I used to love watching the NBA. I could never get enough of it. Pippen and Jordan playing flawless basketball. Stockton and Malone in the pick and roll perfection. The great shot of Larry Bird. The great center play of Ewing, Olajuwon, and Robinson. The art form of 'team basketball.' Now. I get to see the likes of Shaquille O'Neal back his way in to the basket. Instead of team basketball, its one on one matchups. Instead of desire, I see greed. I see poor fundamentals. I see players playing for money instead of love for basketball. It used to be considered an honor to be part of the Dream Team. Now its become a dreaded evemt for a player. I can't watch the NBA anymore. I have watched one playoff game this series, and it was only a 1/2 game at that (Lakers series clinching victory over SA). It just doesn't do it for me anymore. I guess thats why I have given up posting for awhile. I miss watching the legends play......god, how I miss watching them play.
That's partly why I haven't posted here in a while either. Everyone can see this decline coming, and I kept saying the product is still good, there are still a lot of good things about the NBA. About half way or three-fourths through the season everything just hit a wall. I couldn't take it anymore, the people who can't shoot getting isolation plays, the guys who can't dribble bringing the ball up the court, things like that. Right now it's too much like watching football instead of basketball. Basketball is supposed to be a finesse sport, almost to the point of being an artform. It just isn't that way, and I don't think there's much going on to stop it anytime soon.
The NBA is at an absolute peak right now. Lebron, Melo, and Wade will be great for years to come, and there is so many stars that I can't even begin to begin. Trust me, if it was only for the money, you wouldn't see bench players celebrating game winning shots during the regular season. How can you say the NBA is done during the heart of the greatest finals the NBA has seen in years?
Seems like the NBA has lost a couple of its fans, oh well, the rating across the country are up during this year's playoffs, they'll be alright...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting RocketLaunch:</div><div class="quote_post">Seems like the NBA has lost a couple of its fans, oh well, the rating across the country are up during this year's playoffs, they'll be alright...</div> The <u>only</u> reason the ratings are up during this years playoffs as opposed to last years is because the Lakers are in the Finals and not the Spurs. If the T-Wolves made it to the Finals, you can be guaranteed the ratings would have probably been even less than the Spurs/Nets series last season.
Maybe so, still doesn't explain why the Playoffs ratings have been up, not just the finals, and not just the western conference...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting cigawutwut:</div><div class="quote_post">The NBA is at an absolute peak right now. Lebron, Melo, and Wade will be great for years to come, and there is so many stars that I can't even begin to begin. Trust me, if it was only for the money, you wouldn't see bench players celebrating game winning shots during the regular season.</div> Personally I think if teams are thinking that guys like Melo or Lebron are going to be able to score with isolation plays that will win their respected teams championships, i think those teams will be in for a rude awakening coming in the near future of the NBA. If other teams decide to form more team oriented games based on team defense and offense with team chemistry as the Pistons have done. I believe the NBA will become more competetive and unpredictable. I dont believe the Western conference teams will absoulutely control the Eastern conference teams as they have done during recent regular season and Playoff games. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Accord:</div><div class="quote_post">The <u>only</u> reason the ratings are up during this years playoffs as opposed to last years is because the Lakers are in the Finals and not the Spurs. If the T-Wolves made it to the Finals, you can be guaranteed the ratings would have probably been even less than the Spurs/Nets series last season.</div> I truly agree with you Accord. But I do not believe the NBA is doing bad at this specific moment. I believe alot of the NBA's future relies on this years championship series. I believe if the Pistons are able to pull out this series. Then the NBA will be in a for a rude awkening and hopefully alot of this leagues teams will decide to revamp their rosters; and by doing this the I also believe the NBA could be brought back to its past luster. I would like to end my reply to this thread with a qoute from cigawutwut. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting cigawutwut:</div><div class="quote_post">How can you say the NBA is done during the heart of the greatest finals the NBA has seen in years?</div>
The NBA is no were near as good as it was back in the day,I havent seen that many old school games because I was born in 1990 but I have watched tapes and everything.One thing about the NBA is free throw shooting,the majority of the players today need to shoot at least 80% from the line,I mean if Rick Barry (I'm not sure if it is him)can shot the high 80's from the free throw line underhanded like a grany shot then the players of the game today should be able to shoot better,all free throws are is practice.
I don't think that the talent is lost, but the coachs doesn't like people who can't defend, and those are usually creative players. They like people like kobe or iverson because they are good at both end of the floors but if a guy only knows one side of the game they will choose a defender everytime. people like artest, bowen or wallace are almost superstars now. 8 years ago they would be in trouble to stay in the team. They are trying to sell bowen as a good three shooter, or artest as a great scorer, or wallace as a good 15 feet shooter. Bottom line : none of them are good shooters. the good shooters are in the bench as they don't seem to fit in the game right now.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting cigawutwut:</div><div class="quote_post">The NBA is at an absolute peak right now. Lebron, Melo, and Wade will be great for years to come, and there is so many stars that I can't even begin to begin. Trust me, if it was only for the money, you wouldn't see bench players celebrating game winning shots during the regular season. How can you say the NBA is done during the heart of the greatest finals the NBA has seen in years?</div> I highly agree w/ this, there is alot of young talent these days. Plus the NBA is now more diverse due to all the foreign and I really think it's better for the NBA. It also makes it more interesting to all the other countries in the world, you gotta think, we aren't the only people in the world that enjoy basketball. The only thing I cannot stand is all the highschools making the jump, I think there are like 9-10 projected this year, it's ridiculous.
No one said there isn't talent. There is an abundance of talent that I would say rivals the talent in the 80s and beyond. What use is the talent though if it isn't being exploited to all possible good use in a game? The potential for these players and teams are great, but expansion has limited their effect and management has limited their effect. Coaches can't afford to take time out and rebuild the skills of players because they need to win NOW and can't afford to start over with these players. Ratings may be up, merchandise sales may be up, but does that excuse the horrible product the NBA is putting out? No one is disputing the ratings numbers, but what we are seeing on the court is certainly not deserving of getting higher and higher ratings. I believe money is driving these players more than you would like to think as well. I have been an advocate of players playing for the love of the game, but go ahead and look at the number of players who are willing to sit out seasons and go to teams that won't win squat as long as they get their money. Malone and Payton are not the norm in the league. Greatest finals series in years? I liked the Pacers/Lakers series better, high scoring and competitive between the two teams. I don't see this series as any better than the 76ers/Lakers series either. The overall product in those series were much better than what we're seeing now.
EVERYTHING in the world doesn't maintain it's thing. Everything has a downfall. The NBA is undoubtedly going to get to where it was in the 90's. Everything in the world doesn't stay the same.
No one said everything stays the same. It's funny though how the NBA has had more "dark times" than any other sport I think. I think credit for that has to deal with the NBA still being a very young sport in comparison to the other major sports.
The only person in the NBA that's playing true fundamental basketball is Tim Duncan. He will be one of the greatest power forwards of all time. In a couple of years, he'll be a living legend.
Ever since the lockout NBA and Jordan's retirement, his second one, the NBA has been less exciting and the ratings show it. The stars of the nineties are playing with diminished skills or already retired. The NBA needs some players willing to work on fundamentals and shooting. The declining shooting percentages prove that the NBA lacks good shooters and team basketball. How many times do you see someone drive to the basket, looking to dunk over someone when he has open teammates who have wide open shots, but instead he gets blocked, misses, or gets called for an ofensive foul. This is why I think the increasing amounts of European players in the league is great for the game. the fundamentals are drilled into them at a young age and they are willing to sacrifice for the good of the team.
