Hello Nailsea Basketball!

November 24, 2006 on 6:12 pm | In General

In his infinite wisdom as team chairman/injury expert, Adam has asked me to write a sort of Basketblog for the front page! I’m going to try to do it once a week, maybe more if I have some important news, or less if I can think of nothing to say.

So, let’s start with the obvious: we’re back to winning, we’re still top of the league and we should all be immensely proud of ourselves and each other. I know some of you know this but with any luck it’s news to some of you, I’ve never played on a team of any sort before joining Nailsea Basketball, so it’s the first time I’ve had the experience of a team win, and it feels good! I come away from each game buzzing from the adrenaline, and I hope everyone else feels the same.

We’ve had some tough games, one notably easy game, and one absolutely shocking game, but at this point in the season I don’t think we could have hoped to be in a better position than we are……apart from our recent spate of injuries! What’s going on guys?? And why is it all the big guys too? I look to people like Paul, Jon and Nick to be our big, tough, opposition intimidating inside presence. So what do they go and do? Get themselves banged up in the following ways: falling hard on their behinds following a (post-game!) dunk attempt. This is bad enough, but it is topped by Jon’s effort, a three week lay off as a result of a washing up mishap! I’m only kidding though guys, it just goes to show how easy it can be to damage yourself, and I hope you’ll both be back on the court with the minimum of wasted time.

The NBA season has got off to a flying start, incredible to think that these guys are playing an eighty-two game season in less time than we manage our fourteen! Gives you some appreciation of how fit and tough they are. I can’t help but feel they justify their exorbitant salaries a little more than your average premiership footballer.

The big story of the NBA so far is the Utah Jazz, they missed out on the playoffs last year with a 41-41 record, this year they’re off to an 11-1 start! Top of the tough western conference, and playing most of their games without their star player Andrei Kirilenko. Amazing stuff, and with Phoenix and Dallas starting off cold (1-5 and 0-4 respectively), some NBA commentators in the US are already predicting a changing of the guard in the western conference. Perhaps not surprising is that the Spurs are still winning as they always do.

In the eastern conference no team is looking quite as dominant, but it’s nice to see my particular favourites the Orlando Magic with the best record. Especially when the ’06 champion Heat are struggling away without the injured Shaquille O’Neal. I’m sure I’m not the only Orlando fan hoping to see the Magic’s Dwight Howard usurp Shaq as the premier centre in the East.

Well that’s ended up being longer than I thought it would, I’ll keep it shorter in future! If you’ve got any comments on anything send me a PM on the board, or just post on the main forum.

Cya on the courts!

Lewis