COLUMNS ON THE BALL NOVEMBER 2005: THE CLASH OF THE TITANS

If it’s drama you love, the NBA’s courts are must-see TV this season.

Amare Stoudemire slams
another hoop for the
Phoenix Suns against
the Dallas Mavericks
The 2005-06 NBA season is tipping off amid more drama than it has seen in recent years. Eight-hundred-win coach Phil Jackson is back with the LA Lakers after a year off, and Larry Brown is now with the New York Knicks. Twenty-point scorers Michael Finley and Larry Hughes have packed their bags, too. And, hey, isn’t that crowd-favorite Ron Artest suiting back up for Indiana? Sure is, and unlike the fans Artest had a run-in with last November, network execs couldn’t be more giddy seeing him coming. The Pacers first game against rival Detroit Pistons on February 4 has been circ

led on hoop schedules for months, mostly by curious fans anticipating another combustible performance. For those who can’t wait that long for some action, the five NBA match-ups listed below have two things in common—all occur before the New Year’s Eve ball drops, and all are bound to have fireworks.

Larry Hughes, an inventive guard who came into his own last year with Washington. The once-intimidating Pacers, on the other hand, didn’t wave a wand and acquire dream free-agents; instead, they waited on Ron Artest to get back from season-long suspension.

Detroit vs. New York (Dec 2, 8pm ET, NBC)
New York head coach Larry Brown faces the team he took to the NBA Finals the past two seasons for the first time. While every camera in the metropolitan area focuses on him and new shooting guard Quentin Richardson, Detroit coach Flip Saunders will be busy ensuring Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace keep hustling.

Phoenix vs. Dallas (Nov 1, 10.30pm ET, TNT)
If there’s a better way to bring in opening night than with two of the NBA’s most exciting teams, commissioner David Stern knows nothing about it. Led by the reigning MVP, Steve Nash, and towering talents Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, the Suns are anxious to prove they belong atop the Western Conference. Oddly, Dallas, which is anchored by sharpshooter Dirk Nowitzki, is thinking the same thing.

Indiana vs. Cleveland (Nov 24, 8pm ET, TNT)
Showstopper LeBron James has the foresight of Magic and flash of Michael. Many say the only thing that’s kept him and the fast-improving Cavaliers from a long playoff run is a supporting scoring act. Voilà! Enter

Detroit vs. San Antonio (Dec 25, 12.30pm ET, ABC)
The Pistons want some Christmas revenge on the team that defeated them in last year’s NBA Finals. All the while, the fundamentally sound Spurs have their hearts set on the league’s first three-peat since the Jordan years. Something’s gotta give—but it probably won’t be any freebies under the basket.

Miami vs. Los Angeles (Dec 25, 3pm ET, ABC)
Kobe Bryant and prodigal Lakers coach Phil Jackson will have had about seven weeks to become reacquainted by the time this subplot-filled present opens. Jolly ole Shaquille O’Neal will be a joy to watch over turkey and dressing. With so much going on, network cameras won’t know where to focus their lenses. The one-on-one match-up between Kobe and Miami sensation Dwyane Wade is a likely good place to start.

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