Sports 'N Stuff: The '80s - Big Hair and Basketball
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Anyone else around my age will remember that time as well. Pop bands and pop singers like Duran Duran, Michael Jackson and Prince were among the hottest. There were also the big hair rock and heavy metal bands like Ratt and Poison and Guns and Roses. Ronald Reagan was president for the basically the entire decade and the late Saddam Hussein launched the Iran-Iraq war. For me, some of the biggest memories were the crazed whiffle ball games in the back yard in which I was the entire lineup of the New York Yankees!
For sports fans, the '80s brought some memorable moments. Mike Tyson, then a virtual newcomer, became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history at the age of 20 years and 4 months in 1986 by knocking out Trevor Berbick in the second round. Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's record for career hits in 1985 with 4,191.
The most vivid memory in most fans' minds though was the "Miracle on Ice." During the medal round of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, the United States defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 en route to a gold medal win by beating Finland 4-2 in their final game. This "miracle" is still one the most memorable highlights in sports history.
The reason I bring up the '80s is because of my recent disgust for the NBA. For at least the last 10 years, I have refused to watch an NBA game. I forget exactly how long because it pretty much was last on my list behind watching the grass grow. It has been a game of thugs and "me" guys for quite some time.
With the likes of players like Ron Artest, Latrell Sprewell and a ton of other players getting into trouble with the law, the NBA lost many fans who really aren't into spousal abuse, gun charges or beating up fans and cops. They pay a lot of money to young kids fresh out of high school and expect them to act like adults. Basically, it was a horrible display when an NBA game came on TV.
Well it snuck up on me. The NBA is changing and changing quickly. It seems to be headed back in time to the glory days of the '80s. Remember those Lakers and Celtic teams who between them won seven NBA championships in that decade. Byrd and Magic, Kareem and Parrish, Michael Cooper and his socks pulled up to his hips. They ran the floor as fast as they could and as hard as they could and constructed some of the most memorable moments ever in the NBA.
The only other teams to win championships in that decade were the '76ers who were crazy good with Dr. J and Moses Malone running the show and Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones providing the support. The "Detroit Bad Boys," Pistons, won back-to-back titles in the '88 and '89 seasons. They were the "bad boys" of the NBA but not an illegal way. Bill Laimbeer and Isaiah Thomas took no prisoners and played the game the way they knew how – tough.
We are starting to see that fire again from the NBA and I, for one, am impressed. The Celtics are back in the saddle. They look a lot like the Celts of yesteryear with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen flying up and down the court.
The Lakers, as well, have come back with a force. We know Kobe Bryant has always gotten it done but now they have given him some awesome weapons in Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Derrick Fisher. In Dallas, the Mavericks are running the floor at a crazy pace with Dirk Novitsky and newly acquired Jason Kidd. Throw in perennial powerhouses San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns and the NBA looks like a sport resurrected.
It is fun to watch again and should stay that way for some time. There are teams I haven't even mentioned, like the Rockets, Jazz, Hornets and Nuggets, who have young talent poised to bring the NBA back to being a premier sport.
Brian Flagg was co-host of "The Sports Page" on local public access stations for nearly five years. The North Adams resident has been coaching girls' basketball and softball for 16 years. His column appears every other Monday.
