At what age did you REALLY start following the NBA?
I we lived in NC and was lucky enough to see the Cougars play as a really young kid... I guess I was 10, then we moved to Norfolk Virginia and I went to some Squire games. After the ABA folded, I started to follow the NBA but the problem was the league was seldom on TV.
I have very strong memories of Maurice Lucas of the Blazers intimidating the hell out of Dawkins in the finals. Lucas to this day is my idea of the ultimate NBA enforcer.
At around 8-9 years old. First Finals I really remember following was the Bulls-Lakers in 1991, just turned 7. By 4th grade, I was pretty much obsessed with basketball, to the point annoyed certain people around me. Well, to them I say, tough. I became a little more well rounded in my interest, but my incessant need to follow and know as much possible about basketball has never really stopped much.
Game 6 of the 93 NBA finals. I was 10. After that i was hooked. My favorite year was the 95-96 season though. I've never watched as much basketball in my life as I did that year. I consider it the greatest season. My favorite game was a triple overtime featuring the Nuggets and the Suns. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was electric that game.
It might surprise some that the depleted Blazers still finished ahead of both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors this past season. It also might be a surprise that it took seven straight losses from the Blazers to close out the season to get there.
Underneath all the bumps and bruises (and tears and breaks), there really is a pretty good team here in Minnesota, and Kirilenko is a major part of that. He’ll need to be very productive to ensure the Wolves don’t fall into a terrible hole to start the season, but if anybody on this roster can do it, it’s him and Roy.
I've always been a fan. I've watched games since I was a kid but in all honesty, I didn't start really following the NBA until I was at least 21 years old.
At what age did you change from enjoying watching your favorite team or your favorite player play only to really paying attention to the league and other players and their stats and etc.