The NBA: Where excitement happens

Despite not having it’s winningest franchise (in terms of championships, at least) around in the postseason, the NBA certainly has something to smile about. Both of the league’s conference finals series have become knock-down drag out fights, something even casual fans didn’t seem to expect.

The Migh High City of Denver already had a fight before the Western Conference Finals began as Denver’s Pepsi Center was double-booked for both the NBA and WWE’s Monday Night Raw. The ever-media savvy Vince McMahon painted Nuggets and arena owner Stan Kroenke as the bad guy, as if this was one of his weekly wrestling storylines.

The Nuggets have been doing their best to grapple with the NBA’s defending runners-up. All methods employed by Geore Karl’s crew, of course do not include using steel chairs in any nefarious way.

The series has become quite chippy, though. On Saturday night alone,  the Nuggets committed three technical fouls in a game that for much of the forty-eight minutes of play looked like a victory for Carmelo and company.

But, as the Denver Post’s Woody Paige pointed out prior to Game 3, the Nuggets have been finding the wrong time to give the game away. Thus far, all three games have been decided by a mere 11 points in the waning minutes.

The Western Conference Finals haven’t been the only palpitation-worthy series in these NBA playoffs. Cleveland and Orlando are locked in a battle themselves for the Eastern crown.

Sunday night, the Orlando Magic, have done what was seemingly impossible, and defeated LeBron and the Cavaliers (sounds like a Motown group doesn’t it?) twice in one series. Orlando has even beaten them a home, which happened only twice all season!

How have the Magic done this, you ask? Pose that question to a few players who gave the Celtics fits just a series ago in Dwight Howard (20.6 points, 13.8 rebounds per game)  and Hedo Turkoglu.

The latter of that pair had himself one of the oddest routes to a double-double.  Turkoglu missed all but one shot from the field, but drained 11 free throws.

Maybe Turkoglu should’ve taught the 2008 Memphis Tigers a thing or two.  Turkoglu brought down 10 defensive boards last night as well.

In addition to David Stern and the NBA’s happiness of how well these series have been going, that same Vince McMahon must be pleased to see this series get physical and nasty as well. Sunday night fans at Amway Arena were treated to a show of 86 foul shots attempted from 58 personal fouls, two technicals, and a flagrant.

No buzzer-beater heroics from King James Sunday night, but the excitement in the home of rock and roll is still at a fever pitch despite Sunday night’s loss. Check out this Cleveland sportscaster Terry Brooks’s reaction to the shot as the 11 p.m. news is wrapping up.

Hopefully, the NBA will use that in a promo.  The NBA: Where excitement happens (to local news wrap-ups).

One Comments for “The NBA: Where excitement happens”

1. tudesupp Says:
   December 14th, 2010 at 1:18 pm

   “Cleveland and Orlando are locked in a battle themselves for the Eastern crown.”
   How much is real?

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