From the day I was born, I’ve been a die-hard Celtics fan. Seriously, I watched a Celtics game with my father in the hospital two hours after I was born. I was raised on basketball.
From the early 2000s to now, there’s been a terrible change to professional basketball. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that all players are cocky, “dollar-driven” performers with big egos and big contracts, but the number of players with those qualities is increasing. The NBA has been turned into a business.
Close to two weeks ago, the famous national basketball all-star game racked up to a total of almost 300 points. With a score of 196 to 173, it was seemingly a performance, including three-point shots, huge dunks, and no defense.
What I admire about college basketball is the purity. They’re ultimately just kids playing because of the love they have for the game. Plus, they can’t get traded. There was nothing more upsetting for me than to watch the Big 3 get traded from the Celtics; Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett were my favorites. In college, typically, the players have to stay all four years because, well… they’re students.
Aside from the players, college basketball is just all-around more entertaining. One of the biggest reasons is because the regular season actually has meaning. If a college team loses one game, it affects their season record and could potentially scar their chances in the playoffs. Also, the NBA season is just way too long. Regularly, there are 82 games in a normal NBA schedule, while in college they have a maximum of 31 games. Eighty-two games?! Who would want to watch something 82 times?! That’s seven months of money-making schemes.
Also, with March Madness right around the corner, let me just say that there’s nothing more exciting than the big upsets and huge rivalries that college ball brings. Of course, there’s the historic Celtics-Lakers matchup, but nothing is more exciting than a Duke-North Carolina game. It’s epic.
In the end, basketball is basketball. I watch it and play it because I love the sport. I just prefer college over NBA now. Nothing personal, Brad Stevens.
