I dunno if it's just me, but I feel that NBA has become more boring as of the last few seasons. I remember a time ages back when we'd all be watching michael jordan and his bulls thrash their way through their opponents, putting up spectacular gamse every night. I remember times when we'd all be seeing reggie miller hitting 3 after 3 after 3 after buzzer!! I remember times when kobe and shaq were an electrifying duo, when the lakers had their "mini-dynasty" and when timberwolves were constantly battling to get out of the first round behind a spectacular performance by T-Hud in oen of the games where he threw up something like 12 3's and made em. I dunno, just watching games now doesn't seem so good. I guess the comeback of grant hill and the likes of mello and lebron make up for it in their own ways, but the league just doesn't captivate me like it used to. mind you, i'm only 17 so I dont know much before Jordans reign of terror with his bulls. Discuss.
The NBA used to be more exciting back in the days of MJ, Dream , Barkley , a younger Shaq , ZO , Reggie GP, DROB, Kemp and Ewing I mean cmon You don't see heroic performances like MJ used to put up every night You don't see Reggie Miller hit two 3's in 6 seconds to ice the Knicks in 94 You don't see Charles Barkley banging his way to double doubles You don't see 7 footers play like Hakeem , Ewing and Drob used to The playoffs aren't as intense as they used to Don't you remember when the Bulls and the Knicks used to face off in the playoffs , it was War Man those were the good old days Man those were the good old days 1991- 1998
Its because the players are only doing it for the money not to win or entertain the Audience. Even the Allstar game isnt as good. Thats why Suns are quickly becoming one of my favorite teams. They make highlight plays and play hard. Ever since Jordan left the game it seemed like most players just stopped trying to play to their full potential and only wanted that Pay check. The last time I saw a good playoff series was 76ers Raptors in conference finals in 99-00 i believe. And thats the last time i saw Vince play like he wanted to be the next Jordan.
I was born in the 90's, so I don't remember alot about them. But I can remember that it was one of the best days in basketball. Nowadays, more and moe young people keep coming in. Most of them are all hyped up and then .... nothing. You think they are going to be great, but their first season is like they were playing on an AAU team. Also, I've noticed that teams aren't trying in the regular season. Detroit got beat by Indiana and Cleveland. They never really put the juice on until the playoffs, when they need to. Teams today are half-...ing most of their games until the playoffs. And that is what is probably making this league so dull.
I wouldn't consider the leauge dull, but I have noticed changes. The players have changed. Like everyone else said they are just doing it for their paychecks. If some players break a nail it seems like they want to sit the rest of the game. Their egos have gotten out of control as well. Example being Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Vince Carter, etc. They either have or are demanding a trade. Rather than put the ego aside and try to work things out they'd rather take the high road and leave. But the league is still in good hands IMO. The eastern conference is full of great guards and Wade and Lebron are the bright stars. Recently Wade hit a game winner in OT and Lebron dropped 43. Just between the two of them they have kept things going thus far. And you're right about Grant Hill. His story has been great, lets just hope he can keep it up. Then you have KG, Tim Duncan, and all the other top PFs playing out west. Seeing one of the elite PFs going up against an up-and-comer such as Zach Randolph is pretty entertaining as well. Anyone remember last Friday? That sure wasn't dull... (I didn't like the actions, but it sure kept things interesting). <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">You don't see heroic performances like MJ used to put up every night You don't see Reggie Miller hit two 3's in 6 seconds to ice the Knicks in 94 You don't see Charles Barkley banging his way to double doubles You don't see 7 footers play like Hakeem , Ewing and Drob used to The playoffs aren't as intense as they used to Don't you remember when the Bulls and the Knicks used to face off in the playoffs , it was War Man those were the good old days </div> I agree with you there. The biggest difference between this era and the Jordan days is that there will never be another Jordan. There will never be anymore Reggie Miller (in prime) to drain 3 pointers. The duo of Stockon to Malone is gone. The league has changed but I don't consider it dull. Maybe it's because I'm such a huge NBA fan that it doesn't really matter to me, but I think the league is in good hands.
oh man i almost forgot about stockton and malone.. those guys formed a fantastic duo.. reggie miller used to be my favourite player when he'd be hitting 3's every quater non-stop. he'd have to hit a clutch buzzer ebater to win a match every playoff, otherwise it just wouldn't be reggie. too bad his legacy has gone downhill.. age is catching up as are injuries. KG and Duncan are indeed the best power forwards in the west, and the league in my opinion. Amare is catching up though and zach randolph is doing well. i guess the league still is interesting, just nota s spectacular as before.
I personally think the league is starting to heat up again. LeBron is getting better every time I see him. He's only 19, in his second year, and is beating the Pistons with his Cavs. Dropping 43, flying above the rim, hittin his shots, etc. Dwayne Wade and Shaq are picking it up too. Shaq is getting old, but is still dominant and is making Wade even better. Kobe has his own team now, and is trying to prove he can run it. I see him bringin' as much as he can every night, and look, it's only the beginning of the season. Once he gets adjusted, they'll get more Ws in the win column. The league is changing and now we have alot more new guys on the seen. I expect to see more great games in the upcoming seasons EDIT: I didn't even mention KG and Tim Duncan, and I know those guys aren't all about the paycheck.
Well, Lebron's popularity would push this game to new levels, and the infusion of foreign players would surely give the NBA more interest. However, these new fans will never know how great the NBA used to be. The talent level is dropping; guys like Antoine Walker are averaging MVP numbers! Meanwhile, the greats of the 90's era have all retired or are close to retiring. The skill level in teams are too huge, and the high schoolers and foreigners have also caused a lot of talented college players to lose their chance to be part of the NBA. How many of us can not say that Korleone Young, Leon Smith and Ndudi Ebi would have been better off going to college and declaring as impact rookies rather than being the scrubs that they are now? And moreover, teams are paying more and more to mediocre players, which would only add to the number of wasted talents in the NBA. It doesn't have a bright future IMO.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting The_Legend_23:</div><div class="quote_post">The NBA used to be more exciting back in the days of MJ, Dream , Barkley , a younger Shaq , ZO , Reggie GP, DROB, Kemp and Ewing I mean cmon You don't see heroic performances like MJ used to put up every night You don't see Reggie Miller hit two 3's in 6 seconds to ice the Knicks in 94 You don't see Charles Barkley banging his way to double doubles You don't see 7 footers play like Hakeem , Ewing and Drob used to The playoffs aren't as intense as they used to Don't you remember when the Bulls and the Knicks used to face off in the playoffs , it was War Man those were the good old days Man those were the good old days 1991- 1998</div> Tru Tru Well I hope those young stars we're seeing these days will make the league better.
Let's cross our fingers for: Kobe Garnett LeBron Yao Okafor Howard Wade And other guys that will hopefully turn heads all season long for years to come...
I definitely hope another big rival comes up, like the old celtics/lakers rival. Maybe the Nuggets and the Cavs, who knows? It would be nice to see Lebron and Melo go at each other in the game 7 of the NBA finals and one of them hit a game winner.lol. All the players now need to put away their ego and play hard. I know KG,Duncan,AI don't just play for money, why can't the other players be like them? This is the problem of the league, all the players don't give 110% because they know they will get the money. I have always thought the biggest goal of a basketball player is to win a NBA championship. Does that thought go away after the player sign the contract?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting The_Legend_23:</div><div class="quote_post">The NBA used to be more exciting back in the days of MJ, Dream , Barkley , a younger Shaq , ZO , Reggie GP, DROB, Kemp and Ewing I mean cmon You don't see heroic performances like MJ used to put up every night You don't see Reggie Miller hit two 3's in 6 seconds to ice the Knicks in 94 You don't see Charles Barkley banging his way to double doubles You don't see 7 footers play like Hakeem , Ewing and Drob used to The playoffs aren't as intense as they used to Don't you remember when the Bulls and the Knicks used to face off in the playoffs , it was War Man those were the good old days Man those were the good old days 1991- 1998</div> I grew up in the 80's. That was the best. The 90's werent that great. When Jordan was playin with the Bulls, it was so boring. I just said, "Hand Jordan his ring" Hes gonna get another one. The only reason why the Bulls didn't win more was the dumb baseball idea. He probrably would have won 7-8 rings. The 90's was totally boring. I didnt like watching it. Everyone already knew who was gonna take it when Jordan and Pippen played.
but there was definetely an excitement to watching the tag team of jordan and pippen thrash other opponents... provided a huge rush watchuign the games.. watching the skill level.. and i still dont understand why nobody is mentioning reggie miller! great future hall of famer
Reggie Miller is still a clutch shooter, just not as much as he was when Larry Bird was coach, and even earlier. Since all the greats of the 90's are too old to play now, we have new, fresh, young players coming in. It is kind of like the way players circulate on college teams. Once all the juniors and seniors move out, freshmen and sophomores move in. This is the stage the NBA is in now. Barkely, Jordan, Stockton, Malone, Ewing..so on, have all retired. So right now, young players like LeBron, Carmelo, Dwayne Wade, 'Meka, yada-yada have come in. They have to develop, and probably by 2007 or 2008, the NBA will get back to its greatness. Maybe not as great, but it will be a high-point. As for now, cheer for your favorite teams.
Another reason it's different is probably because the defense is very amped up now. Now theres coaches like Larry Brown and Jeff Van Gundy that make teams play almost soley through defense. Too me, it just makes games much more boring to watch since all you see are players being guarded very heavily which leads to very low scoring. Of course, then again theres the Tayshaun Prince play which sent the Pistons into the Finals. Theres definitely lower skill level nowadays since many rookies from high school and some that haven't finished college yet that are being drafted. They're being overpaid, which leads to not really caring about the game, and that in turn, leads to a much duller atmosphere. Don't get me wrong, I think Lebron, Melo, Wade, and all the other great rookies are the future of the NBA, but the majority of them are just young kids that could have thrived and developed much better through college.
EVERYONE inthe NBA is getting overpaid, but some of those guys still make great efforts such as nash, kobe, recently ginobili, duncan, garnett and nowitzki the era with mike and reggie were good but the best era (i saw on espn legends etc) was definitely with larry bird, in those days basketball was off the hook, offense and defence was great, internation basketball is actually quite fun, streetball has made many nba players go selfish, but if they all play more like international team then i seriously thinnk the NBA will become fun to watch again
Personally, I think the college game has suffered the most over the last 7-8 years. I use to be a huge college hoops fan and every week I had something to look foward too. However, with the decline in players (all going pro), individual rivaries are shortened, and the players just don't stay long enough for you to really become fans of.
^^Yeah I don`t watch college alot but when I see highlights on ESPN etc. it seems so much more quicker and exciting then an NBA game. Maybe I`ll start watching so college games,lol.
The league was greta back when Bird's Celtics and Magic's Lakers had the epic championship battles. Now it just seems like there are no great rivalries and the NBA game doesn't seem as exiting and fast paced.
