What to you is basketball?

  2003-2004 Pistons

Teamwork, defense,hardwork, Darko

This team had no "superstars" and still did what nobody thought they would.

Most of my friends called them boring but i loved their style of play

Also damn near any  Spurs teams of the 2000’s…except the Richard Jefferson years…i hate me some Richard Jefferson

i have tons of great memories of watching the lakers and bruins play, but my most significant memories of basketball to me are from playing it. From walking into an empty gym and getting giddy that i had it all to myself , it was enough to make my day. To playing the games and having teammates trust you and opponents respect you. The comraderie of all the guys playing and having a similar passion. The fullfillment of a tough practice that you werent sure if you were gonna push through but once the coach says "all right, gather up" one last time, you then get to walk outside and feel like you accomplished something.

I love every level of basketball. I love the NBA, college, and high school. To me, the purest form of basketball is the following situation:

A high school rivalry. Two schools/communities that have been rivals for multiple generations. Both teams are good that year. They’re playing for the conference title or for a higher seed in the state tournament. It’s 61-59 with one minute left. The team that’s down two has the ball. Everyone in the gym is on their feet.

The dads of the kids on the floor are looking square across the gym to the dads of the opponents’ players, and many of the dads faced off against each other 20-25 years earlier in the same gym.

Both programs respect each other greatly. All the kids show great sportsmanship, but there’s a healthy, competitive hatred there too. The game is well played. Few turnovers. Few uncontested buckets. Crisp, fundamental, smart basketball. Physical, gritty play. Both coaches completely exasperated at the end of the game.

All it cost everyone to see was $5. You read the recap in the paper the next morning.

That, to me, is basketball.

Utah Jazz (Stockton and Malone era)- Hard nose basketball, over achievers, played through injuries more so than just about anybody who played the game in a small market that still to this day is passionate about their team.

San Antonio Spurs 1999-present- These guys are what basketball is about, I respect every part of this orginization from Peter Holt to RC Buford, gregg popvich, Tim Duncan, David Robinson. This orginization is just sheer brilliant in the draft year in and year out they steal talent that nobody else see’s, and built their entire franchise on class guys who compete every single season.

College Basketball- College ball in general is what basketball is about, you have kids year in and year out playing for nothing more than their passion for the game, you have kids who have a 4 year span to play for what is to most of them the last time competitevly in their lifetime, as well as you get to see a raw version of up and coming athletes geared towards NBA success. Rowdy and more involved fan bases also give you an incredible atmosphere every game.

NBA of the 90’s- I dont know what it is, but i truely miss NBA basketball of the 90’s it seems as though it was more fun, it was more competetive, more heated rivalrys than there is now. I can’t stand all these close friendships these players have nowadays, players of old used to hate the opposition, and looked forward to destroying them on game day. I miss the on court fights that broke out in heated rivalrys. I miss the headcases like the Barkleys, Rodmans, Malones, and Lambeeirs, as all we are left with now are these tools like metta world peace who think they are rap stars.

I have been watching Euroleague (since I got NBA TV way back in 02) one of the greatest teams ive had the pleasure of watching was 2004 and 2005 Maccabi Tel Aviv

With a great lineup of

Sarunas Jasikevicius

Anthony Parker

Tal Burstein

Maceo Baston

Nikola Vujcic

Derrick Sharp

The 03, 05 and 07 Spurs. They just always seem to know their own roles, and seem so into the game. They can play offense and defense, as well as run the floor.

 for me def. the 04 pistons…

crazy good d, great chemistry, great coach, great fans, and one of the best upsets in nba finals history vs LA

sorry LL

and i really liked watching the mavs this yr… reminds a lot of the 04 pistons…

 Nets from the early 2000’s. J-Kidd running the break, R.J and K-Mart dunking on damn near everyone, Skittles streaking up the court for easy layups, and last, but not least: Keith Van Horn. What I remember most vividly is the massive amount of people who hopped on their bandwagon. I was one of the only people who stayed on the bandwagon after we were swept in the finals by the Lakers.

Statistical anomalies are something that sticks out in my mind too.

I don’t consider myself a "Kobe fan" nor a "Kobe hater," but I will never forget the 81-point game in ’06. David Robinson’s 71-point game in ’94 comes to mind as well as his quadruple double in the same year.

I also love when marginal players have big nights. Tony Delk scored 53 in a game in ’01. Eddie House dropped 61 in a college game in ’99-’00. I’ve always loved those boxscores that you read and think, "Huh?!"