Basketball fans rejoice. The NBA returns tonight. After an incredible, climactic ending to last season, not a day has gone by where I haven’t thought about the upcoming season. The NBA makes sure to keep fans just invested just enough between the draft, summer league, and preseason teasers. But there is so much more to be excited about.
Fantasy basketball is the best fantasy sport around. @ me. It carries far more excitement than fantasy football and has far more depth. Albeit, not in the sheer number of players, but assuredly in players’ fantasy value. More frequent games means that there is a constant dance on the fence between feeling like a winner and the shame of taking an L. However, sometimes you just know you’re going to win, like when I face fellow LFG Writer/Editor, Jeff Nathan, in week 7.
The NBA expects full stadiums this season. Fans everywhere can get back to the arenas they call home, to watch history be made, in person once again. Or to watch heartbreaking daggers from the likes of Steph Curry, Dame Lillard, and KD, to name a few. Either way, fans will be able to celebrate as one, with overpriced IPAs and stale nachos, or drink away the pain of a tough loss, with even more overpriced beers.
There are a lot of NBA storylines that fans can’t seem to get enough of lately. At the top of that list is what is going to happen with Ben Simmons. Many fans want to see him crash and burn. While I’m not against that, I’m sure he’ll find a home somewhere. Although, it probably won’t be in Philly, because, as I am writing this, the Sixers kicked him out of practice and suspended him. In what was already both a tense and fragile situation, neither side seems to want to make amends. Sixers fans may continue to burn their Simmons jerseys in peace.
Unlike Sixers fans, Bucks fans have a lot to be happy about. They brought home the chip for the first time in 50 years and, if the preseason isn’t just a fluke, Giannis Antetokounmpo can fucking shoot. You don’t even have to be a Bucks fan to get excited about finding out just what Giannis’ ceiling is. All I know is, it seems pretty damn high. But for the Greek Freak, peace was never an option. Should the Nets and Lakers stay healthy, the Bucks and their fans will be at war with two absolutely stacked teams that bring with them a couple of large and intense fan bases.
Pivoting, if you are a Bulls, Thunder, Rockets, or Pistons fan, you more than likely have a bright future. Though if you’re a Bulls fan, you’ll probably have to endure quite a bit more suffering before your team finds their groove. Regardless, there shouldn’t be a single fan out there who isn’t excited for the NBA's 75th season.