Anticipation

I’m sitting at my desk, books cracked, Microsoft Word open, and my ‘study/reading’ playlist cranking out calming tunes. Everything is set up perfectly for me to begin my paper due tomorrow; except there is one problem- I just can’t focus, no matter how hard I try. My mind is somewhere else entirely.

As any college student knows, this is far from unusual. Yet, this is not typical procrastination- this is something much more serious. This is 'anticipation'. For tonight is no ordinary night, it is the eve of the NBA season, and the eve of my beloved Lakers quest for their 16th title.

Anticipation- the NBA’s tagline for its season opening week- is not simply a state of mind, it is a feeling that grasps you entirely, rendering you unable to complete even the most basic tasks. It strikes obsessive sports fans often- sometimes worse than others. We can feel it before every game. We feel it more before big games, or at the beginning of the post-season. It is on opening day however, that we feel anticipation most strongly.



It may not be flu-season yet, but it is certainly anticipation season. Tonight, on the eve of the season opener, no basketball fan is immune from anticipation. By the time the playoffs begins, most teams will be out of contention, and many of the NBA’s 30 teams can count few ‘big games’ on their schedule. Yet even the fans of the most hopeless teams can’t help but feel the symptoms on opening day.

Tomorrow morning, rather than giving our alarm clocks looks normally reserved for those who’ve insulted our mothers, we’ll jump out of bed with a spring to our step. ‘Today’s the day’ we’ll be thinking as we eat breakfast, and ‘this is our year’ as we brush our teeth. We’ll dress in as much team gear as we can, matching or style be damned. And a countdown will be in our heads the entire day. Twelve hours till tipoff… eight hours… three hours… 45 minutes…

The beauty of opening day is that every team has a chance. Sure, the fans of the Clippers, Kings and Grizzlies are unlikely to be anticipating a title, yet they still hold hope; they are optimistic it can be a good year.

For Lakers fans, such as myself, the anticipation is twofold. Not only do we get to begin the regular season with a glorified ‘bye’ against the Clippers, it’s also ring night. The night where we celebrate the glory of last year, and begin this campaign’s title defense. I’m excited to raise another banner into Staples Center’s rafters, but the prospect of a whole new season is what I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.

Even for fans who were lucky enough to follow their teams late into May and June, the off season is just too long. We need the games to start again, we miss the feeling of normalcy we have when our team is playing 4 nights a week. The off-season is even longer for those 29 teams that fell short. As I learned following the Lakers’ tough 2008 loss to the Celtics, anticipation is much stronger when you’ve been left with a bitter taste in your mouth.

They say anticipation is half the pleasure, and perhaps ‘they’ are right, but I know I prefer the other half. Sure, I love the anticipation we feel just before the season kicks off, but after months of uncertainties, unknowns and question marks, I am ready for answers. And by this time tomorrow, I’ll have some. I can’t wait, I really can’t. Now excuse me while I go read some more season previews, browse Youtube highlights, and watch my favorite DVD: Los Angeles Lakers 2008-2009 NBA CHAMPIONS for the 26th time. I’ll worry about that essay later.