Things I hate about the NBA News Memphis Grizzlies

Mystics of almost every persuasion believe that love and hate are two wings of the same bird. And since all of us who worship at the shrine of Sports America know that the bird is the word, here are those aspects of the NBA that I sincerely hate.

An overreliance on statistics by players, agents, the media and even many prominent NBA decision-makers. In so doing, these guys are focusing on the sizzle and not on the steak. And this is one major reason why the off-the-ball heart-of-the-game has been so devalued and why NBA action has been so dumbed down in recent years.

Players (and their agents) who have an inflated opinion of their own worth like Stephon Marbury, David Lee and Nate Robinson. But most sadly, Hamed Haddadi, who identifies himself as "a star." It's guys like these who want more playing time, more shots, more commercial endorsements and better contracts — all of which are admirable goals but not at the expense of rational thinking.

The NBA All-Star Game is akin to a baseball game in which there are only two outfielders, three infielders and both sides have batting practice pitchers on the mound. It's supposed to be fun to witness razzle-dazzle passes, dunk after dunk and acrobatic shots — all of them artificial and meaningless. Fans only interested in watching hooptime spectacles are advised to visit any number of playgrounds all over the country. In the word of sports, authentic competition is fun, reality is fun, grace under pressure is fun. Call me a fuddy-duddy, but I'd rather spend my precious time eyeballing a regular-season game between the T-Wolves and Kings.

Last but certainly not least, I dislike fans who blindly worship certain teams and players to the point where even the mildest (and constructive) criticism of their favorites provoke them into vehement furies of hatred that should be reserved for serial killers. You know who you are. Hey, lighten up y'all, and pay more attention to living your own lives.

Next column: Things I love about the NBA.