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When the 2017-18 NBA season begins, one of the longest traditions in sports will be broken.

When Nike takes over as the new sports apparel company for the NBA on October 1, the "home" and "away" jerseys are a thing of the past.

You can read about it in full detail here, but just know this: The change is a great one. 

Instead of having a designated "home" and "away" jersey, the teams will have "The Association" and "The Icon" to choose from on a nightly basis.

There will be two additional uniforms, dubbed "The Athlete Mindset" and "The Community" and while the naming of the different uniform types reek of the Big Ten's failed "Leaders" and "Legends" division names, the change is a good thing.

RELATED: NBA'S MOST MEMORABLE JERSEYS SINCE 2000

Each NBA team will have 4 jersey options
- Association (Classic white)
- Icon (Team color)
- Athlete Mindset
- Community (Locally inspired)

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) July 18, 2017

Getting away from having designated jerseys based on game location is important because not all "home" and "away" uniforms are created equal. 

Take the Wizards for example. The team decided to exclsuively wear their white "Stars and Stripes" uniforms for home playoff games. Those uniforms are spectacular and should be worn not just at home playoff games, but nearly all games. Instead of the Wizards wearing road red uniforms in Boston against the Celtics in their home whites, the Wizards can now wear their "Stars and Stripes" uniforms against the Celtics' iconic green uniforms. That's how it should have been and how it can be going forward

Not everyone is a fan of uniform creativity. We are not here to tell you that NBA teams should wear jerseys with sleeves.

In fact, NBA teams should never wear jerseys with sleeves. Ever.

But what we are here to tell you is that teams should be able to decide to wear jerseys like we decide when playing video games. Wear alternate uniforms as much as possible. Mix things up. Just because a team is playing at home does not mean the team has to wear whites. 

Traditions were made to be broken, and we're glad the NBA is leading the charge.

On the latest episode of the Wizards Tipoff podcast presented by Greenberg and Bederman, Chase Hughes, Travis Thomas and Julie Donaldson reset the series and looked ahead to Game 5.

They were joined by TSN Sports anchor Kayla Grey to find out the Toronto perspective. The Wizards have all the momentum in this series, now they just have to keep it going.

You can listen to the episode right here:

You can download the podcast on Apple Podcasts right here and on Google Play. If you like the show please tell your friends!

You would not have known it by John Wall's towering poster-dunks over Jonas Valanciunas and Jakob Poeltl in Game 4, or his fourth quarter takeover after Bradley Beal fouled out, but Wall is still technically working his way into midseason form from the left knee surgery that kept him out more than two months down the stretch of the regular season. Add into the equation that he sprained his right ankle in Game 3, then resprained it in Game 4 right after Beal went out, and it's quite clear that what he is doing is simply not normal. 

Throughout Wall's recovery, his head coach Scott Brooks remarked how Wall can regain his form unusually quick following an injury absence. Game 4 was just his eighth game back, yet through four playoff games he is averaging an absurd 26.8 points, 13.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.0 blocks.

If that's what he's doing eight games removed from recovery, and against the top team in the Eastern Conference, what does peak playoff form look like? 

"I told y'all, I told all the media that I only need like three or four games. I really didn't need too many games," he said. "All the hard work that I did in those two months was to prepare myself to be ready for the playoffs."

Wall said he started feeling like himself in his final regular season game, his fourth outing following the injury rehab. It was against the Celtics and he scored 29 points to go along with 12 assists, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

"I just started to see shots fall down that I was falling short with a couple games before that," Wall said of that night.

Brooks saw a change in Wall against the Cavaliers on April 5, in just his third game back. That game Wall put up 28 points, 14 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Most importantly, he logged 38 minutes.

"I knew I was going to challenge his body with extra minutes," Brooks said. "The way he responded to that, I knew he was back."

Whenever the turning point happened, there is no looking back. Wall has found his groove to not only impact, but at times dominate playoff games against one of the best defensive teams in basketball.

In Game 4 once Beal went down, Wall looked like the best player on the court. He scored eight of the Wizards' final 14 points to seal the victory and did so on a bum ankle. He outshined both DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, two All-Star guards.

WOWWWWWW JOHN WALL POSTER SLAM!!!!!

LIVE STREAM: https://t.co/Uvk3ibqA3C pic.twitter.com/O7fFtfMqaO

— NBC Sports Wizards (@NBCSWizards) April 22, 2018

Wall even played sound defense on DeRozan in big moments. DeRozan shot 10-for-29 in the game.

"I think I did a good job of contesting him," Wall said. "Just do whatever it takes to help this team win."

What Brooks predicted would happen has indeed played out. He has been with Wall for about two years now and knows what the star point guard is made of.

"I've been with him two years, he loves to play," Brooks said, noting there have been some tough conversations to convince him to come out of games.

Consider this: Wall has scored 20 points or more in six straight games, his longest streak of the 2017-18 season. He has actually reached 23 points or more in those six games, which is tied for the longest such streak of his entire career.

Through eight games overall and four games in the playoffs, Wall has reminded everyone of what the Wizards missed. Yes, they went 10-3 when he first went down with the injury in late January, but that was not sustainable.

They need Wall to reach their full potential as a team and especially in the postseason. Late-game situations like in Game 4, when Beal exited and it was tied with 4:58 to play, are when the superstars separate themselves.

Wall did that and now the Wizards are in good shape with the series at 2-2 and having won two straight.

"Blame everything on him," Brooks joked of the Wizards' up-and-down regular season. "If he wasn't hurt, we'd be better, right?"

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