Maybe it's because the holidays are taking up most of our attention, but it doesn't seem as if the NBA season is going to start in two days.

I guess it shouldn't be too surprising. The NBA has never had a big opening, anyway. It just kind of starts, as if it were picking up from where last year's Finals left off, only everyone gets to play again.

Baseball has six weeks of spring training leading to opening day. The NFL kickoff is a signal that summer is over.

The NBA has no such build-up or seasonal change. That's ironic, because it over-produces so many other aspects of its product. But the new season doesn't seem like a grand opening. Everyone's record restarts at 0-0 and off they go. That happens in other sports, of course, but in the NBA, it doesn't seem brand new. It's more like a continuation.

- Howard Primer