Article:NBA: Boastin' in LA-LA Land

The NBA is feeling pretty proud of itself now that it has once again manufactured a Boston-LA Finals. Last time, when it was Bird and Magic, it was Cleveland and Golden State that were most ripped off to stuff these teams. This time, it's Minnesota and Memphis. Imagine being a T-Wolf or Grizzlie fan this year or next. Or after that as well.

The fact is, for the most part, it will matter hardly at all, and I say that as a fan of Kevin Garnett, Andrew Bynum and some of the other players in this series. The fact is, the NBA has been in the ditch for about 15 years now, since Jordan's return from baseball. A league that rips off other clubs and trots out Kobe, and the appropriately-named Rob Horry, is simply not selling a good national product. For most, there's very little now that could produce good ratings for this league.

Look what the NBA has had to live down in the last 15 years: The Strike, Dennis Rodman and Ron Harper creaming opponents off the ball, Shaq's Turn and Bash post game, Jordan shoving Utah's Russell, the Lakers' rigged series win over the Kings, Miami mugs Dallas, Kobe indicted for rape but still plays, Horry gets Nash with a folding chair, Isiah Thomas and the Knicks,  and on and on ...

This is a dead league. As someone who has watched the NBA since 1970, I can tell you I don't give a damn about this series. Unless  something radically changes, I doubt I ever will again.