NBGay

I went to the game! Yes!!!!!!!!

Okay- can we PLEASE get some British commentators in the NBA. This afternoon’s live stream of the Jazz-Bulls game from London was not particularly good from a basketball perspective, but man those commentators… Such verve! Such enthusiasm! Such vocabulary! So many adverbs!
Highlights include the way they call quarters “periods” and the way their voices ascend in pitch when something exciting happens. It reminded me of the time I went to a game with a very enthusiastic, but clearly uninformed, friend who kept referring to rebounds as “reebs”. Y’know. It’s wrong, but still kinda adorable. I’m trying to find a video clip I can post online, but am having no luck at the moment.
I’d love to do a side by side comp vs. their US counterparts. I find myself more and more frequently wanting to turn off commentary entirely during the games. Local guys say the same things over and over again (Philly inside-joke warning: how excited are you to NOT have to “get out your lunchpails” this season?), and there is nothing I despise more during a national broadcast than these “experts” who can barely pronounce the players’ names and clearly know nothing about their games.
Anyway: another rant for another time.
All I’m saying is at least the Brits made me giggle a bit. The one guy kept commenting on how big every player was, and the other guy kept saying, “He’s not that big! He’s only 6′9″. I have to wonder if that second commentator wasn’t Neil Fingleton.

Also- watching live streams on the internet is entertaining for other reasons: During this afternoon’s broadcast, someone momentarily changed the channel to something called “Babestation”. I enjoyed approximately 2 seconds of a blonde in lingerie actually licking a phone before the channel promptly switched back. Looks like someone accidentally sat on the “Last” button…

Disclaimer: In the interest of full disclosure, I feel it is my duty to inform you of my allegiance. I am a born and bred, somewhat fanatical, Sixers fan. Always have been, always will be.

So, for me, the NBA season officially begins today with the Sixers’ first preseason game in Toronto. I watched the first half of the Orlando – Dallas game last night to get myself warmed up. I’m going to make some brash predictions fairly regularly here- as I tend to do in real life- and here is the first: Orlando will, barring injuries, repeat as EC champs. Dallas looked pretty nice as well. Marion was a solid pickup for them since he seems to thrive in roles where he can take advantage of the talent around him (see his time in PHX), not in situations where he’s supposed to be the second option (see the rest of his career).

I have to admit I’ve had kind of a thing for Dwight Howard ever since I saw this video:
He still needs some go-to moves, but from the little bit I saw, he looked more adventurous on offense. Although I don’t think they need him there. Nelson, Carter, and Lewis are the most potentially devastating trio of perimeter players in the NBA. Hands down. A lot of people gave the Magic a hard time about sacrificing depth for Carter, but subsequent moves have left them in fine shape. Matt Barnes can score in bunches, is a decent defender, and athletic. JJ Redick seems to finally be settling into his role as a sniper off the bench, Brandon Bass gives them excellent front court depth, and it seems like SVG is more open to playing Howard and Gortat together for stretches. Tell me what NBA team can defend those two towers down low without leaving Nelson/Carter/or Lewis wide open for an easy look. That is, in my opinion, even tougher to match up to than what they had least year.

Mark my words: Orlando will take the Eastern Conference again, Otis Smith will take GM of the Year. I don’t see Dwight Howard as an MVP this year (or any year until he can offensively dominate with some real post moves).

So now, it is time for me to get ready for tonight. The moment I have been dreaming about for months. My first chance to watch the Sixers in a game-like situation. Let it begin!!!!

Hey there… this blog is an idea I’ve had for years. As a practicing homosexual and an avid NBA fan, I always thought it would be interesting to start a fanpage which takes a slightly gay perspective on the world’s greatest professional sports league. This is not a joke. I have a very sincere appreciation for the art of basketball. And an equally sincere appreciation for the beauty of its participants (well, not all of them… I’m looking at you Calvin Booth… looking, but trying not too… ugggg).

If you’d like to contribute, please write an email to johnny(at)nb-gay(dot)com.