Proving that the NBA is really becoming more global I spent some time watching NBA TV at a restaurant in Dubai. What did I find?

After a long day at the beach with some friends as I was finishing up my last weekend in Dubai, I suggested we grab some Mexican food at beachside restaurant that became a little flavor of home during my trip. Sure in a couple days I can drive 3 minutes and grab better Mexican food, but there’s something to be said for nostalgia, and whenever I needed a burrito fix this summer, I went to this place.

When we first got there I found a soccer game on the big flat screen near our table, a match between an Egyptian and Mexican club team. After the game ended our Egyptian waiter, who noticed me watching, asked if I wanted to watch that channel or “bassetball”. Obviously opting for choice number two, I was surprised to see NBATV come up with a little intro for NBA Greatest Games. The game that started playing was the 1993 NBA All Star game from Salt Lake City. I slowly became less and less interested in my dinner and the conversation my friends were having as I began watching the pre-game introductions. I was pretty enthralled by the roster of the East, and the big deal in this game was that Shaq was starting at center for the East in the midst of his rookie season, making him the first rookie to start since his Eastern teammate Michael Jordan in 1985. For a lifelong Kings fan, the West’s introduction was a calling card of new and old. I was taken aback by our new coach Paul Westpaul being introduced as the Western Conference’s coach almost as much as I was when Mitch Richmond strutted out in a tuxedo vest and shirt for introductions.

The game was a far cry from the alley oop fests that today’s All Star Games have evolved into. I was at the game down in Oakland in 2000, and it was interesting but absolutely ridiculous. My friends were not very impressed as I insisted on watching the whole first half, even though it meant we were there a good 20 minutes after dinner. The 1993 version of the game was hard fought, with most of the starters playing the duration of the first half. Jordan was d-ing people up, and grabbed a couple steals in the first quarter. Having only seen Isaiah as a failed GM, it was pretty surprising to see him dishing absolute dimes to his teammates. A quick Wikipedia/YouTube search later the next day made me hope that NBA fans remember that Isaiah instead of the NY Knicks version.

The level of play really surprised me, for after all this was just an exhibition game. Why did these guys play so hard? I mean, I understood why Stockton and Malone, the games eventual co-MVPs would put on a show for the home crowd, but literally everyone was pushing it, playing defense and running the floor. How many times in today’s All Star games are the point guards consistently posting up the centers? As I watched there was an in game feature about the 1992 Dream Team. It showed the eventual Barcelona gold medalists at practice and on the team’s off time. It talked about the comradery and competition on the team. Like Dream Team 1, Dream Team 2 was a heated demonstration of the who’s –who in the NBA. Every single Dream Team member from that team would be on these All Star rosters except one, the retired Magic Johnson.

Intrigued by the game I did a little digging the next day into the significance of this game. I found that over the next 7 years both NBA finals teams would boast at least 1 member of these 1993 All Star Teams. Every NBA champion over the next decade would start at least one of the starters from that 1993 game (Jordan, Shaq, Drexler, Barkley and David Robinson). Both these things really jumped out to me and really gave that 1993 All Star game some significance in the history of basketball. Isaiah was the last of seemingly old guard and a new era was asserting its dominance over the league. Seeing a beaming Shawn Kemp come off the bench was exciting for me. Detlef Schremp on the Pacers? Hilarious. At this point the Bulls were working on championship number three with Jordan and Pippen, and although not overpowering, his Airness clearly jumped off the screen. It would be the last All Star game before Jordan went down to Birmingham and batted under the Mendoza line for a couple years of minor league baseball.

I couldn’t stop thinking about how that 1993 game was basically a who’s-who list for the next decade of NBA play and beyond, especially if you count Isaish’s GM career and Shaq’s continued career. Even both All Star coach (Westpaul and Pat Riely) are still heavily involved with new organizations. This got me thinking about the current NBA, and how the 2009 and 2010 All Star games will be very similar in this respect. From 2009 LeBron, Kobe, D-Wade, Dwight, Brandon Roy, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson will all have something to do with the league’s championship. In 2010 the list might be even more impressive as we will likely see Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Deron Williams make their first appearances. Carmelo Anthony might also be making a return to the roster. Like the 1993 roster, the 2010 team has a chance to end up as a Team USA who’s-who in a couple years. For the 2012 Olympics I don’t see any of those players being left off the squad, even if Kobe is filling a similar role to Jason Kidd from last year.

There have been a ton of pieces about the effect the Redeem Team had on the young guys in the league, and how much they learned from guys like Kidd and Kobe. USA Basketball is back to being important, unlike in 2000 and 2004 when there were noticeable absences from Team USA. This type of competition isn’t only good for the league, and it really creates a superstar feeding chain. In 1993 Jordan was the unquestioned top dog in the game, but everyone else was trying to get on his level. They were playing hard to prove themselves as players against the best of the best.

With LeBron committed to the Dunk Contest this year (as well as slighting the antics of the past few years competition), and the East probably starting Rose at point guard instead of Allen Iverson, I see the All Star Game’s intensity being amped up a bit. Combine this with the game being played in the new gargantuan Cowboy Stadium in Dallas and the anticipation of the 2010 offseason, and I really think that next years’ game will go down in history like the 1993 one did. Although these players are unquestionably close, and nearly rivals in the true sense of the word, they are competitors vying for that top spot.  Just seeing how things played out in Las Vegas with the USA Tryouts this summer, I think that the league is starting to become more competitive at the top between individual players. Like in the 80s and early 90s the Olympic teams are starting to represent the league more, and I think it’s a cultural shift in the NBA. Perhaps Shaq’s jabberwocky dance last year was a symbolic passing of the torch, that the run and gun fun of the early 2000s is a little on its way out. Perhaps he makes one final all star game and plays the role Isaiah did in ‘93. With his numerous shows over the next decade and eventual follies in a life under the spotlight, maybe kids will forget what Shaq was like as a player just as I forgot about Isaiah.

Tough economic times will make the teams put more and more pressure on their players to perform and I see the players responding. Can LeBron become the top dog that pushes the league like Jordan did? Is Kobe already doing this right in front of our very eyes? Zach’s expectations article had some good reasons for the Kings improving, but I think that a year in the cellar last year is really going to light a fire in some guys. It’s time for Spencer Hawes to step up to the next level. He’s going to be the starting center next year and really has to be someone who brings it every night. His whole summer league debacle was troublesome, but perhaps it will open his eyes a little bit. The league is becoming more and more professional if that makes sense, and whether this is partially due to Stern demanding it, or more and more players becoming involved in various business ventures, I feel them really upping their game. The ten million dollar contracts of the passed aren’t as guaranteed as they once were, and teams aren’t going to commit to players that might not respond.

The times have created a situation where even the bottom feeders have to appease their fans. In tough times people aren’t going to buy season tickets or renew current ones if the team is sleep walking through a season- its just not worth it. Just look at the Kings and how many of their season ticket holders declined to renew this year. All of the top 10 drafting teams are looking to take big steps this year, and in the end someone has to fail. The Clippers have been reinvigorated by Blake Griffin. Memphis made a slew of trades and has added two big bodies down low to complement their pair of gunners. Everyone is having a love affair with Oklahoma City, and the T-Wolves also look to be the team they were last January for the whole season. Where does this leave the Kings? Without amping up the effort and taking their game to the next level they’ll be left in the dust again. I just hope that the 1993 Western Conference All Star Game coach can light that fire, and not make the mistakes his three predecessors did to put us in this place.