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.
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