Goodbye NBA

In case you couldn't guess from my last post, I have an unhealthy interest in the Phoenix Suns. With another possible loss to the Spurs on the horizon, I decided to stop watching the games. It was too much. Before the games would start I would get that tense feeling in my chest and after every playoff loss last year I would stay awake and read analysis on azcentral.com and imagine what horrible things I would say to Robert Horry if I ever met him or what obscenities I was going to send in an email to David Stern. I lost sleep. It was not right.

So I cut myself off. No tv, no radio, no gamecast. I could check the scores after the game, but that was it. And it turned out to be a huge relief. Three straight losses to the Spurs and I haven't stayed up obsessing about throwing things at Bruce Bowen once.

So that's it. I'm out. This is my farewell blog to the NBA and then I'm not watching another Suns playoff game until we're in the finals. I just have a couple of observations, before I enter the world of the casual fan.

First, something has to be done about flopping and Hack-a-Shaq. It's disruptive to the flow of the game and demeaning to the sport. You should not be rewarded for either cheap theatrics or intentional fouls. A couple more years at the rate it's going and they'll be hauling people off on stretchers just for them to come back two minutes later like nothing happened like in Soccer. Man up folks - this is America.

One more thing. Kobe Bryant is not the MVP this year. The guy's a cancer, he wanted out, he wanted in, he doesn't know what he wants. He's selfish as all get out and didn't start winning - with a respectable supporting cast - until the Grizzlies gave away Pau Gasol. I don't even buy the argument that he's the best player in the league anymore. That would probably be LeBron. And he's definitely not the most valuable. That has to be a point guard right? Chris Paul would lead the list, but I would put Deron Williams and, yes, Steve Nash ahead of Kobe. Take those guys away and those systems grind to a halt. Take out Kobe, and Pau goes for 33 and 10 a night and Derek Fisher shoots more. Kobe's a great player, but giving him the MVP this year is like giving Scorsese the Oscar for the Departed. It's not the best movie that year, it's not even his best movie, but he was due. So give him a lifetime achievement award or something - he's not the MVP.

That's all I got. I will still hate the Spurs with an unholy passion, but at least I'm not losing sleep over it.