To put NBA 2008 in perspective, you have to go back to Oct 2007. The Boston Celtics were finishing a season with a record of 22 wind and 58 defeats - the second worst in the league.
The Los Angeles Lakers were mediocre, finishing the season 42-40, with a slew of drama surrounding their best player Kobe Bryant.
Boston made two franchise-changing trades, acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to give help to their one-man-show of Paul Pierce.
Overnight the Celtics went from a doormat to one of the league's top teams. The experienced trio of Garnett, Allen and Pierce led them to the best record in the league last season.
The old formula of slowly building through the collegiate draft was eschewed. The Celtics went with a new recipe: add two All-Stars, stir, instant winner.
The Lakers had their own problems. While their roster was strong, their best player was not happy. Bryant had little post-Shaquille O'Neil success and there were rumours that he and the Lakers were thinking about a new home for the three-time champions.
Just days before the season, it looked like the Chicago Bulls would trade for Bryant, but when the season started there was Kobe in the Lakers starting line-up.
With the Celtics cruising in the Eastern Conference, the Lakers fought through a tougher road in the Western Conference to make it to the NBA Finals against their old foe from Boston. This was a coup for the NBA to have their two premier franchises together again. Television ratings for the NBA finals were the best in a decade. All the usual suspects showed up at the finals, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The three-headed monster of Garnett, Pierce and Allen were two much for Kobe to topple single-handed as the Celtics won the title four games to two.
Off the court, 2008 was another rough year for the NBA. In 2007, long-time referee Tim Donaghy was fired and arrested for betting on numerous NBA games, including those he worked.
In June, Donaghy claimed that game six of the 2002 Western Conference finals was fixed by two referees.
Despite denials by NBA Commissioner David Stern, the faith of the NBA supporters took a blow.
Luckily for the league, the 2008 finals match between Boston and Los Angeles trumped the ugliness of the Donaghy scandal. This season could be more of the same.
The Lakers have started the year well, while Celtics, the defending champions, are even better.
LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers are nipping at their heels, but this season's NBA finals could be more of the same.
ppabst@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Date started: 2020
Founders: Khaldoon Bushnaq and Tariq Seksek
Based: Abu Dhabi Global Market
Sector: HealthTech
Number of staff: 100
Funding to date: $15 million
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
Specs: 2024 McLaren Artura Spider
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and electric motor
Max power: 700hp at 7,500rpm
Max torque: 720Nm at 2,250rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100km/h: 3.0sec
Top speed: 330kph
Price: From Dh1.14 million ($311,000)
On sale: Now
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter