NBA

NBA Comes to Wichita

Wichita, Kansas: home to arena league football, professional hockey, outstanding amateur and semi-pro baseball and…NBA basketball? That’s right, in case you haven’t heard Tuesday Oct. 13 at 7 pm the New Orleans Hornets will take on the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic at Charles Koch Arena. Despite the fact that this is just preseason action, the game should be a great chance for the sports fans of Wichita to witness the amazing show that is the NBA. Spectators in the area seem to have a very negative view of the NBA. They foul too much, they don not play defense, they travel, they are overpaid; the list of beef with the league goes on and on. This was an opinion that I shared up until a few years ago when I had the privilege of seeing the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. Not only did this game change my opinion of the NBA, it made me a fan. LeBron James was by far the best athlete I have ever seen in action and the Suns were one of the best sports teams I have seen compete together. Fans in Wichita will have a very similar opportunity next week. For those that missed it the Magic handled the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics and won a seven-game thriller against LeBron’s Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals. These guys are stacked: forward Dwight Howard is widely revered as the best big man in the game and guard Jameer Nelson has earned a name as one of the best young players in the game. In addition to what they return from last years team Orlando has added guard Vince Carter, probably the greatest dunker in the history of basketball. On the other side, while the Hornets are clearly not the same caliber team, fans will get to see 2006 Rookie of the Year Chris Paul. Paul is an outstanding young ballhandler with the ability to change games. The Wichita Sports Commission, who is running the event, is also capitalizing on the fact that Paul and Howard were members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team who took gold in Beijing. On top of the talent being showcased in the game, NBA competitions are more of an event than just a basketball game. It is one of the few leagues that plays music and changes the lighting during competition, and I would expect the halftime and in-between-quarter entertainment to be exceptional. Wichita fans have a real opportunity to experience something that would otherwise require traveling to Oklahoma City, Denver or Chicago, to name a few of the closer venues. Tickets can be purchased at www.wichitasports.com, and believe me this show will be well worth the price of admission.//LOGUNSTEVENSON

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