years in there where the celtics were playing smallball just cause their roster was bad and tommy called them "the mighty mights" lol really trying to be optimistic

mighty mites i guess makes more sense actually lol

Celtics are one of my earliest sports memories. Watched the Celtics/Rockets finals in a bar (!) with my dad.

nice, kinda left field that 2 of the 3 bird era titles came vs the rockets

also kinda left field that the year before the celtics beat them in the finals for the first time they beat them in the eastern conf playoffs https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/rockets_vs_celtics_game_log_pl.htm

my earliest celtics memory is when reggie lewis died :(

that was sad rip

I think I only got to see MJ play in person twice, once at old Chicago Stadium once at United Center.
Chicago Stadium game was last game of the 88-89 season vs the Cavs, so it was just before those 2 teams met in Playoffs for "The Shot". Went with my neighbor and his parents, and this kid was goofing around and totally blocked my view of MJ doing a stylin reverse breakaway dunk. I'm still kinda mad about that!
UC game was during Rodman era, won tix via supermarket drawing, sat in lower skybox, Rodman had like 26 boards.
So that means my parents never paid to take me to a single game wtf what is the statute of limitations for child abuse??

recall seeing the shot at an applebees for some reason

lolol
I was up in my room watching the game on lil tv that I recently got as a hand-me-down. Don't know why I wasn't watching with my mom in family room cause she was a fan too. We were about to go out to dinner at pizza place mom n dad would go to when they were dating. So maybe she was busy getting ready to go out and my sisters took control of main tv. I remember jumping around on my yellow shag carpeting after he won it.

So that means my parents never paid to take me to a single game wtf what is the statute of limitations for child abuse??

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, March 20, 2019 11:40 AM (five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol wow you need to confront them, might need a psychiatrist to talk this one through together to make sure nothing is left unsaid.

— Who's your #1 team:

Chicago Bulls, may god have mercy on my soul

— Why is that team your #1:

I always loved MJ but I remember watching them in the finals against the Lakers and it really took hold then. I was 14 I guess? The Layup was the big moment for me in that series. I watched every game through high school. I loved all those guys: Pippen of course, just a quiet assassin out there. Horace Grant, who maybe isn’t as beloved in Chicago as you’d imagine: Bulls fans remember him going to the Magic during their extremely failed attempt at supplanting the Bulls as the next EC dynasty. Armstrong, Cartwright (who seemed at the time like an ancient wizard out there against Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, etc. Even Parish), Paxton, and so on.

— Who's your side-piece(s):

The Spurs for sure.

— Why they are your side-piece(s):

I just admire that organization and generally speaking they’ve always been a likable group. Up til Kawhi got weird. Pop is incredible. Duncan and Robinson were amazing. Have made the playoffs in 22 straight seasons now, in 42 out of 46 seasons in the NBA. The Lakers have missed the playoffs six times....in the past six seasons!

— How, when, why you got into the NBA:

Answered up there a bit but it was actually maybe a bit earlier, I loved watching Jordan, Bird, Johnson, Barkley, that golden era of centers who averaged 28 ppg and 14 boards. Late period Moses Malone and Erving and Abdul-Jabbar. A great time to enter into the game.

I was so MJ/Bulls focused early on + it was so much easier to not keep up with the NBA as a whole + Finals were always when summer vacation began so I was never inside in front of a TV = missed those mid 80s Lakers/Celts series. That's def something YouTube has been great for.

But re: "so much easier to not keep up with the NBA", the upshot was that these players (esp West Conf players) who you rarely saw play took on near-mythic qualities. Like who the fck is this Fat Lever guy, how does he get these numbers they just put on the screen while he's shooting a FT?? There was a lot more mystery, esp for a kid.

my earliest celtics memory is when reggie lewis died :(

― ciderpress, Wednesday, March 20, 2019 2:09 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that was sad rip

― lag∞n, Wednesday, March 20, 2019 2:11 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hate this day.

(sorry, couldn't resist).

— Who's your #1 team: Warriors

— Why is that team your #1: Been in SF for 7 years. And Steph. And Klay.

— Who's your side-piece(s): Pelicans

— Why they are your side-piece(s): I'm from NOLA. They weren't around when I was growing up and I didn't have any room in my heart/life to be a fan of any other team than the Saints so I didn't really give them a second thought until I got into NBA a few years ago. Kings/Clippers are my tertiary faves because they're young and fun.

— How, when, why you got into the NBA: Got swept up in Stephmania during the unanimous season and have only missed a couple games since. It helped that the Warriors' rise coincided with a period that I was having a harder and harder time justifying following the NFL. Lebron going supernova and the Game 7 crushing loss felt so familiar to me as a Saints fan that I think it was the final ingredient in completing the graft of my loyalty from the Saints over to the Dubs. That said, the more I watch and learn about the game the less team-loyal and more player/system-fan I become. It is a beautiful game to behold.

— Who's your #1 team: Lakers
— Why is that team your #1: born and raised in LA and some of the earliest memories are listening to chick Hearn on that radio during showtime era
— Who's your side-piece(s): the LOL knicks , idk i just want them to be good but they arent
— Why they are your side-piece(s): get to go see them at MSG at least once a year
— How, when, why you got into the NBA: grandpa was s huge Dodger and Lakers fan

I'm not sure why/how I got into the NBA when I did. I think watching Lebron in the 07 ECF, where he just kicked the Pistons' asses in that one game. That was cool. Even though the 07 finals were supposedly boring I enjoyed watching the Spurs do their thing. I actually missed the 'we believe' dubs series by a hair. So I got into them pre-God mode Curry...the Anthony Randolph/Corey Maggette era lol. Loved watching Monta do his crazy shit, driving like a maniac. Honestly still amazed how quickly it turned around. Good grief, Kwame Brown, signing an offer sheet for Deandre Jordan...I still remember when Steph got his first triple double, grabbing a rebound right as the game ended, not even realizing it until Turiaf or somebody rubbed his head and congratulated him. As you can see I'm really defensive about accusations of fairweatherness.

And Spottie's right, David Lee deserves much dub nation love, I was sad when he left but it had to happen.

he even unlocked the code in the 2015 finals! got draymond out of his weird funk and showed him the path to breaking the defense down.

I know he's a cue anon guy or whatever but having Bogut back has increased my affection for this year's team quite a bit.

i agree for some reason, it feels good idk why.

Hi ILH lurker delurking for a sec

— Who's your #1 team:

Houston Rockets

— Why is that team your #1:— How, when, why you got into the NBA:

My first post university job was working the night shift at a petrol station, there was a radio there and reception was p shitty but for some reason one night i stumbled across some station for overseas US military personnel, on long wave i think, that had commentary on that year's NBA Finals and just from hearing 2 or 3 games from that series I found myself rooting for Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. Can't say that I've always followed them assiduously in every season since but they're still my team and I love James Harden boneheaded non defensive plays and all.

— Who's your side-piece(s):— Why they are your side-piece(s):

76ers cos Iverson. Mavs cos Dirk.

Mostly tend to root for players, and occasionally coaches (i see you Pop and Stan Van) rather than teams maybe because I'm not American and have no local affiliation although the majority of players I like are Euros so that's a local affiliation of sorts.

we have a rockets fan! welcome oscar

lol nice

do you follow euroleague? if no, why not?

No, I don't follow Euroleague. Wouldn't even know where to start. As to why? Well I assume it's vastly inferior to the NBA and tbh I don't really have a high enough understanding of basketball to solely watch games to appreciate systems or styles etc. I mean I struggle to even enjoy college ball because it mostly seems kinda slow and incompetent to my untutored eye in comparison to the NBA and I've always assumed I'd feel the same about Euroleague.

lots of posters on ILH itself and through them finding articles from people like zach lowe have greatly helped in my appreciation of the game but even then when you guys point out things that a player does particularly well or plays that a team run particularly smoothly I'll look them up on youtube and still sometimes be none the wiser.

So yeah i like basketball but it ain't in my bones like it is for most of you.

As you can see I'm really defensive about accusations of fairweatherness.

I'm definitely a bandwagon fan and probably won't find out if I'm fairweather til Steph and Klay drop off. I don't ever see myself watching less basketball though. The sick moves/messy drama are too enthralling.

No, I don't follow Euroleague. Wouldn't even know where to start. As to why? Well I assume it's vastly inferior to the NBA and tbh I don't really have a high enough understanding of basketball to solely watch games to appreciate systems or styles etc. I mean I struggle to even enjoy college ball because it mostly seems kinda slow and incompetent to my untutored eye in comparison to the NBA and I've always assumed I'd feel the same about Euroleague.

lots of posters on ILH itself and through them finding articles from people like zach lowe have greatly helped in my appreciation of the game but even then when you guys point out things that a player does particularly well or plays that a team run particularly smoothly I'll look them up on youtube and still sometimes be none the wiser.

So yeah i like basketball but it ain't in my bones like it is for most of you.

― oscar bravo, Wednesday, March 20, 2019 3:23 PM (twenty-nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

college hoop is really trash now. they really just need to adopt the nba rules (4 quarters, 24 second shot clock, no bonus/double bonus, 6 fouls foul out, etc) the nba is a far superior product. the one and done rule has hurt college a lot too and i bet it will be more fun to watch once all the best of the best get to join the nba out of high school again.

however, the next 4 days are 4 of the best days of sport in the year. I love opening weekend of March Madness. really dont care as much once they get to the later rounds (espesh if there arent any cinderella teams to cheer on) altho i will be routing on our favorite son zion all the way obv

yeah first weekend is the true madness

why four quarters? i mean, what's the difference

— Who's your #1 team: Knicks
— Why is that team your #1: My first-ever sporting event was a Knicks game. Well, not just a Knicks game, but an NBA Finals game. What a way to kick off a fandom right? The Knicks were by far the biggest deal in town in my early childhood ('til I was about ten), and the players were everywhere on the TV.. My fondest pro hoops memories of all time come from the lockout-year team that made the finals. Besides being larger than life, a bunch of the players lived kinda nearby in the suburbs where I lived, so I would occasionally run into, say, Buck Williams shopping at the Halloween store with his kid. And they would do signings and engagement that really affected me when I was a kid. It's a far cry from the current era--a team of journeyman and the occasional star who management alienates until they leave town.
— Who's your side-piece(s): Brooklyn, Sixers
— Why they are your side-piece(s): For Brooklyn--proximity. I live in the Flatbush area, so Barclays is a short walk. Plus, they're a super-fun team with talented youngsters and a good coach who was actually given a leash to work his magic. Sixers, I have a close family friend who works in the front office. Plus--years of Knicks misery and shared enmity against the Celtics.
— How, when, why you got into the NBA: Kinda got into it above, sorry.

I will say that the team I follow closest in both football and basketball is the Michigan Wolverines. College sports seems mostly non-grata around ILX parts, but I can't help it--I've been indoctrinated and I bleed Blue to the point where I organize my life around their games (why why why would you schedule a wedding on a fall saturday, whyyyyy)

I wouldn't say I prefer College Hoops to the NBA product. It's clearly inferior for all the reasons that everyone says. I'm a League Pass subscriber and the NBA is definitely the most fun league out there.. But the shorter games and the longer shot clock means more unpredictability, and it means each possession is a bit more meaningful--it's more of a visceral experience watching than the NBA, which is pure entertainment. Plus, in the particular case of Michigan, John Beilein built a very warm and fuzzy program, with an unconventional style and few one-n-dones. It's nice to have them flourishing while the knicks near their 19th straight year of hopelessness (give or take that one 2012-2013 season)

indeed a yellow card rules i'm just saying the lurkers are a-scared of em

i dont believe you????

idk im making it up. i was a-scared of it until i realized they are in fact a tasty treat! and now i post

Who's your #1 team: Spurs
— Why is that team your #1: went to college in SA in the 90s
— Who's your side-piece(s): Bulls, Hawks
— Why they are your side-piece(s): lived in those places, lived in the Bay Area too but I never really got that the warriors were local because I am dumb
— How, when, why you got into the NBA: 85 I think, started watching baseball daily and nba games would sometimes be on instead (bulls & knicks mostly) I hate all things ny except the knicks because I loved watching Patrick Ewing play

you went to trinity right?

Yes!

I saw a bunch of games while there, even a playoff game one year

yeah Milwaukee's a good basketball town, even better baseball town. how could it not be, drinking + cold weather + sports really do go together.

I'd + relatively few transplants/many WI lifers

this thread gives me heavy nostalgia for '90s NBA, there were so many gods walking the court at that time

― omar little, Friday, April 19, 2019 3:53 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this era might be even better: lebron, durant, steph, chris paul, harden, giannis, AD are all going to be top 25 all time dudes

not sure AD and cp3 belong in that conversation but im open to be persuaded

cp3 is already there and I’ve made the case a million times, you can just look at his stats and all-NBA teams and such, AD obv well on his way