My favorite thing to do after a long day at work is sit down and watch basketball all night long. Basketball, basketball, and more basketball make for a complete evening. The weekly national television games are not enough to satisfy my craving for hoops.
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The last few seasons I have indulged and purchased the NBA League Pass Broadband service. This package gives you the option of choosing five teams to watch for the entire season on your laptop or streaming device, which in my case is a PS4. Once you lock in your selection they are yours for the season. High stakes indeed.
As a veteran of this process I thought I’d give you some suggestions on which five teams you should choose for the 2014-2015 season. Things to consider in these rankings are; style of play, uniforms, court design, quality of the team, balancing time zones, and the amount of nationally televised games these teams play. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be exciting to watch this season, but they will play plenty of games on ESPN, TNT, ABC, and NBATV. You want bang for your buck! Feel free to let me know your five in the comments section. Let’s get to the rankings.
5. Charlotte Hornets: What’s that sound? Sounds like an angry hive. That’s right hoop fans. The buzz is back. The Charlotte Hornets are back and loaded with talent. They bring back Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker, MKG, and add in a dash of Born Ready. Lance Stephenson increases this team’s offensive ceiling and also gives them an unpredictability factor that should keep interest high. The Hornets should also be pretty darn good this season. They will not make a run at the top seed in the East, but it seems like they are nearly a lock for the playoffs and could even reach the 3 seed. This is a team on the rise who will be competing every night for respect. Snazzy new uniforms and an awesome new court design give them an aesthetic appeal that make them a must watch. No League Pass five is complete without the new look Charlotte Hornets
4. Golden State Warriors: This pick makes me a bit of a hypocrite. I’m breaking one of my own rules. The Warriors play their fair share of games on national television, but they are just so fun to watch. Steve Kerr has them playing an even more wide open offensive style that will lead to three point barrages from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The Splash Brothers are appointment television. Steph Curry is the reason the term “league pass alert” was invented. He is capable of getting hot and scoring 25 points in a quarter. You won’t want to miss that. David Lee can’t guard Justin Bieber, but he is an offensively talented center who can be fun to watch score and grab every rebound in sight. Following Harrison Barnes to see if he finally makes a leap could be interesting. Then there is Andrew Bogut. It seems like everyone hates the Aussie due to the physical nature of his play. With Bogut there is a chance for a brawl every night, so that’s something. Boxing and basketball! You just can’t beat that deal.
3. Milwaukee Bucks: This team might be terrible. They might snatch the 8 seed. It could really go either way, but there is one thing we know for sure. They will not be boring anymore. The Bucks have added coup de tat staging Jason Kidd, and the number two overall pick in Jabari Parker. Kidd will be eager to prove himself after the debacle in Brooklyn and Jabari will be the focal point of the offense. He is an NBA ready scorer and should make a run at rookie of the year. Khris Middleton is a solid player, Larry Sanders is insane but talented, and perhaps O.J. Mayo will drop some weight and regain the form he had during his last season in Dallas. All this is great, but I have one reason to watch the Bucks. The Greek Freak! Giannis is a 6 feet 11 inch basketball swiss army knife. He can play four positions and may even get time at point guard this season. He is a good passer, a solid ball handler, a decent shooter, and a phenomenal athlete. Watching him develop will be a treat, and if he hits his ceiling he could be a type of player we have never seen before.
2. Portland Trail Blazers: They are an offensive juggernaut and fun as heck to watch. Damian Lillard is a budding young star at point guard, and Lamarcus Aldridge is finally getting the respect he deserves as one of the best players in the league. Add underrated starters in Wesley Matthews, and Nicolas Batum and you have yourself one of the most fun offensive teams in the league. They are good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to blow teams out every night. Every night will feature a fun competitive game as you watch Portland fight for seeding in a loaded Western Conference.
1.Phoenix Suns: What’s not to like? They have a fun young coach in Jeff Hornacek who has them playing a wide open guard heavy offense that is beautiful to watch. Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, and Isaiah Thomas make up the “Point Guardians of the Galaxy” and they will be a treat this season. T.J. Warren from NC State will play a bench role for the Suns this year, he could become a league pass alert himself. He does not have a flashy game, but his crafty scoring ability could lead to some high scoring games in limited minutes. The Suns also feature two pairs of twins with Marcus and Markieff Morris and Double Dragic (Goran and Zoran). They just missed the playoffs last season and will be hungry to make a playoff push in 2015. Suns will be exciting, and fun underdogs to keep an eye on. Hop on the bandwagon and add them to your League Pass five!