Welcome Back Golden Age of NBA

If you haven’t noticed, the golden age of men’s professional basketball is beginning anew.

It started way back in history, when the color barrier in the NBA was snapped in-half over the knee of a man named Earl Lloyd and tossed to the trash by a man named Sweetwater Clifton during the 1950-51 season. Then came Paul Arizin (“Pitchin’ Paul”), who managed to become a two-time scoring champ and win a championship as well as fit in two years of military service during his 10-year career. Bob Cousy came next followed by guys like Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Bill Russell, “Hondo” Havlicek, Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, “Pistol Pete”, George “The Iceman” Gervin, and a Doctor known simply as J. (I left many names off of this list due to time and page restraints, no disrespect.)

The guys listed above, and many not mentioned, paved the road for what happened next, the rivalries. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson … words can’t describe it. Then a man, at least I think he was man, named Michael Jordan came along and ruined the potential championship runs of guys like Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter; Isaiah “Zeke” Thomas and Lambeer; Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson and “Thunder” Dan; the entire city of Cleveland; Reggie Miller; Patrick Ewing and the brawlers in knickerbockers; and Malone, Stockton and Hornacek.

After an absence of legends and a disheartening strike year the glory days are back. We have the ring-less trio (The PGA Tour) in Bean town; a guy in San Antonio who simply refuses to lose; the behemoth and the captain paired up in Phoenix; the “king” in Cleveland; the pound-for-pound greatest and the mellow in Denver; the scrappers from Detroit; the fighter from L.A.; the young and the restless from Atlanta; the mirror of a past legendary couple in Utah; a superman in Orlando; and the “Have to see it to believe it” green hornet from New Orleans. (Again, a few have been left out, no disrespect.)

With a possible matchup of such rival magnitude and breathtaking talent between the Lakers and Celtics, there is no question that the golden years of the NBA are back. Sit back, enjoy and have plenty of paper towels to clean up the spills from mind-blowing performances.