Jonah's Jabs: NBA narratives are great

By Jonah Unger
Staff Writer

The 2022-23 NBA playoffs have just begun, and we have already seen some dramatic moments in the first few games.

These moments include Giannis Antetokounmpo getting injured, allowing the Miami Heat to steal a win. There were also a few down-to-the-wire games, including the New York Knicks topping the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-97. 

That being said, each team has a narrative. For example, if the Denver Nuggets win a championship this year, then Nikola Jokic would finally have a real stat to validate his soon-to-be three MVP awards. Another example would be if the Phoenix Suns win the championship. That would mean Kevin Durant had finally won a ring with a team that wasn’t a super team, repairing his reputation in the league.

These are all interesting narratives created by fans and the NBA marketing team, but that is one fun thing about professional sports. If the fans love it, then everyone is happy. 

Sports narratives are one of the best things about professional sports, especially basketball.

In 2019, when Kawhi Leonard went on a legendary playoff run with the Toronto Raptors, the Raptors faced off with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors that year were the NBA’s bad guys, in the sense that not very many people liked them or the way they played. Almost everyone wanted to see them lose, mainly because going into that year they had won three rings in the past four seasons. 

Leonard and his Raptors were, on paper, no match for the overpowering Warriors, but that didn’t stop them. Against all odds the Raptors managed to win a ring over a beat up Warriors team. This restored balance to the league once again. 

In conclusion, sports narratives are a great thing for sports. It makes things interesting and gives the fans the ability to really get involved in the sports community. I can’t wait for what this year's playoffs have in store for us fans.