You have selective memory. Game 6 of the 1980 finals was a classic. Itās like people who claim all the best movies are old movies. Sure there were a few classics in '39 and '41, but most were crap.
With about 4 games left in the NBA season, there is still a lot to be determined. At the start of the season, the Lakers and Nets were favored to go to the finals. The Lakers will finish 11th in the West, and the Nets have struggled all year. This unpredictability is a good thing in my opinion.
I watched an NBA game yesterday that had 19 lead changes, constant action, and many incredible plays. Every other game is still up for grabs with minutes left. What other sport can say the same?
Hereās some air rifle for you. Shooting - 10m Air Rifle - Menās Final | London 2012 Olympic Games - Bing video
The lack of defense, or should I say the rules making it impossible to really guard anyone from half court is not my cup of tea. I do think it does allow offense to flow more, but I love to see gritty D as much as I love offensive explosions.
Maybe is because of the increase of 3-points plays and also bad defense
The math states that scoring one-third of your shots from behind the 3-point line is as good as scoring half your shots from inside the line. In other words: Shooting as many 3s as possible will likely lead to a higher score.
The league took notice, and teams and players followed suit. Now, 3-point plays are so prevalent, fans have begun criticizing the league for being oversaturated with them. Critics worry the game is on the verge of becoming boring because everyone is trying to do the same thing. And thatās led some to wonder whether the NBA should move the 3-point line back.
Iād be OK with them moving the 3-point line back another foot. The average team makes about 12 3ās a game. The best team this year is Phoenix. They are 20th in 3ās. The team making the most 3ās is Minnesota. They are a little better than average this year.
Listening to Charles Barkley talk about how much better the NBA was when he was playinā is a bit rich. His best move was to slowly back a player down with his butt. Kareem had the skyhook; Charles had the butt.
Variety is great. If you can move the ball around and shoot from outside, thatās great. If you can get into the paint and dunk it, thatās cool. If you can work the pick and roll, super. If you can play D, pass, and hit a mid-range jumper, like Chris Paul, thatās also fantastic. This all means the defense has to cover more territory, and keep moving. In the last 11 years, there have been 8 different champions. Good!
Teams can live and die by the three, but the MVP of two of the last three years (Giannis) doesnāt really shoot threes much, and the best team isnāt really the team that uses it much.
And if you want to bring back D and bigs, 15 seconds is too short (IMHO).
The NBA doesnāt need to change much. The all-star game is stupid; the off-court drama is dumb. Still, the game is very watchable.
I find threes by Steph and Harden nice to watch. Takes a lot of skill to master the step-back three or the corner three with two defenders on you. Iād say easy on the rule changes, letās allow the game take its natural course. If there are too many threes, defenses need to step up and figure out how to defend that better. I donāt see how physical (aka dirty) play makes the game more fun to watch. Are we really missing the Malone elbows, the Rodman antics, the Bowen foot under the shooter moves? When watching game highlights from the 80ās though, itās seems to me that some players were super elegant when making fancy moves to the basket. That seems to be gone.
You canāt defend like Bowen anymore, he was one of my most respected and hated players in the league. One of the best lock down off ball defenders as well.
I think itās just so hard when the rules and refs favor offense now. Star players get calls when they shouldnāt, although we see that change with how they allow players like Harden to draw fouls.
I think team defense should be improved, and maybe more zones throw at teams to mix it up. Luka was right that itās easier to score in the NBA.
I think they made some rule changes before this season to make it harder for players like Harden to get their arms into defenders and then get the foul call when pretending to go into the shooting motion. Not sure how much that has effected the game, though.
Well. At least after 10 minutes of it. Thenā¦youāre kind of interested. Then a little more interested. Then a little moreā¦then moreā¦and really interested. Then nothing again.
I can no longer see this post, but basketball has changed lately, especially in the NBA. The team dynamic is not there and it has turned into shooting guards playing the game, rather than a mix of forwards, guards, and centers. NBA rules are also becoming more towards going to where any touch is a foul, which makes the game less exciting. We want to see some shoving and physical contact.
Slight things you might not notice over time if you are not a big follower of the game, such as what constitutes travelling, also play a role.
It is a different game from the Bulls run in the 80s. Think weāre both used to that. But those days are gone.
