NBA Can Sell Itself As A Team Sport

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/buckley-nba-can-sell-it-team-game-0




With stars dominating the NBA, the Sports Tonight crew discussed the team mentality of the NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.

"It was refreshing to see how big of a difference Popovich made in this series," said Michael Felger. "The NBA is a league where you typically don't see coaches, or you don't view coaches as making a big difference… I think the Spurs played and coached circles around Miami."

Steve Buckley believes the Spurs win is good for the NBA as a whole.

"I used to think the NBA wanted Miami to win," said Buckley. "Coming out of [the NBA Championship], I think right now, they've got to be thrilled because now they can say, 'see, team basketball does work.' It's not all about the me, me, me and the spotlight and the stars.

"They can sell basketball now as a team game, which they couldn't do before."



bob
MY NOTE:  Oh, please please please please!!!  Fortunately the clear, indisputable supremacy of team ball over ME-ball happened at the beginning of a new Commish's term of office.  Adam Silver has already made one statement with the Sterling Miasma that separated him from his predecessor, let's hope he sees this as an opportunity to usher in a new era of more team, less ME.  Imprint his signature on the sport. They won't completely eliminate idolization of individual players, nor should they, but they could teach a whole new generation about how to ball properly.  

And Buckley's wrong when he said they couldn't sell team ball before, they just chose not to.  Dictator Stern loved ME-ball and didn't like Red, the man whom he has said "used to call me "dummy" so much I started thinking it was my name".  I do hope he's right, though, moving forward.  It just goes to show the sad state of affairs that "basketball is a team sport" is something that needs to be sold...



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It seems to me that Buckley was right on the money.  How can you sell what is in short supply around the league?  The two-time champions have never been much of an ad for team ball.  Heretofore, fans naturally subscribes to the notion that me ball begets championships.

Now they have something to think about, although I'm not at all convinced that just one season when team ball dominates is sufficient to make team converts out of isophants.  If the championship reverts back to a me ball team in the next year or two, I think it will be easy for fans to revert as well.

Sam