Isn't it great? The Nationals are back.

I saw them on ESPN, and you'd never know it's been decades since we've last seen them.

So, I know what you're thinking: We all know about the new baseball team in Washington, D.C.?

I'm not talking about those Nationals. I'm talking about the Syracuse Nationals (and not the classic car show at the Fairgrounds, either).

The Syracuse Nationals that won the 1955 NBA championship, the Syracuse Nationals that saved the NBA with the 24-second shot clock, the Syracuse Nationals that boasted of great players like Dolph Schayes, Hal Greer, Larry Costello and Johnny "Red" Kerr.

They're back, well, sort of.

The NBA, in its perpetual quest to separate its fans and their money, has its teams wearing retro uniforms called "Hardwood Classics." The idea, while maybe paying tribute to the past, is to get people to buy merchandise with the old logo and name.

So, the Philadelphia 76ers are wearing Syracuse Nationals jerseys. They have wore them at least twice, lately, including last week against the Knicks.

Now, I'm sure none of the current 76ers had any idea their team had its genesis in Syracuse, N.Y. Heck, I doubt there are any NBA players who were alive when the Nationals played their final game in 1963.

But it is good to see an important part of the NBA's history revived even in a small way.

Younger basketball fans may not know, but in the 1950s, the NBA was a defensive-oriented league. Teams that led in the fourth quarter would hold the ball and run out the clock.

The league was in trouble and to its rescue came Nationals' owner Danny Biasone. He had an idea to use a 24-second shot clock to spur offense and prevent teams from sitting on their leads.

There was an exhibition for NBA owners using the shot clock in a Syracuse school. Soon after they adopted the shot clock and scoring in the league increased.

Then great players such as Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell came into the NBA, expanding its popularity.

But as the NBA became a true national league, it outgrew its small-city roots. The Rochester Royals left in the late 50s and are now the Sacramento Kings; the Pistons moved from Ft. Wayne, Ind. to Detroit; and the Lakers ditched Minneapolis for Los Angeles.

So in 1963, facing mounting financial losses, Biasone sold the Nationals and they were moved to Philadelphia.

As the years passed, the Nationals faded from memory as the 76ers established their own history, from players like Chamberlain to Dr. J to Charles Barkley to Allen Iverson.

But for now, the Nationals, or Nats, live again - and that's a good thing.

If you're ever on e-bay, do a search for "Syracuse Nationals." You can find some cool items. I bought an old Nationals program and it's a time capsule to Syracuse of the early 1960s - ads for the Addis Co., Mohawk Airlines, Congressional Beer.

It's always great to take a stroll down memory lane. Speaking of that, there will be a shot clock memorial dedication in Syracuse's Armory Square later this month when the NCAA regionals come to town.

Some of the old Nationals are going to be there and on the 50th anniversary of their championship, it's fitting for this and the NBA to pay tribute by bringing back the classic jerseys.

May the Nationals live forever.

Sciria, The Citizen's sports editor, can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 258 or at citizensports@lee.net