If you want to follow the sequence of events that got us here, please click here, Article 1, and here, Article 2… I’ll wait.

Now, for “The Shot Heard Round’ The World”.

Dear Mr.  Blake Probert,

For starters your title should’ve been “BanterCamp, Inc Civil War: NBA Hype Edition… Or Lack Thereof”, however, here at BanterCamp, Inc we will not censor any of our writers.

You excessively disagree with my take on the current landscape of the NBA, and instead of “Bantering” back and forth via text, email, or personal calls, you chose a much larger platform, which is okay. I applaud standing by such an “unpopular opinion” to an audience like the internet. Maybe you should be the new Spokesperson for Nike? So brave.

Revved up yet? No? Good, I’m just getting started.

You’re right, maybe watching the NBA during the months of October and November aren’t for me. Neither is watching during the months of December, January, February, March, and April— Especially this up-and-coming season.

Root for, and watch “my team” (generality for the general fan) accomplish what exactly? Place second, at best? And that is only if I am a Celtics or Rockets fan… Maybe an L.A. fan? All of a sudden, cheering from a different perspective (to place 2^nd) — I’m now excited to watch some NBA basketball. Even then, that only makes 4 out of 30 NBA teams contenders for a championship. Sign me up, sounds like a blast.

My sweet Blake, stop being so naïve—No one is beating the Golden State Warriors in a playoff series (barring injury). No one. Being the avid NBA watcher that you are, “I know, that you know, that I know” that anything is possible… except beating The Warriors in a Series of 7 games.

After further evaluation on your last piece, I’m more convinced that you enjoy NBA pop-culture— than tuning in to watch an entire 3-hour game of grown men taking turns playing 1 on 1 basketball. I’d rather scroll through my Twitter feed as well.

Furthermore, this explains your love affair with Russell Westbrook, and poor judgment of liking quality players. Players that, you know, make everyone around them better. Instead, Westbrook routinely and savagely takes, “would be”, easy rebounds from his own teammates to snag that next Triple-Double. He’s selfish– Elite athleticism, with ZERO basketball IQ.

But man, that guy can dress, eh? And those interviews, hilarious. Is he an All-Star? Sure. But so was Wally Szczerbiak. Has he won an MVP? Sure. In a league where LeBron James is wildly underappreciated.

Seriously though, what do you even call that get up?

Okay, I admit. I’m snubbing and I know it— however, what I am saying is Westbrook IS substantially over-rated.

I’m not mad at you for enjoying NBA pop-culture though, I enjoy it as well. I just cannot enjoy regular season NBA basketball, especially this up-and-coming one (previously mentioned).

I also understand “Fan Boys”. Ever watch the movie “Snakes On A Plane”? You like it? That’s what I thought– Or I could simply direct you to a Nicolas Cage Fan Page? Even better, a Nickelback loving twitter account? See, just because something is bad, doesn’t mean people won’t blindly follow.

As I am coming to a close, most of your “bullet” points are “league news” type of information. Which I genuinely like hearing about it, because that ultimately effects the level of competition from game to game making it more persuading to tune in. However, some of those “bullets”— noise, not news.

To sum most of them up:

Kawhi Leonard in Toronto/ the Raptors’ quest to re-sign him. Interested, but do I have to tune in to a regular season game to find out?

Porzingas comes back from injury—doesn’t everyone?

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rise to legit MVP candidate– Fanfare

What do the Pelicans do with Anthony Davis? Does another team in the NBA roster the New England Patriots that I am unaware of?

Alvin Gentry- “I know there’s been rumors about Boston trying to trade for him or whatever,” Gentry said, via the Boston Herald, “and my response to that is, yeah, we’ll trade him. But they’re going to have to give us the New England Patriots and the two planes that they just bought. … And I don’t think they’re going to do that. So we’re not even thinking about those kind of things.”

LeBron going to L.A. was a lifestyle decision, not a career decision.

Watching a game isn’t marginally different than opening my twitter app so I can keep up with the pop culture of the NBA, it is vastly different.

Lastly, Kevin Durant is the most efficient player in the league, and possibly the best scorer of all time… and sorry, I’ll quiet down with my takes as soon as soon as you turn down that awful Pearl Jam music. Maybe we can meet up and settle our differences over some lemon water and a nicely prepared salad? What do you say?

With Love.