Confessions of an Ex NBA Hater

I had the privilege of going to a Washington Wizards game last night, my first NBA game ever. And I must confess...I had a GREAT time. Sure there were those exciting childlike moments where I caught a flying free towel and t-shirt, but other than that watching the game up close and personal was an excellent experience. But I didn't always feel this way.

Up until last night I swore off watching anything related to the NBA (sports shows, games, players interviews, online stats, etc.). I just didn't care. Which oddly enough is how I used to feel about football...and of course now it's the highlight of my fall and winter. I remember staring blankly at my sweetheart who, full of excitement, ran into the bedroom to tell me how LeBron James singlehandedly won the game against the Detroit Pistons during the playoffs. As if by osmosis, this incredible feat would instantly change my opinion about basketball."Whatever" was my mental response to him...but of course being the intuitive man that he is, knew exactly what I was thinking and walked off looking very disappointed. There were also those moments when I laughed out loud as I watched an interview with Kevin Garnett as he broke down in front of the cameras while talking about how he hates to lose (Oh boo hoo hoo....nobody likes to lose fool!). You gotta admit when he put up the church index finger to cut the cameras off, was funny as hell. I still call him a crybaby but I try not to out of respect for the reverence Gerald has for him. The ironic thing about my previous distaste for the sport is that I love to watch competitive games. I used to be an athlete in my younger years and, oddly enough, I am still quite competitive (ask Gerald how I behave when I lose a game of 500). The NBA has all of that, yet for whatever reason, I just wasn't interested or open to watching any games, let alone talk about them.

But all of that has changed now. It seems kind of weird that after one live game I am now interested in the sport, but sometimes, as humans, one experience is all we need. Now I'm not saying that I'm going to track players, and stats, and make predictions like I sometimes do with football. But I am saying that perhaps I am a changed woman, and that I can have double the fun during the fall and winter seasons. I can hear Gerald chuckling somewhere in the background......