THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1999

Basketball: game just not the same

In a futile attempt to win back irate basketball fans after the lockout chopped 30 games off the season, the NBA ordered teams to give away free

We get to watch the Lakers beat up on the lowly Clippers for free.

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Greg Hanson

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A new commercial was also made with the revised NBA slogan "I still love this game."

The ad shows NBA players being really nice to fans, trying to win them back.

Maybe some players will sign a couple more autographs than they normally would, or high five a fan when they are running onto the court.

Who cares?

I, for one, am not going back to the NBA because I like the players.

Most of them are drug addicts and wife beaters, and all of them are overpaid (except maybe Michael Jordan).

I am going back because I would rather see the Lakers play the Suns than watch Duke beat the College of Charleston 110-56. Pro basketball is an exciting sport.

I would probably watch a group of serial killers play if they were as good as the NBA players. Well, probably not.

I am not trying to justify the outrageous salaries either (Matt Geiger gets $54 million from the Philadelphia 76ers!

Matt Geiger! What is the world coming to?) No one deserves that much money.

Salaries have become so high that players are willing to bypass half or all of their college education to get their hands on that much money.

I would do the same if I had that talent but the point is that the salaries should have never gotten that high.

The lockout was resolved by putting a limit on the amount of money that players can make, and it is still too high.

But what can you do. Complaining won't do any good, so let's just enjoy what is left of this horrific season.

Anyone who says that they are boycotting the NBA this season will be back within a matter of weeks.

You can't replace that level of high scoring, fast paced action with baseball, hockey or football.

New players can't provide the same work ethic or love of the game that 80's greats like Magic Johnson or Larry Bird or Isiah Thomas brought to the game, but they can provide the same level of excitement.

It is that level of excitement that draws me to the game, whether it is an 82 game season or a 52 game season.

See related story in Sports section.