The NBA: It's Fantastic!.......by Chitown TOE

Folks, I haven't been this excited about NBA basketball since Jordan was making Mormons cry in 1998. In the ten years that followed, my heart was trampled by my Chicago Bulls. The NBA was lacking excitement and its bona-fide superstars weren't necessarily making the world forget MJ. Now, don't get me wrong, as a basketball coach I enjoy watching the Spurs play, but they don't exactly scream excitement. So here are five reasons why you should tune in to the rest of the 2008 NBA Season:

1. The Superstar: They are everywhere in the NBA these days....even helping build up New Orleans during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Just YouTube a few clips of Kobe, Lebron, D-wade, or Steve Nash and you will be mesmerized. These are the best athletes in the world. We tended to forget that in the post MJ era. We were so busy watching Shaq bowl over people and dunk, we forgot to check out the skill that is now upon us. (Added bonus: The thug image is disappearing. Sure there is still AI, who participates in more illegal activities than Kelvin Sampson, but most of the stars have a good image and are very marketable, ala MJ.)

2. Team Basketball: Ah, the number one complaint from basketball purists. "Everybody just stands around and watches 1 on 1." Now this argument could be made if you only watch the Cavs. But watch the Suns run, watch the 4 guys on the Pistons throw up 15+ a night, check out the Spurs big three pick apart defenses, and watch Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer run the pick-and-roll. Run-and-Gun team basketball is back and better than ever.

3. Dwight Howard. Young, explosive, and a perfect new type of big man. Watch the energy he plays with and the way he throws down. Unbelievable. He has already had two 30+ points, 20+rebound games and three 20-20 games. Just sick! (Maybe Van Gundy should get him the ball a bit more instead of having him run pick and rolls with Jameer Nelson at the 3 point line.)

4. The Wild, Wild West! As of today the top 9 teams are within 5 games of each other. Kobe's got help, Chris Paul is a contender for MVP, leading the Hornets out of the doldrums, and the Mavs just got Jason Kidd, one of the best point guards ever. Teams could lose 2 games in a row and drop 6 spots in the standings. Hang on for a wild ride. By the way, I would never bet against Kobe if I were you.

5. Point Guard Play. This is the best group of point guards in NBA History top to bottom. Just look at my top 5 list: 1) Nash 2) Paul 3) Williams 4) Parker 5) Baron Davis
Jason Kidd isn't even in the top 5 any more. They are young, can run the break and are incredible to watch. They can score when they want, dish when they need to, and rarely turn the ball over. They are coaches and fans dreams.

Folks, if you gave up on it when MJ retired and got sick of Shaq and the Lakers, it is time to tune back in.

Pics: Howard: www.si.com
Nash : www.posters.com