PhillyArena Forums
PhillyArena Community => NBA Discussion => Topic started by: Ted on April 15, 2008, 09:48:18 AM
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All this "you're a bandwagoner" talk got me thinking. It would be interesting to see how many of us have switched teams over the years.
Having grown up near DeKalb, IL, I was a Chicago Bulls fan for most of my life, even though we moved to Utah in 1985 when I was 11. It was sad to leave Chicago right as Jordan started to get going, but it brought me great pleasure to be the only Bulls fan in the family and among my friends--the 90s were very good to me. I was and will always be a huge Pippen and MJ fan. Pippen was my favorite player, with MJ a close second.
I used to be a rabid Bulls fan, but Jerry Krause killed it for me, and the last straw was when Jay Williams wrecked his motorcycle. I have now almost completely switched over to the Jazz. In fact, I don't really like any of the players on Chicago right now. As far as the Jazz go, for most of their careers, I actually disliked Malone and Stockton. But toward the end I started to respect their accomplishments, and when we got AK47 and Harpring, I became a fan. And time and proximity have worked on me. I like the way the team is run. I like Sloan, even though he can be outcoached, and I love our current group of players. I just wish the old AK47 would come back.
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I started watching in 1979. I immediately became a Phoenix Suns fan.
I claimed Phoenix until the 1983 Season, when I switched to Philadelphia. The acquisition of Moses Malone was part of the reason, but it was Bobby Jones and Mo Cheeks that really were the folks that drew my attention.
After Philadelphia won the championship that year, I switched again - to the Milwaukee Bucks. I was a Bucks fan for a couple of years, until switching to the Dallas Mavericks, and then to Cleveland, and to Charlotte.
I became a Jazz fan in the 1994 playoffs, first round, and have been a Jazz fan since, with the exception of the first half of the 2003-2004 season. The Jazz won me back by picking up Giricek in exchange for DeShawn Stevenson.
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Born and raised in socal so its always been the Lakers. Although I have been fans of certain players that make me follow other teams but I've never "repped" them.
You can't really be a bandwagon fan unless you jump on the back of a team that is doing well all the sudden...
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Never really lived outside of the philadelphia area, and even if I moved now, I'm so entrenched in my ways I don't think I'd ever change teams Maybe pick up a second team, but never as a primary.
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I was born and raised in the Midwest and initially was the fan of players but not a team. I liked Jabbar, West, Earl the Pearl and others. Unfortunately tv coverage back in the 60s and 70s was limited. As well as media coverage in general.
I moved to SA in 1981 and began to follow the local team. It was a scrappy team that featured the Iceman, James Silas and the start of the Bruise Brothers (Olberding, Paultz, Deitrich, Corzine). They were solid contributors to the community also and started a long line of tradition. Tough play on the court and give back tons to the community. Very little negative press...in fact over the years one of the fastest ways out of the Spurs organization was to show up on the police blotter.
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Born and raised in Oregon, spent 3 years in Hillsdale, Michigan attending college, lived in Oregon ever since. Blazers came into existence right at the age when I started to follow sports. I watched them on TV in the early days. When I went to school in Michigan, I was still a Blazer fan. I watched them play in the Silverdome, and I watched them play the Pistons on TV the few times they were on TV locally. I was never a fan of the Pistons, though I did follow them. This was when they had Tripuka, Laimbeer, Isiah, Kent Benson, Vinnie Johnson. I have always been a Blazer fan, and I could never see myself rooting for another team. I just have too much invested in them.
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Born and raised in L.A., was a fan of the Lakers since 84 after the Boston Masacre. I became a Clippers fan when they drafted Danny Manning, back then I followed college basketball players starting at the McDonalds All-Star game. I sort of lost track of both teams when I lived in San Diego but when I got back to L.A. it was Lakers/Clippers "man love" all over again.
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I was born in So Cal and spent my first few years there -- I became a Lakers fan early and stayed with them even after moving back to the Midwest and hardly ever getting a chance to see them play. I have rooted for some other teams but the Lakers have always been my team. I love basketball though and have other players who are my favorite more than other teams.
Brandon Roy, Devon Williams, Carlos Boozer, Luis Scola, Robert Horry, Andris Biedrins, Shawn Marion, Shaun Livingston, TD, KG -- those guys are some of my favorite guys -- but I'll always be a Lakers fan (heck, I was a Laker fan when the Lakers imported some of the worst players the league has ever seen -- Rider, Rodman, Samaki Walker, Smush Parker -- these guys almost caused me to change teams!!!).
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First, foremost, and always a Laker fan. I have followed them since I was a little kid, although in the 60's it was frustrating because of those stinking Celtics, and to be honest, I was a far bigger Dodger fan back then, although as a young teenager the 33 game win streak had my, and everyone elses attention, besides the fact that there wasn't much to cheer about in Chavez Ravine (Dodger Stadium) and My Forty Niners were stinking it up real bad. When they scored Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes in the mid/late 70's and then Buss bought the team, my interest was rekindled from just staying current with them to really following them again. The early 80's were great time, the Niners were domintating and the Lakers finally got that Celtics monkey off their backs. During their down seasons, (Pfunt, Harris) I watched a lot of different teams but never switch teams and never gave up on the Lake Show.
It has always been more than just a passing interest, I have admired them and the fact that since they were formed in 1946, they have missed the playoffs only 5-6 time or something like that, they have always put a quality product on the floor and in the past 10 years they have added a soap opera atmosphere as a bonus!
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Let me start by saying I grew up in the midwest and have never been any closer than at least 6 hours away from a franchise. To people who can't relate to that, you don't know how good you have it.
The very first NBA basketball that I ever remember watching was the 1991 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls (with MJ) and the LA Lakers (with Magic). I knew about Jordan, I knew about Magic, and as is nearly ALWAYS the case with me I go with who I perceive to be the underdog who is many times the less-hyped one. Jordan was ridiculously hyped so I cheered for the Lakers. Of course Jordan winning that championship was just Insult #1 in a long line of insults that made me never like Jordan. I stayed with the Lakers even after Magic's famous press conference (and loathed AC Green for saying that he wouldn't want to play with Magic on the Dream Team) and after he retired--the first time. I actually lost my voice screaming at my TV for the massive underdog Lakers in that colossal 5 game series against the Phoenix Suns in 1993. My hatred for Phoenix after they pulled the Lakers series out followed through until they met up with an upstart Sonics team featuring a high-flying, thunder-dunking Shawn Kemp who took Phoenix to 7 games.
The 1993 - 94 season was the changing of the guard from the Lakers to the Sonics, as Laker players got old and retired (Worthy) or left (B. Scott). Also it helped that one of my Lakers, Sam Perkins went to the Sonics. I stayed with the Sonics through good (Finals appearance) and bad (stupid Denver!) until they began dismantling the team circa 1999 starting with the 3 way trade that sent my favorite player, Shawn Kemp, to Cleveland.
When Seattle got rid of George Karl and Milwaukee signed him, I loosely became a Bucks fan for a couple of years (the teams with Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson, Sam Cassell, and Darvin Ham). But really from the period of the lockout (1999) until 2002, I didn't follow the NBA religiously like I had.
When Joe invited me up to join the fantasy league in 2002, and I began to take in games to really learn about the players in the league again: I completely fell in love with the games of Manu Ginobili (a rookie) and Andrei Kirilenko (a sophomore). San Antonio had been a champion, a contendor in the league; Utah, an up and coming young squad starting over post Stockton/Malone. What does Skander do, root for the underdog. The Utah Jazz have been by team since.
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I never watched Basketball until David Robinsons rookie year, or atleast never really paid attention to it, I remember people making a big deal about the Lakers back when Magic was playing and also the Bulls when Jordan started blowing up, but I really did not pay much attention to the NBA. Don't knnow what to say except that seeing David sprint from one end to another and block shots was pretty impressive. That and the whole "small town" mentality we have here may have been swayed to watch when they started doing those "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" commercials. SA was tiny back then compared to what it is today, I mean it is not the size of LA or Chicago or anything like that, but I have seen this city grow, and grow, and grow. It was cool having our town in the spot light back then and, in my eyes atleast, David Robinson had a lot to do with that. I have been a Spurs/NBA fan ever since.
speaking of back in the day commercials, anyone miss those old "Gran Maw Maw" commercials???
8)
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I was born and raised in the Midwest and initially was the fan of players but not a team. I liked Jabbar, West, Earl the Pearl and others. Unfortunately tv coverage back in the 60s and 70s was limited. As well as media coverage in general.
I moved to SA in 1981 and began to follow the local team. It was a scrappy team that featured the Iceman, James Silas and the start of the Bruise Brothers (Olberding, Paultz, Deitrich, Corzine). They were solid contributors to the community also and started a long line of tradition. Tough play on the court and give back tons to the community. Very little negative press...in fact over the years one of the fastest ways out of the Spurs organization was to show up on the police blotter.
I envy you. I love watching old footage of Gervin play. The man was insanely smoothe on the court.
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How can you miss commercials? Youtube is your friend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thbUkBW_ftM
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well, I can't access youtube at work, and when I am at home if I am not busy with kids, or house stuff, I am playing Halo... ::) but I will make a poitn to look up that link when I get home today.
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It has always been more than just a passing interest, I have admired them and the fact that since they were formed in 1946, they have missed the playoffs only 5-6 time or something like that, they have always put a quality product on the floor and in the past 10 years they have added a soap opera atmosphere as a bonus!
In their 60 year history, the Lakers have been in the playoffs 55 times.
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... I am playing Halo... ::)
cough-LOSER-cough :P
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sooo, you still playing with duct tape on your mic and headset???
:D :D :D
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sooo, you still playing with duct tape on your mic and headset???
:D :D :D
I keep forgetting to get a new one, can't seem to find a black one to go with the "Elite" color scheme. You know the XBox 360 Elite line right? It's the one that is SUPERIOR to the "Pro" line, like the one YOU have. ;)
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I was seven when I moved to Phila. and became a Sixers, Eagles and Phillies fan as a result. When the Flyers came along and won a Championship, I became a Flyers fan too.
When I lived overseas, I followed the Sixers as well as I could. When I lived in Dallas, I had season tickets to the Mavericks games, but I was still a Sixers fan first.
The Sixers have a good history. Not quite as good as a few others, but very respectable. Less quantity, more quality, or at least more character. Erving was something of a legend, the man who could fly. A generation earlier, Wilt changed the game and the rules.
It's been a long, bleak time in Phila. sports until just recently when the Eagles started getting good and the Sixers got Iverson. Now it looks like all the teams are back to being competitive again.
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First of all, while I enjoy the NBA and the product it puts on the court, it will never impassion me the same way baseball and - to a lesser extent - football do. That said, I follow the league now more than I ever have before.
I first started watching in the early '90s, when I was about 10. And in the same way Skander and Joe were inhibited due to a lack of local teams, I simply couldn't pick my hometown squad and blindly follow them through thick and thin. BUT, my favorite player was Larry Johnson, so - naturally - the Charlotte Hornets were my favorite team. My interest waned after a few years, however, and after LJ's trade to the Knicks, I pretty much stopped watching completely - sans a Finals game here and there.
That pattern continued until Joe invited me to join this board's fantasy league four years ago. I didn't know the league AT ALL when I first participated because I hadn't followed the game in over ten years. It took me a year or two to acquaint myself with all of the players and teams, but I had a pretty solid grasp of what was going on after my second fantasy season concluded.
During that time, I quickly took a liking to the way in which the Phoenix Suns operated. Their game was FUN ... their players generally admirable ... and Amare Stoudemire was captivating - what an athletic freak!
However, I wasn't eager to jump on the bandwagon. I've always been very aware of the stigma associated with "jumpers" - and I never wanted to be known as one myself. So I never really called myself a Phoenix Suns fan. They were a lot of fun to watch, but when someone asked which was my favorite team, I'd simply say I didn't have one.
And then came last year, when I read :07 Seconds or Less by Jack McCallum. What a great read. I was instantly hooked - and no longer had any qualms about standing up and shouting "The Phoenix Suns are my favorite team!"
If people want to call me a bandwagon fan, that's their right. I think they're WRONG, of course, but only because I take my sports VERY seriously, and once I become a fan, it takes A LOT to pull me away from a team. With the Suns, I'm in deep - and I don't see any other team grabbing my heart through a last-minute sell.
Besides, it's not like they've won the title yet, right?
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The Trailblazers and the Sixers. The first two NBA players I cared about were Mychal Thompson of the Blazers because he went to U of MN and Dr J, because he was Dr J.
I think some time back there was a thread about teams we are closet fans of. The Blazers remain my closet team and it all started with Thompson.
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I never watched Basketball until David Robinsons rookie year, or atleast never really paid attention to it, I remember people making a big deal about the Lakers back when Magic was playing and also the Bulls when Jordan started blowing up, but I really did not pay much attention to the NBA. Don't knnow what to say except that seeing David sprint from one end to another and block shots was pretty impressive. That and the whole "small town" mentality we have here may have been swayed to watch when they started doing those "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" commercials. SA was tiny back then compared to what it is today, I mean it is not the size of LA or Chicago or anything like that, but I have seen this city grow, and grow, and grow. It was cool having our town in the spot light back then and, in my eyes atleast, David Robinson had a lot to do with that. I have been a Spurs/NBA fan ever since.
speaking of back in the day commercials, anyone miss those old "Gran Maw Maw" commercials???
8)
AAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!
That reminds me of something that I've been meaning to ask.
Does anyone remember the "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" when LARRY BROWN was in the commercial? Larry Brown was the Spurs coach at the time. The commercial went something like this.
Robinson: "It's Coach Brown with today's word!"
Brown: "Today's word is CONDITIONING."
<segments of Robinson going through all sorts of workouts>
Robinson, dripping with sweat and exhausted: "I don't think we'll be having Coach Brown back on the show any more."
I WANT A COPY OF THAT! And it's not on YouTube!
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The Trailblazers and the Sixers. The first two NBA players I cared about were Mychal Thompson of the Blazers because he went to U of MN and Dr J, because he was Dr J.
I think some time back there was a thread about teams we are closet fans of. The Blazers remain my closet team and it all started with Thompson.
So does that mean you were also a closet Lakers fan at one time?!?!
I am a fan of Mychal Thompson as well...but for a different reason. I think he is an excellent radio commentator. He is the local Lakers radio commentator for AM570 and I think his experience as a player really reflects in how he comments on the game. He is very good at breaking down pre-game match ups. Sounds almost like a coach at times.
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Nope. I liked those teams and was glad to see Mychal win a championship but I never took a side in the Boston/LA duels. Especially not with Mychal's MN connection balanced out by Boston's having not one but two of his former teammates in McHale and Ray Williams.
And since I brought those names up don't even try and tell me your not having flashbacks of Kurt Rambis getting thrown around. ;)
Mychal did nice work for the Wolves TV broadcasts before bailing for LA. He has two kids playing college ball now, by the way. Let's just say they don't even have half of Dad's talents.
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Liked the late 60s Celts but also liked Wilt the Stilt. Too young to really get into that tho.
The Dave Cow Jo Jo White Johny Havlichek Celts absolutely loved. Watching Cow work over Kareem was a highlight and planted the seeds for my love of the Celts teamball workmanlike dominance over the glittery Lakeshow. I taught myself to do a lefthanded hook and scored with regularity over my larger neighbor "Kareem", trying to always finish a win with a lefthanded hook. The Phoenix Finals series was also a barn burner.
Enjoyed the Dr. J early NBA years, especially the finals vs Portland. Lots of good players in those years, Marques Johnson on the Bucks never got a finals sniff but was a very good player.
When Larry Bird joined the Celts and Red additionally pulled off the McHale and Bob Parish manuevers, it was on for the GOAT Celts Sixers series. 1984 you might think that was the pinnacle for me, actually i was very turned off by the lack of sportsmanship on BOTH teams. The 7th game tho was pure heaven watching Cornbread Maxwell expose the overated Magic. After 1986s tragic death of Lenny Bias, i kind of lost interest as the NBA went into some off years of subpar performances. Liked a lot of players, one of my favorites was Sidney Moncrief.
1978 I did a lot of work in the Seattle area, many times staying overnight. Caught a lot of the Sonics games, fell in love with them. The title team was great and the asshole owner who failed to extend Gus Williams and thus ruin the repeat chances will go down as one of the worst moves in NBA history. Probably paid off by Buss thus opening the Lakers chances. Ditto in 1995 or so when the Superdoops had it all going on, Shawn Kemp and Payton working over Stockton and The Cheapshot to advance. The 1994 Sonics were in the finals, robbed just as much as the Champion Kings in 2002. Perhaps moreso in a 66-19 freethow fiasco awarded to Charles Barkley and the Suns. Got to talk at length in person with Michael Cage about this. It was fixed and everyone with a basketball brain knew it. The Sonics owner 1995 failing to sign Clyde the Glyde Drexler (Seattle was his 1st choice) midseason and previous failing to redo Reignmans contract finished me with Seattle.
Timmy Dunks I immediately liked altho i never have liked Popavichs offense. Got on board prior to the 2002-3 season when all you Laker posters were slobbering over Kobes knob. So much for "bandwaggoning" when the Spurs worked the Lakers. ;) Have stuck with them ever since.
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Reality you also forgot that you are a fan of a team who is playing against the Lakers that night.
Oh ya and when you were a Miami fan when Shaq left LA....
Oh ya and when you were a PHX Suns fan when they were beating the Lakers in the playoffs....
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Free your mind (and the rest will follow).
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Be color blind, don't be so shallow.
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I cant change your mind you cant
Change my color
This is getting fun!
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Free your mind (and the rest will follow).
It's official that your original team wears rainbow jerseys now that you are quoting En Vogue....
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what does that make Joe?