you know.. i grew up in the 80's.. which was my favorite basketball era, thanks to espn classic.. and the high scoring games were just amazing. but the thing is.. i like defense.. but.. back in the 80's.. the high scoring games were so exciting.. and the defense is what really made things more exciting.. like a last second steal, or a blocked shot sent into the rafters. i'm always going to be a fan of the nba.. so what do you guys prefer? the 70-90, sometime 100 pt games we get to watch these days.. or the games of decades ago..? it really bothers me that people just can't shoot the ball like they used to. i've noticed this even more in college basketball, and it just boggles me. you can blame it on pressure all you want.. but if you can't handle pressure, do you think you should even be on that level? i'm not one to say the defense in the nba has gotten better, but much more so that the offense has gotten worse, and i don't like that.. it just doesn't bother me to the point where i'd ever stop watching. i'm just throwing a bunch of random comments together so bare with me. i hope someone comes out w/ the statistics of shooting % and what not from decades ago until now.. i'd like to see how the nba evolved.. or devolved.. if that's even a word? a crossover just isn't exciting to me anymore. no one ever does one in the final mins of a serious game.. nothing. they'll do it in the first quarter.. iso someone on defense.. and it's just a big 'whatever' to me. god bless ray allen. <3 (yes, being biased). who i think is the best pure shooter in basketball. forget peja!
Man, the Los Angeles Times had a big long article about this today...it has stats and everything...lemme look downstairs and see if I can find it...
You need to be registered to see the full article online so here's the Link I'll type out some of the stuff from the paper I have but its all in the link...if i'm not suppose to do this anyway, then one of the Mod's can delete this... <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The dismal numbers reflect a two-decade-long downward trend in both scoring totals and shooting percentages across the NBA. Experts disagree on the cause, citing recently liberalized defense rules, better coaching, an overemphasis on highlight-ready dunks and even players outgrowing the court.</div> There's a couple of graphs and the article is hell of a lot longer, but I ain't gonna even try to type a lot of it... There's a very simple chart that compares today to 1981-1982... 1981-82......108.6 ppg.......49.1 fg% 2003-04......92.86 ppg.......43.7 fg% Like I said, there are graphs and such but you're just gonna half to pick up the paper... Again, this is from today's (02-24-04) L.A. Times, written by Diane Pucin
anyways.. back to the topic.. i find much more enjoyment in watching a shot hit the bottom of the net.. then all the flash or the dunks or whatever these guys are up to these days. as long as the ball goes in the hoop.. that's all that matters to me. and you know.. with so many dunks these days.. you'd expect the fg% to rise.. since they're such a high percentage.. it just goes to show how poor the shooting has been.
Yeah I miss the fundamentals...today's game lacks the shooting and passing ability of the past, as well as the commitment to defense...
Well....Im only 16 so i didnt really get to see a "lot" of the "old skool" ball..But i tell you what i LOVE it more than todays game...Todays game is all about me me me..And how many endorsments and girls i can get...Today its a lot of shoot the 3 junk...no mid-range game..Players would rather party than practice..Only a few players can you REALLY say put the time and effort into getting better...Thats why tim duncan is one of my favourite players...People say he is boring..But he gets the job doesnt he..And if you remember last yearf finals game 6 when he had 20 points 21 rebounds 10 assists and 8 blocked shots...Now that doesnt sound boring to me..Back to the topic.,..I love the way the game could change in a second in the old days..A steal here..A block here..A shot there...Today you dont get many..Because we have selfish players who want to showboat and chuck up indecent 3 balls but DONT want to work on their shooting..*Cough steve francis cough*..etc..But i liked the way people like magic played..You run with me..Ill reward you with two points....Now thats unselfish..And today we have players who are greedy point guards shooting whack shots averaging 3.1 assists and they are "supposedley" "unselfish"......The NBA has lost the art of shooting..passing..and defense..TOO MANY players rely on their leap and athletisicm to save them..No real understanding or concept of "team" defense....I think i will take the old school ball ANYDAY of the week!..Just my opinion!
Defence was played in the 80's??? You got to be joking me. Defence (or lack thereof) was the reason all those points were being scored in the first place. The reason the NBA is scoring lower is because defences have improved since back in the days. Coaches are smarter at stopping teams and coaching defence, its that simple. I look at the way a game is played today compared to the 80's and two things stand out to me: 1)Players are shooting more midrange jumpers (and making them) 2)80's defence sucks compared to todays defensive game.
Yeah that's the difference better defense now. I still think there is no fundamentals because of players not going to college.Simple thing as Boxing out makes a big difference when a game is on the line and you need a rebound.
The defense is alot better, but at the same time, there's not enough guys that can really shoot anymore either. Plus some teams take less then 80 shots a game, shoot lower pct% because of better defense. But if more guys could shoot, the pct% still wouldn't no 49.1%, it'll probaly be around 46.7%. It's just a combination of things.
Defense may be a little better, but that is in no way the difference. The difference is too many iso plays that aren't really plays. its just the players dribbling around. There's not enough passing, and not good shooting.
excellent article about this in today's USA TODAY. barkley is quoted saying that the new kids don't have any work ethic, don't care about nothing but showing up on sportscenter with a dunk highlight, the nba has become a teaching league and it's ruining the game.
It's hard to determine if shooting fundementals have gotten worse simply by looking at fg%. More aggressive defenses can have a big impact on that. The best way I can think of is to compare free throw percentages from era to era. That's an uncontested shot, so defense has no effect on it. It's purely determined by the shooting mechanics of the player. And, if I'm not mistaken, free throw shooting has been fairly constant through the years (at least since the 70s).
