Two Players Who Could Reignite The NBA’s Greatest Rivalry
The 2017 NBA Playoffs have proven to be a disappointment thus far, but two draft prospects can help bring the NBA back to life.
The NBA is in a bad place. There’s no two ways about it, and a Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Finals is not the least of the Association’s problems.
Fans bemoaned the latter team last offseason when it went out and signed Kevin Durant. The signing simply lamented the uninspiring, uncompetitive mess the League has become. Never before have fans been so starry-eyed about what the NBA used to be compared to what it has turned into, nor been so worried about what’s in store for the future.
A generation of players who would sooner retire than join up with the competition is replaced by those simply looking for a championship, or looking to stuff an over sized check in their pockets and run — or both.
Lackluster postseason through 3 rounds:
Fans are quickly losing interest. National broadcast numbers are down six percent, and local broadcast numbers are down a whopping 14 percent, just one year since the Association extended its television deals through 2025.
Unfortunately, the Playoffs have also failed to inspire little more in the way of excitement. The average margin of victory for winning teams has been 13.5 points, the highest since this current postseason bracket was implemented in 2003, and almost every series has had a sense of inevitability about it.
It’s up to Cleveland and Golden State to save this year’s playoffs from the potential “worst ever” tag it faces, but in the long term, it may very well be up to two old foes.
Rekindling a historic NBA rivalry:
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers’ rivalry is the biggest and best the NBA has had to offer over its 70-year history.
While most would put forth this year’s Finalists as the best modern-day feud, the Boston-Los Angeles series dates back almost to before the Association itself. November 9, 1948 was the first time these two clubs met, and of the 359 encounters between the two, 74 have been in the Finals — 12 series in all, with the Celtics currently leading 9–3.
Since the 2010 Finals, neither team has dominated like they once did, but that may change this offseason. As it stands, the two ball clubs are in a “Cold War” of sorts. Boston holds the №1 pick in the upcoming Draft, while LA holds the №2 pick.
Enter two intriguing point guards:
Eagerly anticipating what the old enemy will do, the Lakers sit on tenterhooks as they wait to (presumably) draft Lonzo Ball, while the Celtics will likely choose Markelle Fultz.
This means Ball will drop into a loaded club that features recent lottery picks D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle. A far different fate awaits Fultz, as he’ll arrive at this year’s No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Could this be the start of another era of classic confrontations between East Coast and West Coast ball? It is assuming a lot from Los Angeles, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. After all, there already seems to be the beginnings of what could turn into ill will between the two.
Quizzed about his rivalry with the University of Washington point guard on ESPN 710 LA radio, Ball said:
“Markelle’s a great player, but I feel I’m better than him. I think I can lead a team better than him. Obviously, he’s a great scorer, so I’m not taking that away.”
Fultz quipped back shortly afterwards on Twitter:
When Ball’s UCLA Bruins were demolished in the NCAA Tournament by Kentucky, Fultz was there again, popping up with the following:
That’s some serious vernacular from a guy whose mob went 9–22 and didn’t come within 10 courts’ distance of the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps he’s not all that big a fan of the eldest Ball brother.
This was not soon forgotten by the Big Baller clan. On lottery night, Lonzo Ball’s infamous father, LaVar, telegraphed the impending rivalry once more.
“Boston gonna take their Markelle Fultz. He’s a good player. I think he fits best with Boston,” he said, after their hometown Lakers landed the second overall pick, presumably praising Fultz’s first pick-worthy year.
But then, he followed that with:
“You can’t bring him to LA. He ain’t ready for this. Only one person ready for this, it’s that Ball boy.”
You may chalk it up to just another “LaVarism,” but you can be certain that Fultz is mentally jotting down each and every one of these notes from the Ball crowd.
Fultz has stated his desire to be an immediate MVP candidate. A GOAT even. The players whom he aspires to be crave their pound of flesh from each and every one of their wrongdoers over the years, and if he’s for real, he’ll want the same.
But, quite obviously, being an MVP or an all-time great has far more to do with just a mentality. It starts on the court, and when it comes to game, Fultz’s tools are pretty mouthwatering.
Fultz definitive top pick:
Built like a modern-day elite point guard at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Fultz is an incredibly balanced athlete. He’s able to take the ball into contact with ease and finish strong, which has earned him comparisons to James Harden.
A strong offensive player, he is widely considered with the complete package, already possessing a plethora of offensive moves — he’s adept at shooting the ball, getting to the paint, and finishing above the rim. The former Washington Husky also works well in system, as an effective mover without the ball, a strong enough shooter to work around picks and a strong screen-and-roll player.
Despite playing on a 9–22 team in a stacked conference, Fultz was also noted this year as a more than willing passer, and should only get more dangerous as a play maker as he transitions to a more talented squad of teammates.
Although not a lock down defender, scouts believe that the Maryland native has what it takes both on the court and between the ears to develop into a more than passable defensive guard, able to negate at both the one and the two.
Big Baller Lonzo:
Lonzo Ball, on the other hand, is a completely different kind of point guard, which only serves to make this developing rivalry more interesting.
Standing 6-foot-6 with an only slightly shorter 6-foot-9 wingspan, Ball is elite on the fast break, similar to a box-to-box soccer midfielder or an elite hockey offensive defenseman.
On more than one occasion this year, UCLA basketball fans were treated to watching Ball grab down a rebound, motor up the court quicker than almost everyone else (even with ball in hand), and slam down a dunk or somehow find a teammate whom only he knew was open.
A tremendous shooter despite downright funky form (55.1 percent from the floor, 41.2 percent from deep, with a lethal step back), it is perhaps his passing that is his most favorable gift. He’s noted to have a “rare talent” when it comes to distributing the rock.
Draft night 2017 could set the proverbial table:
If the Draft plays out like most expect it to — Fultz going first to Boston and Ball second to the Lakers — you can guarantee a packed crowd to view the first meeting between the two at the professional level.
With League story lines and intrigue running low, this can only be good for the NBA. Of course, it helps that the two cities are two of the biggest sports markets in the world.
Yes, there’s still a lot of water to pass under the bridge until we pencil in the emergence of a new chapter of this famous rivalry. But, the character of these two men harkens back to the stars of yore — those almost autistically obsessed with winning and making sure their enemies had the best view.
On Draft night, if Fultz’s name is called out first, and Balls’ second, there’s every chance you just witnessed the birthing of one of the NBA’s next great conflicts.
Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson, part 2? We’re a long way off from this reality, but the way these two kids currently go about their business (and each other), maybe it’s not that far of a stretch.
