Those hanging out at the Basketball Lounge better make room for the new rock on the block. The NBA had something stashed inside a black box for weeks and surprise! - It was a newly designed basketball. Channel area, moisture management, blah, blah, blah... the key here is the way the NBA delivered some Apple-like marketing.

Tommy Points
Hopefully you all had more opportunities than I did to catch many of the NBA's Greatest Games marathon last weekend on ESPN Classic. From the action I did watch, I learned that from now on I'll hang on every word Tom Heinsohn speaks.

First, during a Wizards vs. Celtics game from 1998, Tommy comments on how much he likes Ben Wallace's game based on the little playing time he gets. On more than one occasion, Heinsohn highlighted Ben's play, even though Wallace was on the court for 10 to 15 minutes that game. Wallace wasn't the only future NBA Champion working the bottom of the benches in that game - Bruce Bowen and Chauncy Billups were stashed away on the C's pine.

Second, during a Sixers vs. Lakers game from 1987, Tom Heinsohn used his declared Charles Barkley a future hall-of-famer. At that time, the Sixers were still considered Dr. J's team and the Sixers were in the middle of turning over their Championship winning roster from a few seasons earlier. Barkley was just getting started and wasn't terribly polished on either end of the floor. As a matter of fact, Andrew Toney and Tim McCormack stole a great deal of the show in this game against the Lakers. Still, Heinsohn like Chuck's drive and athleticism enough to put him in Springfield 12 years before he retired.

Labels: NBA