) was 3/4 basketball cards. Once I had completed the rugby league i started to collect basketball cards and watching it on early mornings on sunday. I remember Terry Mills hitting a big 3 as the shot clock ran down to help seal a detroit victory. I also remember a block early in a game by Kevin Garnett on Charles Barkley and the suns. I remember being naive enough to think that the Magic could actually beat the 95/96 bulls becuase of the lack of centre on the bulls. Funny how I didn't think that a lack of sg to match up with jordan would hurt orlando. I was an idiot 
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Then the next season the games moved to sunday afternoon, and thats when I really, really started to get into following the NBA. I rememeber the heat getting a road win in chicago on a dan marjle 3. I remember watching the bulls totally dismantle the rockets in the united centre just after they had gotten barkley. I remember the Jazz manufactoring a win on the road against the rockets, just after barkley hit a 3 with the clock expiring that looked like they had sealed it. I remember being filthy at myself for turning the tv on in the morning with one minute left in a game between the heat and the knicks in miami, with the knicks up, and praying that the game would go into overtime. I remember how excited I was when the last game of the regular season was on and it was chicago and new york with the knicks getting their first win in the united centre and denying the bulls back to back 70 win seasons.
Then in 1998 my parents switched cable companies and we were now getting 2 games a week plus playoffs! I was in heaven. The first game I got to see was Detroit @ Miami and miami demolished them. But one game that really stood out was Chicago @ Indiana. The bulls were just in cruise control and at the end of the third, jordan hit a buzzer beater. He looked unimpressed and went rank on the official for not calling a foul. Even then he wasnt satisfied. Such a great player man, so hungry. Once the playoffs started, they showed game one between the bulls and the nets, where chris gatling led a late run to force an overtime, then jordan took their hearts out with the steal on kittles then the facial on kendall gill. I also remember waking up at 3 am on a school morning to watch game 5 between the knicks and heat (no ewing, lj or mourning) and the knicks win in a controlled fashion.
Then in the second round I remember game 3 and 4 of the series between the bulls and hornets, where the bulls dropped game 2 but totally dominated the hornets on their home floor. And who could forget the Lakers steamrolling past the sonics in the second round and the hype for a bulls/lakers finals. Then utah swept the lakers and made them look like chumps. The Bulls however were playing the pacers, and i remember not looking at the game in the morning becuase i had to goto school, and i could watch the replay at night. If i peeked, i wouldve seen the score around midway during the 2nd quarter and it wouldnt be as fun watching the game up until that point. That reggie three in game 4.. whoa.
Then the finals that year, jesus christ. What a crazy ride. Everyone was labelling utah as the favourites, including myself, but the more i think about it, we were just fooling ourselves. We all knew utah was the underdog becuase of who they were up against. we were trying to trick ourselves into thinking it was closer than it was. The first game was a classic, with utah prevailing in overtime. Then the bulls dominated, highlighted by the game 3 blowout. But to utah's credit, they won game 5 on the back of karl malone.
The game 6, i wagged school for this game (somthing ive since told my parents
). Utah was surging at home, and chicago with a pippen at 20%, jordan did the most amazing sequence i have ever seen. the drive, the steal, the shot. I wasnt suprised becuase who did it, but that doesnt mean i was any less in awe. I was cheering for utah in that game and series, but how could anyone not appreciate that?
Then it all changed. The lockout. The retirment. It's never really been the same since. MJ came back, and i was thrilled to death. Sure it may have "hurt" his legacy", but if he announced a comeback tommorow, id be thrilled again. Malone never recovered from that strip. Pippen never recovered from the back injury. Dunca, Shaq, Kobe, KG, Iverson, Vince, Kidd all took over the league, but not in the same dominating fashion of karl malone, mj, pippen, stockton, barkley, ewing. kobe, kg, vince and iverson all have missed the playoffs during their primes. Can you imagine any of the greats from the 90's enduring that (injuries for more than 45 games in a season excludes them that year)?
And I know the era of the 90's has been long gone, but its only just hit home with me now. Todays game is great, with kobe, AI, lebron, melo, wade, shaq, duncan, chauncey, kg, vince, tmac.. but its not the same. and it never will be.
Post your favourite memories and your favourite era.
) and that's where I began to like the Spurs. I didn't even know they won the '99 championship but in 2000 I knew Shaq and the Lakers were the pwn. Eventually I discovered I could watch a few basketball games on TV. I don't exactly remember my first match I saw but I know it took me a while after I became a basketballer myself and got really into it by the video games before I watched some live games.
). After seeing the match, I fell in love with the way Michael Jordan played the game.
