NBA = Nottoomanypeople Botheringtowatch Anyofthegames

I'm not alone in this statement... one columnist says there's one thing lacking from this year's NBA playoffs. Relevancy. A buzz. A sense of 'must-see TV.'

I was spoiled in the 80s and 90s with all the big-name superstars, and great level of play... not to mention the excitement surrounding the 1992 Dream Team... Jordan, Magic, Bird, Barkley, Malone, Ewing, Mullin, Drexler, Pippen, Robinson, Stockton, and Laettner.

Yes, the Bulls ruled the decade. Thanks to Jordan's retirement to minor league baseball, the Rockets got two titles. I rooted for the Portland Trailblazers... I liked Clyde Drexler, and those were good teams the Blazers had in the early 90s, who always ran into hot teams in the end. I was happy for Drexler when he got his title with the Rockets. The Blazers had another chance in 2000, but blew it in the 4th quarter of the Western Conference finals to the Lakers. After that, Portland became the JailBlazers, with some of their miscreants ending up in jail, and eventually out of the playoff picture for quite a while.

I also kept my eye on the Cleveland Cavaliers... I liked how scrappy they were in the early 90s, then followed them during the years that Bob Sura, when I knew from high school, played for them.

The lockout of 1999 soured me a bit, and it's been tough to follow the NBA since. I keep my eye on Denver, just to watch AI and Carmelo.

I have the same approach the NHL... liked it for a while, especially when my Avalanche were winning. But when Colorado traded Chris Drury, that bummed me out. I'm following Nashville and Buffalo to a degree now.

How long until football season?

Talk with you at 6:00... buckle up.
TS