The NBA Turnaround: How a League Saved Itself

Last summer was supposed to be the end of the NBA.

The ratings for the NBA Finals were dismal, even with Lebron James in them. Then the story broke on Tim Donaghy. It became a real possibility that a referee in the NBA was fixing games. Maybe even in the playoffs.

Amid a summer of sports scandal, it seemed like the NBA was done for.

Fast forward eight months.

The NBA is thriving. The story lines are amazing and the action is incredible. People are now asking: Tim Dona who?

So what happened? How did this league survive? I'll tell you.

The Wild West

Over the last few seasons, the Western Conference has always been considered the stronger conference. Never though, has there been a playoff race as tight as this one.

Most years, teams can just cruise at this time in the season because playoff positions have been set.

Not this time.

With only a few games left, a few losses here and there can completely alter the Western playoff picture. Plus, there is really no team in the West that you can count out.

If the Mavs make it to the Finals, would anyone really be surprised? 

Any team is capable of beating any team. That is why nobody wants to play the Warriors. They know what Golden State is capable of. 

The same goes for other teams, as well.

Charles Barkley recently said that if the Nuggets were to play the Hornets in the first round, the Nuggets would definitely win. With so many possibilities in this enthralling playoff race, it's hard to look away.

Return of the ‘80s

Of the 10 NBA championships won in the 1980s, five went to the Lakers and three to the Celtics. They dominated the game throughout that decade.

The Lakers had Magic Johnson, a big man who could run the point, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all time leading scorer, and the Celtics had Larry Bird and Kevin McHale.

When these two teams played each other, rivalries bred deep in their blood. Los Angeles vs. Boston. Magic vs. Bird. East vs. West. This was the stuff dreams are made of.

Unfortunately, after both Magic and Bird left, both teams fell from glory and began rebuilding. Now, it is finally happening again.

The possibility of a Celtics-Lakers Finals is very real. Both teams have MVP candidates and both have great supporting casts. It brings back memories of the good old days in the NBA.

Rise of the Big Easy

We all know the tragedy that struck New Orleans a few years ago. Since then, the city has struggled to recover from the devastation. Its own basketball team had to play in Oklahoma City.

Now the team has returned with a vengeance.

The Hornets began the season playing good, not great, basketball. Unfortunately, no one was watching them. As the season progressed, they began to rise. Now they have the top seed in the West and are beginning to sell out home games.

It is hard to imagine this not being a feel-good moment for the people of New Orleans. Not only that, but the All-Star game brought a huge boost to the economy and was a great help to the city. As many commentators pointed out, it was a genuine hand of help that the league gave the city.

And finally...

The Award Season

For the first time in many years, there are four legitimate contenders for the MVP award.

And like all the years before it, it is nearly impossible to define what an MVP is, and therefore, it is nearly impossible to determine who is going to win it. Making this season even more special is the fact that all the other awards are up in the air too.

There is no front-runner for any of the awards except maybe sixth-man (I would like to state, for the record, that as many minutes as Ginobli plays, he should not be eligible for it anyways).

The favorites change with every game they play. That is way it is impossible not to tune in.

All these reasons amount to a resurgence of the NBA. Now we are reaching the final stage of the season. If the league wants to have the best season so far, there are a few ways to finish it off.

The playoff picture is nearly perfect in the West. Anything is possible. No team is written off as a fluke.

The problem with the playoffs is in the East. The bottom teams are very, very weak. This is why many people have called for a change in the playoff system.

This will most likely not happen, but if there is a weak point to be found in the playoffs, it is at the bottom of the East. Not to worry though, because by the time the second round starts, the action will most like heat up in both Conferences.

So the ultimate test will be in the Finals.

Good Scenarios:

Lakers vs. Celtics; Lakers vs. Magic; Lakers vs. Cavaliers; Lakers vs. anyone; Hornets vs. anyone; Suns vs. Magic; Suns vs. Cavaliers

Lakers against the Celtics is the obvious best choice, so no need to explain. Lakers vs. Magic or Cavs would be good because of an abundance of what I like to call "YouTube moments", or spectacular dunks, jukes, etc.  

With Black Mamba on one side and Superman Howard or King James on the other, the possibilities of those moments are endless. People will tune in to watch them live.

In reality though, just having the Lakers in the Finals is a boost for the league. They are the Yankees of basketball. People either love them or hate them, but they all will watch them in the Finals.

New Orleans will be watched because of the reasons stated earlier. They are a feel-good story. Suns versus Magic or Cavs will be good because of those moments mentioned earlier. Instead of Kobe though, it would Amare Stoudemire delivering some rim-rattling dunks.

Bad Scenarios:

Spurs vs. Pistons; Spurs versus anyone; Boston vs. anyone not Lakers or Hornets; Utah vs. anyone.

The Spurs are a great basketball team. They have the fundamentals of the game down to a tee. Unfortunately, they are also a very boring team.

Duncan would rather make a bank shot than dunk the ball. Parker and Ginobli are great slashers, but rarely finish in style. Plus, that San Antonio defense can be very suffocating to any team. That is why the scores of their games are usually in the low-to-mid 80s.

Having the Spurs in the finals will not be good for the league since anyone who is not a fan of either team will not tune in. What makes matters worse is if the Spurs face another defensive minded team, like the Pistons.

In 2005, the two teams played a seven game series and the ratings were dismal. The old saying is right: "Offense sells tickets. Defense wins games."

Unfortunately, the league wants to sell tickets right now. That is why any defensive minded team is bad for the league. While Utah is not a defensive minded team, they are not a fun team to watch either. Making matters worse is their dismal record on the road.

Against Boston or Detroit, one can assume that the Jazz will not win a single road game them. All the Pistons or Celtics have to do is win their home games and the series is over. Why tune in if you know the results?

So let’s see how the rest of the season and playoffs play out. Luckily, they promise to be extremely thrilling.