Basketball from a fans perspective   

Published Monday through Friday

Code of Conduct needed

There is probably no sport other than basketball that allows fans so close to the action. In football, soccer, baseball and hockey fans in close by seats are far from play. Basketball whether its college or the NBA courtside seats often leaves fans often no more than 4 or 5 feet from the court and the athlete. This nearness creates a further problem, those who belong to the “I can say anything I want, I paid for this seat.” It would appear the NBA has more disruptive fans of this type than other sports. The two Pacer fans ejected from the recent game against the Lakers has me curious.

I wonder if those same fans would be willing to walk up to LeBron James (or any athlete) on the street and verbally attack them. More than likely that is not the case, what gives these fans seated in $1,000 courtside seats the belief “I can say anything I want?” We are told the fans in question have not been permanently banned from Gainbridge (formerly Bankers Life) Fieldhouse and that’s okay. Other fans who physically assaulted players, spectators and game officials have received lifetime bans. I have no answer for this clear dilemma except to say the obvious, rowdy fans need to see the game from a jail cell or the chair in their man cave.

Soccer (football) versus basketball 

The metro area is full of soccer fans those who play it or just love the sport. I hope this is correct, the United States is a host nation for 2026 and Kansas City desires to be a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup so it might be more than financial reward. Whenever a discussion occurs about the NBA soccer fans voice their feelings about basketball and its impact here. This is my belief and there is no proof offered in this observation, why is there a requirement for rivalry between the sports?

There are NFL fans who are strictly followers of the league they don’t gravitate to the college game, the same goes for the NBA, I have heard college basketball fans claim they can’t stand the NBA game. We tend to separate ourselves and our disposable income by the sport of our choice whether it’s professional or amateur. Tell me, “Are you stating a fan attending a Sporting Kansas City game would never attend an NBA game if Kansas City had a team?” Of course not, there would likely be cross over fans in all sports, the hard-nosed dedicated soccer fans wouldn’t spend 50 cents to attend a basketball game and vice-versa for the basketball devotee.

A loss can go down in history

You might say “A loss is a loss is a loss” except when it takes on epic proportions. These losses have historic significance, and we reflect on them. The 1983 NCAA Championship, North Carolina State was not supposed to be in the building versus the Houston Cougars. Along with the championship win they would finish with an underwhelming 19-14 record. With time winding down Derek Wittenberg of North Carolina State took a shot which fell woefully short but right into teammate Lorenzo Charles under the basket, Charles would go up and dunk the ball for the winning basket North Carolina State 54 Houston 52.

We reflect on the battle between the Bulls and Cavs, in a thrilling Game Five in 1989 Michael Jordan would sink the game winning shot with 2 seconds giving his team a 101-100 victory. How about Magic Johnson and his junior skyhook in the 1987 series versus the Celtics, the 12-foot shot with 7 seconds left would be the game winner over the Celtics 107-106. There are other historical shots, but one goes down in NBA history for a different reason. Lakers-Knicks April 29, 1970, Jerry West of the Lakers hit a 60-foot shot with 3 seconds in regulation which simply tied the game, the NBA was yet to adopt the 3-point basket. The Knicks went on to beat the Lakers in overtime 111-108, below is video of that historical shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzWGnA4Ll-0

 LaVar Ball is at it again

The last article written about LaVar Ball was quite complimentary if I remember, this one sure ain’t. Brother Lonzo is having his best season as a pro with the Bulls, LaMelo coming off his Rookie of the Year honors is doing the same for the Hornets. Brother LiAngelo is toiling in the G-League after barely missing a spot on the Hornets roster. All three brothers are being paid exceptionally well especially Lonzo and LaMelo so what next?

Daddy Ball has decided all the brothers need to be united in Bulls Red and Black jerseys. Hey, stop me if this sounds familiar to you, didn’t LaVar Ball once make the prediction all three brothers would be teammates with the Lakers? Once Lonzo was traded to the Pelicans all that changed for him. The mouth that roared is at it once again with his audacity to suggest the brothers should join the Bulls and create a Super Team. Am I wrong for providing LaVar Ball a launching pad for one of his countless and continuous views of how the world should be?

Tex Winter

History.com never covers basketball except till now, recently they listed the Top 8 Coaches they believed changed the game. The name at the top of Pat Heery’s list was not a name most expected. His list had the usual suspects John Wooden, John Thompson, John Calipari and others. At the top of Heery’s list is the late Tex Winter a name we profiled awhile back. To refresh your memory most are familiar with the name as he served as an assistant coach with Phil Jackson’s Bulls and Lakers.

Winters had a history prior to his association with Jackson at two NBA stops. His bio includes time spent as head coach at Marquette, Kansas State, Washington, Houston Rockets, Northwestern and Long Beach State. It was Winter and HIS triangle offense Phil Jackson would become enthralled with. It was said at one time Kobe Bryant hated it however it was certainly a key to winning seasons for the Lakers. Heery’s list held more coaching legends but at the top of the list was Tex Winter. The inventor of the triangle offense died in October 2018 at the age of 96.