The NBA of the mid 80's/90's, where teams used traditional 5's and banging 4 a slashing 3 wing and guards that can defend and score 2/3's. Plus play tough D being able to guard with hands and arms and offense was fast breaking? Or, today's game where there are few banging 4's, three ball oriented stretch bigs, more small ball success wit the 3 as catalyst, and can hardly touch a guy on the defensive end of game? For me I like the 80/90 or before game where there was more physical play and the offensive player didn't have advantage over a defender in most cases. I'd rather have a Willimas, Malone 4 and a Kersey type three.
Today's game is sanitized and boring. Give me rough-neck fundamental basketball played by well-rounded players.
60's through the 80's. The style of play was team oriented rather than a Curry robot sitting on the three point perameter. Ticky tack fouls got a ref mugged outside the arena. A good foul was a punch in the jewels. I loved watching Connie Hawkins, Chamberlain, Pistol Pete, Wes Unseld, Bob Lainer, Earl Monroe, James Worthy, Thurl Bailey. Many others too. The Blazer teams intrigued me due to the fast break, up tempo style and great team unity. After the Jordan era, the game became corporate like the music today.
I love watching old 70's era basketball games. Doctor J, Kareem, George Gervin, Daryl Dawkins, World B Free, Bill Walton, Moses Malone. When playground basketball was king. Like Rucker Park style tricks entering the league. It wasn't about winning trophies. It was about who had the best hair, the best car, the best drugs, & the best girls. There wasn't any of this "ohhh teams are tanking and the reputation of the league is at stake!" It was just individuals and mavericks having fun and enjoying themselves. They weren't thinking too hard about tomorrow or their legacy.... the league was a work in progress. That's what good basketball is to me. Fast and loose.
80s/90s for sure. If most of today's guards went back in time and played in the 80s/90s era they would get a big rude awakening.
I would love a mix of both, and I don't see why it wouldn't work. Have your bigs be more traditional bangers with the ability to shoot mid range if needed and then have the guards/wings be more like today where they can shoot the lights out. This is why I want to keep Collins at the 4 with Nurk at the 5. They could create a great high/low tandem if they keep developing, kind of like a Webber/Divac type mold. If either of them eventually command a double team just think at how much better that would open it up for the outside shooting.
80/90 style for sure I'd prefer watching that game style all day! I just had a thought, Do you ever think if Oden didn't get hurt. What style / influence his game would have impacted the league like KD has?
I dream of the pre David Stern days. He took the NBA corporate and so began the long downhill slide to the current mediocrity. It’s now more about hype and advertising than it is about the game of basketball.
The Jazz had unique players such as the famous duo of Malone and Stockton but Thurl was a lunch bucket role player who had/has Class. I enjoyed his work on the South Carolina Championship team of '83. He is articulate and a real credit to the sport. Wittenburg was another favorite of mine from the Jimmy V team.
KD hasn't impacted the game though. He joined a championship-quality team - he didn't have one built around him. Also, the league has almost always been dominated by elite wings, so even if he HAD dominated it would just be more of the same. Had Oden been healthy he would have impacted the game massively. The top tier teams would be in bidding wars in an attempt to trade for Drummond, KAT, Whiteside, DMC, etc...but because the dominant teams haven't had dominant Cs, these players have been left to rot on shitty teams. It'll be interesting to see if Embiid changes all of this.
