1. Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are CONSTANTLY DESTROYED
New York has long been the nexus of the basketball world. Madison Square Garden is a hugely famous and iconic arena. Countless movies and TV shows make reference to the Knicks, giving them a cultural cache shared by very few franchises of any sport. And the Brooklyn Nets have been the hip younger brother to the Knicks, supported by swathes of celebrities, most notably former-owner Jay Z. And yet... both New York teams are in complete disarray. The Knicks only won 17 games last season, leaving them dead last in the Eastern Conference and with the second worst record overall. The Nets made it into the playoffs, somehow, and lost to Atlanta in the first round. Knicks fans have reached the end of their tether with the team, with attendees at draft night openly booing their lottery pick, Kristaps Porzingis. In a similarly desperate vein, Nets fans have watched in horror as their management traded away any chance at a healthier future by giving up all their first-round draft picks until 2019. That's not a typo. 2019. Why is this fun for the rest of the league? Maybe it's bitterness over all the attention that gets paid to big market teams. Maybe it's the entertainment value of watching the Nets' insane Russian oligarch owner desperately reaching for relevance. Or maybe it's schadenfreude, pure and simple. And isn't that what being a fan is all about? What are you most excited about in the upcoming NBA season? Let us know in the comments below.
Brydie is an Australian writer and performer living in London and she complains exactly the same amount about the weather as every other Australian living in London. Yes, that is her natural lip colour, no, she will not be taking any further questions at this time.
