There was a time when I really loved basketball. When it wasn't about individuals but teams..When it wasn't one on one and 4 guys standing around...a time of Ewing, Oakley Mason...a time when you played like real men.. Hearing Anthony Mason passed away at such a young age of a heart attack scares the shit out of me...here was this guy who was a massive man of strength.... Mason didn't have all the skills, but he had a heart of a warrior. He was a true NY'er. Rest in Peace
Although I'm still a fan of the game I'm no where near what I use to be many years ago. I grew up in the game when if a 6'10" guy dunked the ball he just headed back up court, today they scream & swagger like it has never been done before. Plus the look of the game IMO looks terrible between the tattoo's, the leggings & the arm sleeves it kind of looks ridiculous. But I digress, yes Mase was a hard nose player & sadly died way to young. RIP Mase.
...it's probably been 20 years or so since I've watched a pro or college game from start to finish...it just doesn't do it for me anymore.
I can't stand the current game but was a huge fan of those Knicks teams. Mason was like most people one of my favorites. While I'm not surprised by this news after knowing what he was dealing with health wise it's certainly a sad day. RIP Mase and thanks for the great memories.
It amazes me when I hear an announcer make a big deal about a guy pulling down 15 rebounds when guys like Russell, Chamberlain would do that in a half. Its just not the same game anymore & not as enjoyable.
Pretty much the same here.....I enjoyed the NBA/ABA/NCAA through the 60s into the early 90s.... Great Rivalries back then, of Alcindor vs Chamberlain, West vs the World, Magic vs Bird, MJ and Co., with a shit load of rings, to the Shaq-Kobe Feudal Wars, which ended any entertainment value......
...^^^ Lew Alcindor (pre-Kareem) was the one who got me interested in the game in the first place. That damned "skyhook" of his was almost unfair. ...used to like watching Walt "Clyde" Frazier too.
Yep, I doubt we will ever see the way basketball was played (dominantly on both sides).....Those were truly Epic Era's....when both Great Teams would pound the hell out of the boards, and each other, and ya' never knew until the final second, who was going to win.....
LOL, Yep, I had never in my life seen anything like Lew's/Kareem's skyhook..... Like you said, (paraphrasing)- for a huge guy, the skyhook was impossible to defend....
Russell created the art of the black shot also. I remember watching a show he did once where he watched a guy block a shot by smacking the ball ten rows into the stands & laughed as the guy screamed & pounded his chest like he accomplished something that was never done before. Said Russell, "What did accomplish by doing that? the other team still has the ball". He continued, "If you're blocking a shot you must learn to retain the ball by either grabbing it yourself or tapping it to a team mate, & if nothing else at least leave the ball on the court so your team has a chance to recover it". Today, its all about the show. And I'm not a fan of that.
Good stuff Rick, I did not know that, but I can visualize it..... I bet it was hilarious too! I hear ya' all about the show, too damn many commercials also...! It's obvious, "the good old days" are gone.... and who could forget the Oakland Oaks?
It's a shame they never could surround Barry with equal talent, enough to get to a Championship Series..... Imagine: Barry, Goodrich, Robertson, West, and add a great center, Russell, Chamberlain, Jabbar; ....these guys could turn the game on its head....! Only prob, may of been with a hypothetical team, or dream team, how much confusion or in-fighting a team like this would have, over who's going to shoot the ball, who' the go to guy, when you'd have all 4 greats....!
now wait just a second...back in the day there were more jump shots and more rebounds for big guys to pull down, the game is a lot different now
