(Sorry... but...) PLEASE let the Leafs be Relevant Again!

[vanisleflamesfan]

As a good born and raised Western Canadian, it really hurts me to say this but... I honestly can't wait for the day that the Toronto Maple Leafs are relevant again. Now please... hear me out... the reasons are these:

I am SO SICK of seeing (stupid, boring, lame, who gives a toss) basketball on the front page of tsn.ca and sportsnet.ca every single time I click over to those sites.

We actually have a reprieve today since it was opening day in the MLB and the Jays kicked the bronx out of the Yankees but I know that soon enough it will be back to basketball.

Now... please understand, if you LIKE basketball; I DO mean to offend. Basketball is stupid. And I understand that the city of "THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE" Toronto rules the media in Canada, and that for that reason the media is shoving their ONLY successful team down our throats but for the most part... the VAST majority of the country couldn't give two squirts about basketball, the Raptors, or your grammatical abortion: "we the north".

So please, for the sanity of all god-fearing, basket-ball hating Canadians outside of the GTA... please, please, let the Leafs be relevant again soon.

[nightfx]

Nah the Leafs are fine as they are.

[robaur]

If basketball being on the front of tsn.ca and sportsnet.ca is getting you so upset that you have to create this thread....

you need help....and I DO mean to offend.

[calumniate]

I love watching leafs lunch talk about baseball. It's hilarious

[robaur]

http://i.forbesimg.com/media/lists/people/kobe-bryant_416x416.jpg

MVP MVP MVP MVP MVP

Basketball is awesome.

[redmile04]

please understand, if you LIKE basketball; I DO mean to offend

I LIKE basketball and am not offended... I just find it quite embarrassing you created a thread for this.. not offended.. oh by the way Go Raptors!!

[Crumpy-Gunt]

I love hockey..

But no wonder we as a nation suck at soccer and to an extent basketball. Some people just cant be bothered with other sports. We should support Canadian sports no matter what. Even if most the athletes on the raptors are american. They work for Canadas only non NHL/MLB(/CFL obvs) team in ANY pro north american sports league.

Im ok with the Raptors being on the front page. Its one of their best seasons in recent memory (maybe ever). Huge for Canada. The Raptors are the only sports franchise (natl teams not included) I know of that has an entire countrys undivided support. I guess a whole country minus those who would rather see the Leafs do good than be bothered by Canadas only professional basketball team making the front page of tsn and sportsnet.

PS redmile04 that picture in your sig is frikin awesome.

[Vulcan]

I don't think it makes any difference. It seems like during the winter TSN has been devoting 50% of SportsCentre to basketball for a few years. They want to be hip like the Yanks. It's one reason I turn the channel. I am glad baseball has cleaned up their act. I couldn't watch it for a number of years.

[vanisleflamesfan]

Up the court... score...

Down the court... score...

Why do they even show 'highlights'? It happens 100 times in a game!

Yipee!

But hey.. I guess lobotomy patients need something to watch.

[Crumpy-Gunt]

Up the court... score...

Down the court... score...



Skate up the ice, dont score
Skate down the ice, get scored on.
Skate up the ice, dont score
Skate down the ice, get scored on..


























Oh wait that just the Oilers. Nvm.

[Table 5]

While I agree listening to basketball talk is pretty bad, replacing it with baseball talk isn't any better.

[Flashpoint]

I'm a sport fan.

Couldn't name 10 players from any other league. Too slow to watch.

[pylon]

Basketball is a horrible sport. The only sport in the world that pretty much requires a pituitary disease to be successful.

[Jayems]

People get their panties in a knot over this way too often. If you only like the NHL (like I do) visit the sites that pander to your needs. If you get butthurt because a site isn't tailoring their coverage exactly as you want, then go somewhere else (or click on that magical tab that says NHL) and life will be good.

I never get this complaint. People love other sports — even if you don't. Get over it.

[DiracSpike]

Basketball is the fastest growing sport in Canada. It's here to stay regardless of how good/crappy the leafs are.

The sooner you accept that the sooner you can join the rest of us in laughing at them, it's a lot of fun.

[vanisleflamesfan]

*Basketball is the fastest growing sport in Canada

I hear this: "fastest growing sport in Canada" cliche used often and used to describe a lot of sports*. I'm going to have to go ahead and ask for a source. CITE YOUR SOURCES!!


*Soccer, cricket, basketball, snowboarding, tennis, etc.

[vanisleflamesfan]

http://i.forbesimg.com/media/lists/people/kobe-bryant_416x416.jpg

MVP MVP MVP MVP MVP

Basketball is awesome.

Is that Steve Nash? I heard he retired... I'm sorry but I don't think (even in a sport as lame as basketball) that a retired player can be the MVP.

[robaur]

Is that Steve Nash? I heard he retired... I'm sorry but I don't think (even in a sport as lame as basketball) that a retired player can be the MVP.
I'm guessing you're trolling....nah I think thats giving you too much credit.

I think you're just a bigot.

[corporatejay]

I'm guessing you're trolling....nah I think thats giving you too much credit.

I think you're just a bigot.

How is he a bigot?

[afc wimbledon]

How is he a bigot?

Prejudiced against rapists?

[N-E-B]

I agree that basketball is terrible, but I'd rather see the Raptors be relevant than the Leafs...

At the end of the day, I wish nothing but misery on every single Toronto based sports teams. It sickens me that the Blue Jays and Raptors play up the whole "we're Canada's team" thing. I'll cheer for you when you start splitting your home games between the major cities and change your name to the Canada Blue Jays.

I hate Toronto sports teams. Immensely.

[FanIn80]

Is that Steve Nash? I heard he retired... I'm sorry but I don't think (even in a sport as lame as basketball) that a retired player can be the MVP.

Steve Nash is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He's also Canadian, and he bleeds red and white. Even diehard fans of rival teams have mad respect for him and everything he's done for the sport he loves.

You can hate on basketball all you want, but cracking off about Steve Nash just makes you look like a fool.

[getbak]

If I became a basketball fan, I would not cheer for the Raptors just because of their stupid, trying to be cool to 12 year-olds in 1995, name.

Also, there are only two colours a sports team from Toronto should wear: Blue, and a different shade of blue.

[PeteMoss]

TSN has NBA rights and no NHL rights so not a giant surprise they'll promote the sport...

[Flames89]

I agree with the OP, in that I wish the Leafs were better - solely because it is hard to know hockey is even being played anymore in this city. Everything is basketball and games 1-5 of the 3,000 game baseball season.

[starseed]

I like the Raptors, and have warmed to the NBA in recent years, but I get what the OP is talking about. I was hoping to catch the Flames game at a bar here last Saturday, but they wouldn't turn it from the commercials and highlights show on Sportsnet after the Raptors game. So annoying.

The Leafs need to be relevant enough to shower money and 'national' media attention on the sport of Hockey just at least to the point where bars are turning their channels to HNIC over an NBA highlights show.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Basketball is a horrible sport. The only sport in the world that pretty much requires a pituitary disease to be successful.

Volleyball says hello.

Honestly, what is the big deal? Apparently hockey is the only sport that is allowed to be followed in Canada now? This thread reeks of ethnocentricity (bordering on racism). Expand your minds people. There is ZERO hockey coverage in the States besides the NHL network. I don't get all bent out of shape about it. I just find the coverage that I want directly. The internet is great that way.

[Poe969]

You know, when you got to tsn.ca you can just put /nhl beside it and it only gives you the NHL news...

I'm a sports fan but prefer the NHL so I only focus on NHL stuff. Others are baseball fans and others are basketball fans. You can focus your attention on just one sport and not worry about the others if they bother you so much, I'm sure that's what fans of other sports say/do regarding hockey.

[Textcritic]

*

I hear this: "fastest growing sport in Canada" cliche used often and used to describe a lot of sports*. I'm going to have to go ahead and ask for a source. CITE YOUR SOURCES!!


*Soccer, cricket, basketball, snowboarding, tennis, etc.
I don't think that has been true for many years now—not since the invention of the Elan SCX and the subsequent parabolic skis revolution in the late '90s.

But yes, basketball does suck.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

The other alternative is that it's all about the Leafs on those sites... I'll take basketball.

[GioforPM]

^^. This. It won't be NHL that replaces basketball or baseball on Tsn. It will be the Leafs.

[troutman]

Don't mind the basketball, but I don't like the Jays being shoved down my throat like they are automatically Canada's team.

[Incogneto]

I am no basketball fan, but it is about 100000 times better than Baseball. God, I would rather die of dysentery then have to sit through an entire baseball game. Soooo slow, plotting and boring.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Basketball is growing in popularity and will only become bigger in the coming years. In the next 10 years Canada will be the unquestioned second best basketball country after the US. Like it or not, it's not going anywhere, and easily trumps hearing about the Leafs. The Raptors are highly likeable, the Leafs are the most revolting franchise in sports thanks to TSN and Sportsnet.

[FlamesAddiction]

I don't like basketball either. The constant squeaking drives me nuts. It's like nails down a chalkboard or rubbing two pieces of styrofoam together.

I just don't get the appeal. Way too much scoring and showboating. It's one thing in a sport like hockey or soccer to celebrate a goal which is a relatively rare event, but when a team gets 40 to 50 baskets in a game, there is no point in swinging from the basket and puffing out your chest like you just did something awesome. Most of the time, I think they try to make it harder than it is.

Having said that, it's easy enough for me to ignore. I don't think I have watched anything basketball related in years. I couldn't even name 5 current NBA players.

[RyZ]

I'm guessing you're trolling....nah I think thats giving you too much credit.

I think you're just a bigot.

:rolleyes:

Guy doesnt like basketball, must be racist..... well done, robaur. You set the bar high this morning.

[codynw]

I'm no fan of basketball, but it's far less offensive than baseball.

[SuperMatt18]

Don't mind the basketball, but I don't like the Jays being shoved down my throat like they are automatically Canada's team.

Are they not Canada's team though?

Just because some fans have picked another team doesn't make them not Canada's team.

I would think that overall more people care about the BlueJays and Raptors more then the other NBA/MLB teams.

Media has to play to the majority and overall those two teams are the most relevant in Canada overall.

[The Big Chill]

It's interesting to see how some of us on here are hockey fans, and others are sports fans (with one of those sports being hockey). I'm definitely a sports fan. I have my favorites, but I can sit down and watch a sport I know little about and start to enjoy it. Its how I became a soccer fan even though I didn't grow up playing it. I also took interest to rugby when the World Cup was on, and enjoy tennis when Milos or Genie are playing.

I have this argument within my own circle of friends on occasion. A couple of us love all sports, and others think the only sport that should exist is hockey. I find it really interesting.

[bubbsy]

nah, happy to see the leafs right where they are. will be even happier should the sabres win the lottery so that he is in the leafs division and becomes a deterrent in the leafs winning that division again for anohter decade. even better would be if somehow another eastern team wins the lottery such that both mcdavid/eichel are in the eastern conference :)

[CaptainCrunch]

http://media.giphy.com/media/125dYtLIHato7m/giphy.gif

[CroFlames]

I appreciate that people have different tastes in sports. Hockey is, was, and always will be my #1 sport. I used to love basketball, but basically since ol Jordan retired the 2nd time or whatever, it's turned into a group of individuals, not a team sport. LeBron is bigger than basketball, whereas Sid or Gretz were never bigger than the game. I'm slowly growing apart from soccer too. I think soccer desperately needs some rule changes, and I cannot stand the diving anymore.

Having said that, the Toronto media machine PISSES me off. The offseason is the worst I found. Every time you go to any of the outlets, all you see is Leafs, Argos, Raps news and how TO is getting an NFL team.

That's what annoys me. I couldn't care less if the Leafs turned into an Oiler Copy cat franchise.

[FanIn80]

Are they not Canada's team though?

Just because some fans have picked another team doesn't make them not Canada's team.

I would think that overall more people care about the BlueJays and Raptors more then the other NBA/MLB teams.

Media has to play to the majority and overall those two teams are the most relevant in Canada overall.

Canada's Teams
Canadian Olympic Ski Team
Canadian Junior Hockey Team
Canadian World Cup Biathlon Team

Not Canada's Teams
Toronto Blue Jays
Moose Jaw Warriors
Calgary Flames

Notice the difference between the two groups?

[V]

If a little more basketball coverage is the price I have to pay for the leafs to be terrible I'll pay that every day, gladly.

[undercoverbrother]

Steve Nash is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He's also Canadian, and he bleeds red and white. Even diehard fans of rival teams have mad respect for him and everything he's done for the sport he loves.

You can hate on basketball all you want, but cracking off about Steve Nash just makes you look like a fool.


What are you using as the measuring stick for Greatest Athlete of all time?

[Puppet Guy]

I am no basketball fan, but it is about 100000 times better than Baseball. God, I would rather die of dysentery then have to sit through an entire baseball game. Soooo slow, plotting and boring.


...but baseball provides a legit excuse to get drunk in the afternoon. Basketball can't do that.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

What are you using as the measuring stick for Greatest Athlete of all time?

Probably something about playing at the pinnacle of his sport for a number of years. Not saying he is necessarily at the very top, but should be in the conversation with the usual hockey suspects.

[SuperMatt18]

Canada's Teams
Canadian Olympic Ski Team
Canadian Junior Hockey Team
Canadian World Cup Biathlon Team

Not Canada's Teams
Toronto Blue Jays
Moose Jaw Warriors
Calgary Flames

Notice the difference between the two groups?

That is only if you take the definition very literally though.

Toronto has Canada's only MLB and NBA teams.

Hence they also make up the biggest proportion of fan bases for those sports in the country. It also means that a lot of people outside of Toronto will cheer for them and will see them as Canada's team.

Just because you and troutman don't agree, doesn't mean it is not reality in Canada right now.

It means they will occasionally lead off Sportscenter and have more focus on them since they have a bigger fan base then say the Portland Trail Blazers or Houston Astros in Canada.

IMO it's like complaining that the Canadian teams are shown first in the NHL highlights, going by your theories we should just start with the biggest sporting event of the day regardless of sport or team playing.

[undercoverbrother]

Probably something about playing at the pinnacle of his sport for a number of years. Not saying he is necessarily at the very top, but should be in the conversation with the usual hockey suspects.


FBS, it seems like you are reading it as Greatest Canadian Athlete of all time.

I read it as Greatest on a world stage.

I agree he deserves to be in the discussion of Canadian Greatest, but not sure I buy into the world.

[troutman]

Are they not Canada's team though?

Just because some fans have picked another team doesn't make them not Canada's team.

I would think that overall more people care about the BlueJays and Raptors more then the other NBA/MLB teams.

Media has to play to the majority and overall those two teams are the most relevant in Canada overall.

They are surely the most popular team in Canada, but the majority of baseball fans in Canada surely cheer for other teams.

I was an Expos fan.

[CroFlames]

They are surely the most popular team in Canada, but the majority of baseball fans in Canada surely cheer for other teams.

I was an Expos fan.

Baseball has really grown on me the last couple of years. You have to take it for what it's worth though. They don't bill themselves as a fast paced sport, and it's not. Neither is NFL football with all the stops in plays.

But both are entertaining in their own right. If I had to pick a team to be a fan of, it would be the Mariners since I'm a Seahawks fan.

[Vinny01]

Basketball was my number 1 sport growing up and I still love the game. I followed the NBA much closer than the NHL as a kid because I played the game more and my close buddies also preferred it. I enjoyed hockey as well just not as much.

As an adult I have enjoyed hockey more and is now easily my favorite sport to watch. I still love the NBA and NFL though. NBA playoffs are exciting as well especially as the parity is starting to grow within the league. I would love for the Raptors to go on a run this year to the second or third round.

As for the Leafs. I hope they stay in the basement for a long time. I certainly do not want to hear about how great they are because of that team is relevant they eat up the time on TSN and SN like no other

[GranteedEV]

Basketball can be a more fun sport than hockey, especially if a game is close. When I read stuff like what OP is posting, I just giggle at the shallow observations. They're akin to saying hockey is just 60 minutes of missed slap shots from the point and then a lucky deflection to decide who wins. Any hockey fan would laugh at that too, which tells you how us basketball fans read comments like "both teams go down the ice and score a lot".

It mostly just shows how clueless you are to the skillsets and fundamentals on display. It's also an obvious ignorance of the complexity of team systems which make hockey look pedestrian.

I also laugh at comments like pylon's about height when guys like Nate Robinson are still in the NBA and guys like Chris Paul are among the league's finest. Yes it's a more vertical sport more favorable to tall people just as hockey is more favorable to a Joe Thornton over a Paul Byron. It's not the sport's fault it has a bigger talent pool to draw from, though.

There are five positions in basketball, and centers are going to have to be big enough to be successful at their role - but I don't see how that's any different from how talented under-6'0 goaltenders shouldn't even consider pro careers. Just as 5'10 wingers can be successful in the NHL, so can a 5" 11 point guard be successful in the NBA. You have to be better than other players though, and if there's a 6'3 player who's as skilled as you, well go fish.

[flames_fan_down_under]

I sit on the complete opposite side of the fence and wish that sports coverage in Canada would be a lot more balanced. The level of hockey-centric sports coverage has reached ridiculous proportions. Trade deadline day is completely insane, how does a trade deadline require this amount of coverage?

I love hockey, but I also love baseball, basketball, and NFL football, and I see no problem in giving equal shares of time to each sport.

But of course we could get some more front page, exhaustive coverage on Kessel fighting Booth in a practice while the Leafs sit at the bottom of the standings. That's what we need.

[FanIn80]

FBS, it seems like you are reading it as Greatest Canadian Athlete of all time.

I read it as Greatest on a world stage.

I agree he deserves to be in the discussion of Canadian Greatest, but not sure I buy into the world.

NBA career highlights

2× NBA Most Valuable Player: 2005, 2006

One of only two Point Guards in NBA history to win at least two MVPs (the other being Magic Johnson)

8× NBA All-Star: 2002–03, 2005–08, 2010, 2012
7× All-NBA selection:

First team: 2005, 2006, 2007
Second team: 2008, 2010
Third team: 2002, 2003

2× NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge winner: 2005, 2010
5× NBA regular season leader for assists per game: 2005 (11.5), 2006 (10.5), 2007 (11.6), 2010 (11.0), 2011 (11.4)
6× NBA regular season leader for total assists: 2005 (861), 2006 (826), 2007 (884), 2010 (892), 2011 (855), 2012 (664)
2× NBA regular season leader for free-throw percentage: 2006 (.921), 2010 (.938)
7× NBA regular season leader for assists per 48 minutes: 2004 (12.6), 2005 (16.1), 2006 (14.2), 2007 (15.8), 2008 (15.5), 2010 (16.1), 2011 (16.4)
4× member of 50–40–90 Club: (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)

Has more 50–40–90 seasons than any other player in NBA history
One of only six players to have ever shot 50–40–90
One of only two players (the other being Larry Bird, who did it twice) to have shot 50–40–90 more than once
Retired with a 49-43-90 career average, missing out on being a career 50-40-90 shooter by 1% from the field

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (NBA award for outstanding citizenship and community service): 2007
Highest career free throw percentage in NBA history (minimum 1200 career attempts), 90.42 percent
Third-most career assists in NBA history


I'm going to have a hard time taking you seriously after this thread.

[Frequitude]

Blue Jays > Raptors > Leafs

[heep223]

I love to play and watch almost every sport, I'll watch table tennis. However, pumpkin toss should be shot into the sun without remorse. It's the worst. I would actually turn down free tickets to the NBA finals.

Can't believe a few here are insinuating it's racist to not like pumpkin toss. Isn't that racist in itself?

[undercoverbrother]

I'm going to have a hard time taking you seriously after this thread.



I don't need you to take me seriously, but my question was honest.


To me if you want to talk about Greatest Athlete (Canadian or International) you could talk about Clara Hughes, a medalist in not one but two totally different sports.

Certainly Nash is a great athlete and certainly one of the best basketball players ever, but greatest athlete, not for me.

[JiriHrdina]

Moved to the other sports forum since this doesn't seem to be really about hockey. Also considered just putting it the gear grinder thread since basketball seems to really grind the gears of the thread starter.

[V]

Steve Nash is one of the greatest athletes of all time.

He isn't even in the conversation of GOAT for his own sport, let alone GOAT over all sport.

I'm a big Nash fan, but this is just plain silly.

[RyZ]

I sit on the complete opposite side of the fence and wish that sports coverage in Canada would be a lot more balanced. The level of hockey-centric sports coverage has reached ridiculous proportions. Trade deadline day is completely insane, how does a trade deadline require this amount of coverage?

I love hockey, but I also love baseball, basketball, and NFL football, and I see no problem in giving equal shares of time to each sport.

But of course we could get some more front page, exhaustive coverage on Kessel fighting Booth in a practice while the Leafs sit at the bottom of the standings. That's what we need.

I can see that for a market like Toronto, but giving NBA or even MLB equal share as NHL in a place like Calgary (or anywhere out west other than possibly Vancouver) would be foolish.

I have a cousin who used to run a weekly wrap up sports show on a Sask radio station and he told me 2-3 yrs ago that results of a listener survey they did had LESS than 1% of people asking for NBA coverage and less than 10% looking for MLB coverage. NFL did fairly well and CFL and NHL were 80%+. Most markets outside of Toronto simply don't care about the NBA. It would be foolish to devote 1/4 of your coverage resources to it in this part of the country.

[#-3]

As a good born and raised Western Canadian, it really hurts me to say this but... I honestly can't wait for the day that the Toronto Maple Leafs are relevant again. Now please... hear me out... the reasons are these:

I am SO SICK of seeing (stupid, boring, lame, who gives a toss) basketball on the front page of tsn.ca and sportsnet.ca every single time I click over to those sites.

We actually have a reprieve today since it was opening day in the MLB and the Jays kicked the bronx out of the Yankees but I know that soon enough it will be back to basketball.

Now... please understand, if you LIKE basketball; I DO mean to offend. Basketball is stupid. And I understand that the city of "THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE" Toronto rules the media in Canada, and that for that reason the media is shoving their ONLY successful team down our throats but for the most part... the VAST majority of the country couldn't give two squirts about basketball, the Raptors, or your grammatical abortion: "we the north".

So please, for the sanity of all god-fearing, basket-ball hating Canadians outside of the GTA... please, please, let the Leafs be relevant again soon.

Yet you call Baseball a reprieve. Might as well go to the park and watch two senile old men feed ducks, while rambling on about the kids sitting on the other side of the pond.

This is for you :bag:

[FanIn80]

Also considered just putting it the gear grinder thread since basketball seems to really grind the gears of the thread starter.

Quoting for posterity.

[JiriHrdina]

He isn't even in the conversation of GOAT for his own sport, let alone GOAT over all sport.

I'm a big Nash fan, but this is just plain silly.

Maybe he meant greatest Canadian athlete

[undercoverbrother]

Maybe he meant greatest Canadian athlete



Still wouldn't be correct, IMO.

[flames_fan_down_under]

I can see that for a market like Toronto, but giving NBA or even MLB equal share as NHL in a place like Calgary (or anywhere out west other than possibly Vancouver) would be foolish.

I have a cousin who used to run a weekly wrap up sports show on a Sask radio station and he told me 2-3 yrs ago that results of a listener survey they did had LESS than 1% of people asking for NBA coverage and less than 10% looking for MLB coverage. NFL did fairly well and CFL and NHL were 80%+. Most markets outside of Toronto simply don't care about the NBA. It would be foolish to devote 1/4 of your coverage resources to it in this part of the country.

That's why I am not in charge of TSN's web content.

I am under no illusions about how much this country wants to consume anything hockey related. I personally just want to see more balanced coverage on the nations sports channels, and would have no problem with it, but I am not the average sports consumer in Canada.

I just find it funny that the OP is complaining that TSN had briefly deviated from its usual 24/7 hockey only coverage, or more specifically a very Leafs-centric content mandate, to cover the Raptors. All there is on TSN and Sportsnet is hockey coverage, and to find out that it hasn't been enough, that some want more, I find a little startling.

[You Need a Thneed]

Still wouldn't be correct, IMO.

The Statement was not "the greatest", but rather "one of the greatest."

Amongst canadian athletes, he certainly is one of the greatest of all time.

One of the greatest of all time, period, across all sports - of course that's questionable.

One of the greatest BASKETBALL players of all time, perhaps, depending on how you want to define it. You can make a very good case for him being the best pure shooter of all time in basketball. He's also third all time in assists. Definately, he's one of the greatest basketball players of all time, on the offensive side of the equation. Defensively he's not as good, and having no championships hurts his case. He's definately going to be a first ballot NBA Hall of Famer.

[octothorp]

It doesn't bother me that other people don't like basketball; to each their own. But I'll tell you why I like it:
1. There's five positions with five different, prototypical types of players; in theory, these five ideals compliment each other perfectly. But in reality such prototypical players are not all that common. The jigsaw puzzle of trying to build a roster and system that maximizes the skillsets of players and masks their deficiencies is fascinating.
2. Much of the strategy of the game focuses on exposing the weaknesses of opposing players while protecting against your own weaknesses. When well-coached, it leads to a great chess-game of match-ups.
3. The flow of the game itself is a study in momentum. If you're focusing on baskets, I can see why the sheer number of points scored makes it seem repetitive. But the way to watch the game is to watch for runs, and more importantly watch for what causes a run, whether it's a suburb individual performance, or a particular play that a team is able to execute repeatedly. Or maybe it's a run that's fueled largely by defensive effort and resulting easy transition points. And how does the other team stop the run? Is it making their own baskets, is it by adapting to the play and getting stops, is it by the coach subbing in different players to adjust to the opponent?
4. The large data-samples make it a statistically interesting sport. There's an exciting statistical analysis movement going on right now, especially since this is a debate that fuels real discussions of optimal strategy, not simply a debate about predicting success. For example, the statistical analysis community was saying for years that coaches undervalue the 3pt shot; this year, the top teams in each conference are built largely on the back of elite 3pt shooting. These are real analytical debates, not 'a high goal-to-shot ratio is unsustainable!' arguments.
5. I'm a big fan of the Canadian basketball program, and it's an extremely exciting time for our national program, as we've moved into 2nd in the NBA in terms of players... with several of those players good, and at least one of them potentially elite, and many more top prospects coming up the high-school and college pipe. I'm really excited for the next decade of our national program.

There are things I don't like about the sport, too. The number of time-outs in the last couple minutes of a game can often suck the energy out of otherwise great games. Its development system sucks, resulting in a steep drop-off in talent after guys who are on NBA rosters... meaning a thin talent pool. The cap/tax structure is still a work in progress, but significantly improved during the last CBA negotiations.