The NBA continuously gains popularity as more Aussies make their way across the states in hopes of getting drafted. The most recent draftee is Benigo native Dyson Daniels, and preceding him was Josh Giddey. Both stars love the AFL, and most footy fans even have an NBA team they support.
The NBA's history shares a different story as the league learns the ins and outs of the sports business, and only five teams have won more than three championships in its history. It is exceptionally skewed in comparison to the VFL/AFL premiership storyline.
But if you're unsure of which team to support, or are just beginning to take an interest in the NBA, here is part one ultimate guide to knowing which NBA team you should support based on your AFL following.
1. Adelaide Crows
Houston Rocketsย
The Crows draw similarities with the Houston Rockets. Both teams claimed back-to-back titles in the 90s, the Rockets winning the championship in 1994 and 1995, and the Crows got it done in 1997 and 1998. They have been unable to find success since.
Houston has had a roster that has taken them to the Western Conference finals in 1997, 2015 and 2018, yet they haven't been victorious. The Crows lost the grand final in 2017 and made the finals consistently in the last two decades.
Feeling the loss of a potentially winning team is also what both fans have stuck with them. In their respective games, Patrick Dangerfield and James Harden, two stars, left their teams to hunt for the elusive title.
Dangerfield has had a slightly different path and claimed his title as of the 2022 season; however, with Harden now putting the work in Philadelphia, some would say he is closer than ever. He couldn't make it work in Brooklyn and has made changes this off-season to have a chance and finish an incredible career.
If you are yearning for some success that is further away than you would hope, the Houston Rockets make a perfect pairing with the Adelaide Crows.
Amusing how Victorians assume that their little “rivalries” mean anything outside of Victoria…..
“…….Ask any AFL fan; if they don’t go for Collingwood, they hate them”…
No. Stuff and nonesense.
In WA:
the answer would be either the Dockers or the Eagles, and the hatred is real – not the superficial (and very dated) attitudes that date back to when the ‘wobbles were a successful club (.. before the moniker “colliwobbles” was “earned”)……
In SA:
Crows members know that port is simply filth…. port “tarps” are deluded as to the Crows…..
… and this is a hatred steeped in the existential crises that rocked SA footy. It’s not a “rivalry” – it’s hating the entity that tried to extinguish the game in our state (or a delusion of that)…..
Outside of Victoria – the ‘wobbles are no more than a over-pampered vic club that doesn’t have to play “away” games, has always a “soft fixture” and an inbuilt home-ground advantage come finals time …. as well as gifted sponsorship (and tv) advantages most clubs are not….
I understand there were crow supporters barracking for Geelong as the margin blew out during the Grand final, hoping that Port’s ignominious 2007 thrashing would not be surpassed.