It's been obvious for many years that Japan's basketball leaders needed to take bigger, bolder steps to promote the game across the archipelago.

After all, marquee events and ambitious, big-scale marketing are essential to broaden interest in the sport, propelling it from a niche audience to one with mass appeal.

Sunday's Dream Games, featuring the NBL's Toyota Alvark and bj-league's Akita Northern Happinets in the opening contest and the NBL's Aisin SeaHorses and bj-league's Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix in Game 2, was a step in the right direction.