How many times did you see the San Antonio River Walk last year during the Spurs run? The Alamo? After four playoff rounds, what else is there to see? From the first series to the last the River Walk looked better and better, but it got a little monotonous even by Texas standards.
Fortunately the Spurs were not boring.
Fast forward to 2015 and what do the remaining team cities have to offer? America needs Portland. This is where the Rose City glows. The Blazers could go eight rounds instead of four and not run out of city highlights during commercial breaks.
Instead, America gets these NBA cities:
The New Los Angeles.
If the Clippers go all the way, do you expect a different LA than you saw when Kobe Bryant rolled with the Lakers?
Look, there’s Venice Beach and all the colorful people working on tans. There’s Malibu the beach community, not the Chevy. Don’t forget the HOLLYWOOD sign, even if the Clips aren’t Showtime.
What you won’t to see are the horse paths of Rancho Palos Verdes and the peacocks. There’s something beautiful about livestock roaming the hills of a major city that appeals to California-phobic America.
Show rural life in the city and you might encourage a mid-western migration to the Sunshine State. With so many Californians moving to Oregon, we don’t need that.
Houston, you have an NBA problem.
From tall buildings to open malls to Space City, Houston is all over the place. Zoning? What zoning? What will you see over and over if the Rockets work their way to the Finals? It won’t be the River Walk.
The Houston Rockets need more fuel than the high octane cast-offs from other teams. They won back-to-back titles once, the second a result of Portland’s Clyde Drexler going back home. They’ll need more.
With Dwight Howard and James Harden, they made it out of the first round instead of losing on a last ditch Damian Lillard score. With the recent health scare on beard hygiene, and Harden’s spectacular growth, you won’t see as much of the Houston skyline.
If the Golden State Warriors win an NBA title?
The team with the best NBA regular season record, and the league’s MVP in Stephen Curry, Frisco would show off the Golden Gate Bridge. See it on a clear day, a foggy day, then Google St. John’s Bridge, Portland’s Green Gate. Same bridge for the most part.
You’d get shots of street cars, Alcatraz, more street cars. Look for America’s most crooked street. Celebrate diversity with a giant rainbow flag in the Castro. If they show wildlife shots of sea lions lounging on bay side docks, sit upwind from your television.
Memphis on the move?
Get ready to see more Beale Street if the Grizzlies advance. What is Beale Street? It’s not Bourbon Street, but it has the look.
During a Warriors vs. Grizzlies game, the network showed a man flipping back handsprings down Beale Street, then cut to a man doing the same thing on the basketball court. A big man. So you’ll see plenty of that.
Don’t forget Elvis and Graceland. If Memphis makes the Finals, be ready to whip up a plate of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches fit for The King. Or barbeque. Loosen your belt and relax.
Washington D.C. and Atlanta?
In one, you’d see moving images of monuments. In the other, get ready to travel down Peachtree Street, Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Court, Peachtree Boulevard, Peachtree Trail.
With a skyline resembling Houston, Atlanta might be too confusing to watch. Who thinks either team will make the Finals? No one? Then you’re safe.
Chicago and Cleveland.
Two great cities, and major contributors to the population of places like Houston and Atlanta. Call them Rust Belt cities, American icons, or places you’ll never visit.
Who will ever forget Michael Jordan’s Chicago? They even put a uniform on his statue. The Bulls ran the greatest player the game has ever known out of town. That’s a stain that won’t wash out.
Cleveland has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the greatest current player in the world. You hear that all the time. LeBron James is the King of Cleveland and a bad example of the chain of command.
When a coach says jump, what do you say? How high? Not the King.
LeBron says, “Give me the ball and get out of the way.”
When a coach outlines a play, you run the play. Not ‘Bron.
LeBron says, “Nuh uh. Give me the ball and get out of the way.”
Cleveland may not have a LeBron statue suited up yet, but wait for it. If he leaves again, they’ll set it on fire and throw it in the Cuyahoga ( KY-ə-HOG-ə) River.
Of all the cities mentioned, LA, Houston, SF, Memphis, DC, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Chicago, Portland shines brightest.
Imagine someone watching the NBA Playoffs for the first time and it’s a Portland home game.
The camera cuts to Broadway, the Willamette River, Mt. Hood, Forest Park, the funk of SE Portland, Old Town. There’s the view from Pittock Mansion. Then the Columbia River.
A GoPro equipped drone takes pictures of Vista House on Crown Point, flies under Multnomah Falls, then between the walls of the other worldly Oneonta Gorge. Would viewers believe such a place existed, or would they think Portland is an aggregated package of regional images?
The world needs to see more places like Portland on the map. The NBA should feature Bridge City front and center. NBA fans in Europe would see hordes of bike riders on Portland roads and feel right at home.
The Trail Blazers need to recognize their elevated role. Going one step further, if Portland can’t make the cut to the second round more often than once every fifteen years, the NBA needs to work harder and re-introduce Seattle.
Does anyone need to see more Sacramento? The lushness of Oklahoma City? Do either of those one-time Seattle teams inspire casual fans to tune in?
An Emerald City with Mt. Rainier and Puget Sound and new life Sonics? Portland carries the NBA banner for the entire Northwest, but it’s hard. If it gets too heavy, Seattle needs to pick it up. Is the NBA listening?
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