FanNation

We've nearly completed the everlasting first round of the NBA playoffs and I for one am already sick of ABC Sports, NBC Sports, TNT, TBS, ESPN, and the NBA coverage.

Remember the good ol' days when the first round was an exciting 5 game series (sorry I'm not quite so old as to 'remember' the 3 game series). Not so long ago the NBA's first round series were a lot like the NCAA tournament when a gutsy road win by the underdog could flip flop the home court advantage and produce upsets.

We'll never forget the amazing 1 vs 8 series between Seattle / Denver and New York / Miami. Those games were tightly contested and both came down to miracle plays down the stretch. Remember Dikembe clutching the rebound for dear life or the mad scramble as Allan Houston sent the game to OT but failed to strike lightning twice in a row.

Nowadays, the only major upset was Golden State over Dallas and let's face facts, anyone who follows the league knew that was a disaster in waiting. Not only was G.S. coached by a man 1 full season removed from working for Dallas but moreove G.S. had won the season series 3 games to 1 and worse, Dallas handed G.S. the second to last game on a silver platter by resting all starters handing them a ticket to the playoffs in a move that came back to bite them in the Aspen.

This year the series have been a joke and who can really blame the underdogs for failing to feel inspired. Gone are the days of simply being the better team today, instead - it's a grind it out slugfest requiring four wins against the higher seeded and often favored (as in by the zebras) affair.

To whom do we owe this travesty? A little man with a huge ego named David Stern.

It's hard to say whose nose would insert itself into Michael Jordan's Aspen first, Sterns or Marv Albert but it's clear that this little Napolean has cemented himself into the record books as a sarcastic, snivelling, two-faced creature with much too much power.

Stern the Strict

Stern the Negotiator

Stern the liar.

As an adoptee of Pacific NorthWest sports I have had a front row seat to the travesity that is the Seattle Sonics and as a NBA fan I know that he's the sole reason to blame for the pathetic playoffs.

The first round drama is gone thanks to the sudden mid-season move to seven games. As you may or may not recall this amazing change occurred a few years ago when it was clear that the Lakers under Phil Jackson were not going to be a top seed in the West. Shaq had missed a large portion of the season and were in danger of facing a West Power hungry to dispatch them in four games or less.

Of course, this couldn't be allowed but how to prevent it? Ah - let's wait until well after the all-star break to announce that an unscheduled meeting of the owners and players union had resulted in their mutual willingness to extend the first round to seven games. More TV revenue for all, everyone wins. Especially since it now meant that some team would have to face Shaq Kobe for a full seven games - lots more fouls to give and plenty of air time for 'gotta be the hero' Kobe.

Who is David Stern? He's been credited for helping revitalize basketball to new heights of popularity ... yeah yeah forget the fact that Magic, Bird, and Jordan came along to pump up interest. It's not Stern's fault that viewership and attendance dropped until new stars like Shaq, Kobe, Garnett, and others came along. Or wait? Isn't it? After all, don't we watch our MLB and NFL teams regardless of who is wearing the jersey? On the flip-side the NBA promotes stars, not teams, consequently fair-weather fans follow the player and ignore the team.

Why is this bad? Because then you end up with situations in which casual NBA fans don't bother to support their home teams. Attendance slips, prices go up, and now the few die-hard fans are forced to contend with $6 dollar beers. Hmmm, I paid $6 for a plastic bottled beer and let me get this straight, the city is losing money, the concession vendor is losing money, the arena is losing money, and the team is losing money ... so where did my $6 go???

Stern is a petty man who travels with an entourage and has made millions per year for longer than anyone would believe. Let's not forget the strike around 10 years ago or so when Barkely pointed out that Stern was making more than Jordan, Hakeem, and Barkely. Now you have a better understanding of why this hobbit is so darn cocky.

He plays the media like a fiddle and forces most owners to cave into his needs else suffer his wrath. Do you really think Mark Cuban cared about Seattle and it's fans when he voted against the move? Heck no, he simply took a legitimate, public opportunity to let the world know that he thinks Stern is scum and is tired of his bullying tactics. Sadly for Stern the internet billionaire is an intelligent man who hired his own statsticians to track all games for trends in ref calls. At first he offered this information for sale but had few takers; until he offered the information on-line via anonymous accounts - surprise surprise, sales went way up. It's not just the gamblers - it's other owners who are similarly tired of Stern's blind eye towards vengeful refs and most-favored-nation teams getting all the calls.

I've know of some of these issues for a while but I didn't let it get to me until this whole Sonics debacle. Emails, phone calls, direct quotes all prove that the OK ownership team has lied about it's intentions to move the team ... from day one. Still, Stern supports the new billionaire owner who kisses his Aspen. Don't know if this next tid bit went national but four uber-wealthy Seattle leaders offered to pay for ALL but 75 million of a massive 300 million dollar renovation of the Key Arena - donated money - not to be repaid. Stern laughed and said, too little, too late, time to move on.

These days the local sports show leads off it's NBA report with a highlight film of Stern opening night of the new Key Arena as he calls it the landmark arena and a model for other city's to follow.

When was this ancient footage recorded??? About 8 years ago ...

Ah Mr. Stern kudos for having the unique talent of smiling with one mouth and spitting with the other at the same time.

There is no question that the NBA playoffs will go on, but there is the valid question as to whether or not anyone will care - I for one am finding it harder and harder to feign interest.

ps Happy Anniversary to our friend and founder on his 1 year Fannation anniversary - many many more!