Patrick Ewing, the New York Knicks and Why I Fell in Love with NBA Basketball

I love a lot of sports, but my first love has always been the NBA and basketball.

From the first time I watched grown men in short shorts (at that time), I became hooked to the sport. I became a diehard New York Knicks fan while in elementary school, and Patrick Ewing became not just my favorite player, but my hero.

There was much more I loved about the sport besides the Knicks.

I loved watching the point guards like John Stockton and Isiah Thomas almost effortlessly get all their teammates involved with their unselfish play.

I loved watching the battles down low, especially if they involved guys such as Ewing, David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon.

I loved watching the guys who made it look like they could shoot the basketball with a blindfold on like Mitch Richmond, Dale Ellis and Drazen Petrovic.

I loved watching the players who weren't the most athletic, but always gave it their all—guys like Charles Oakley, Kevin Willis and Otis Thorpe.

I loved free agency, and hoped that every time the Knicks signed a player he would be the missing piece towards a NBA Championship.

I loved that I absolutely despised guys like Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller who caused myself plenty of heartaches being a Knicks fan.

I loved to learn about the predecessors, the men who played before my time such as Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell and Walt Frazier.

I loved spending a lot of time looking at NBA box scores in the newspaper, before they could be checked online.

I loved pretending I was certain players in my backyard shooting on my hoop.

I loved playing outdoors with my friends, even when the wind made it nearly impossible to shoot.

I loved having debates in middle school about who was better: Grant Hill or Penny Hardaway? Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Vin Baker?

I loved memorizing players' stats, and impressing my friends with my ability to say how many points per game Antonie Walker averaged or how many blocks per game Dikembe Mutombo averaged during the prior season.

I loved collecting basketball cards, which I still have safely stashed in my closet.

I loved playing NBA Live, and would get the game every year the day it came out.

I loved pretty much everything there is to love about the NBA and the sport of basketball; I still do to this day. Which is why for myself and many others, the lockout is eating away at our souls.

So, what are some reasons why you fell in love with the NBA and the game of basketball?