Not if the games were called by the rules. Traveling. Palming. Three seconds. Moving picks. Over the back. It's like wrestling has turned into pro wrestling. The athletes are much better but what are we watching?
I had no idea how bad basketball used to be in the past
- Thread starter silentsaregolden2.0
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Not if the games were called by the rules. Traveling. Palming. Three seconds. Moving picks. Over the back. It's like wrestling has turned into pro wrestling. The athletes are much better but what are we watching?
No true at all.
Damn dude 20-30 years ago was '94-04.
Free agency was in full effect.
All NBA players were making bank and I can guarantee you NONE had to supplement their income with a second job lol.
Maybe you meant 50-60 years ago.
Have any of today's teams play one of the UCLA Abdul-Jabbar or Walton teams in the late 60s or early 70s with no three point shot (it was the rules) and no three step dunks and no palming while walking the ball up court (you know, according to the rules). Imagine current teams needing to shoot mid range jumpers.
Have you already forgotten how teams with older players with less NBA athleticism dominated this year's tournament and the last several UK team full of those super athletic just out of HS kids? And that is with today's rules.
Have you already forgotten how teams with older players with less NBA athleticism dominated this year's tournament and the last several UK team full of those super athletic just out of HS kids? And that is with today's rules.
That is true. That wra was tougher and that's when men were men. I'll give them that.
You had guys 'back in the day' who literally learned the game...and even practiced/played on dirt with a hoop on the side of a barn.
I played many times with Mike Pratt inside a barn of a friend of ours whose Dad turned the barn into a full length court. No fancy gym....a barn.
Yeah when we missed the Covid tournament I couldn’t watch all the other games so I started watching old UK games. Well now that’s become my annual tradition after the first weekend loss… got through all the big UK Cal era games and started watching older ones, including a few from the 80s and 70s this year. The pre-shot clock and pre-three point line game is almost a different sport. Really made me appreciate UConn’s modern dominance more and feel less pride in the UK titles of the 40s and 50s lol.
Not sure why people do this. Take away from the ones that built the sport, to build up the ones that don’t even play by the actual rules anymore.
I know people watch the NBA but I don’t understand how. It’s some of the most non-basketball basketball……ever.
I know people watch the NBA but I don’t understand how. It’s some of the most non-basketball basketball……ever.
It’s not crazy at all. The rules were in favor of the defense back then. You could hand check Michael Jordan and Isaiah Thomas all day long. Can’t do that against LeBron or Steph, it’s an automatic foul. I truly believe Jordan would have averaged 40-45 if he played with today’s rules.
And the centers back then? Other than Jokic, AD, and Embiid, none are in the same league as Kareem/Moses Malone/Shaq/Ewing/Robinson/Olajuwon. Even second tier guys like Vlade Divac and Ralph Sampson were better than the Mitchell Robinsons or Jarrett Allen types I watched yesterday…we get so caught up with offensive basketball and forget the defensive side of the floor. The 4 aforementioned centers (and MJ and Pippen and Isaiah Thomas) dominated both ends of the court. Even someone like LeBron, other than a few years with the Heat—he’s never truly dominated both ends of the court. Which is why I laugh anytime someone says he was better than MJ. It’s not even an argument.
Exactly, rules have been changed or de-emphasized to make for a more visually appealing/finesse driven product. The court is wide open and carrying the ball is completely legal, would love to see some of the old guys play knowing there isn’t a body blow coming at the rim.
Here's something to think about. The last couple of years hand checking was still allowed in the NBA, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan were MVPs. The next couple of years when hand checking when was eliminated, Steve Nash was your MVP.
My all time top 5 for college only would be unreal in any era:
Alcindor
Jerry Lucas
David Thompson
Oscar Robertson
Pete Maravich
3 reserves
Bill Walton
Elvin Hayes
Austin Carr
Alcindor
Jerry Lucas
David Thompson
Oscar Robertson
Pete Maravich
3 reserves
Bill Walton
Elvin Hayes
Austin Carr
The staggering thing about that is there was a ref running alongside him staring directly at it …and still no call. It defies belief that refs in the world’s best league could be that incompetent.
I've wondered sometimes if the weird look of, say, pre-1970 basketball vs. the modern game can't be traced to a toleration for physical contact. The earlier game, in some respects, looks more like water polo than modern basketball. In retrospect, Joe Hall may be the inventor of the modern game. Opposing coaches of the era certainly raged against him. Hall was also one of the first to bring the science of physiology to the training schedules. After him, basketball players had to be the same kind of athletes that football and even track were.
Jerry Lucas was the idol of my first contact with the sport. He's remembered these days, if ever, for his eye-popping stats as a college player. But he was a fine pro. I remember watching one Knick-Lakers game when Willis Reed was out and the 6'8" Lucas had to guard Chamberlain.
Yeah, age getting to me, but...
In '95, HALF of the NBA made less than $1M per year. Remember that MJ only made $93M his ENTIRE career.
Plus, the number of NBA players who got jobs during COVID tells us that if they WEREN'T being paid ridiculous amounts of money (like they weren't in 95), they'd be fooked, so they're fortunate in that regard.
On a side note: NBA players of today are not allowed to have a second job because of salary cap rules.
In the early nineties the best players played 2 to 3 seasons. UK was blessed to have Jamal Mashburn for 3 seasons. The only Wildcat since him that is even arguably as good a player is Anthony Davis. AD played 1 year. Davis only played college bball as a Freshman. That is the biggest difference. Today's college game is cheated out of seeing great players play multiple years like they did in the 80's and 90;s. Those teams were just as talented as today but much more seasoned. Those teams executed at a higher level than we see today. I think the UConn team that just went back to back executed at higher levels than most teams today and that is why they are so successful. Imagine if teams bests players all stayed to upper classman and stayed on the same team. That is what 80's and 90's college basketball was like.
These were great. I’ve seen those with crates as the basket as well.You had guys 'back in the day' who literally learned the game...and even practiced/played on dirt with a hoop on the side of a barn.
I played many times with Mike Pratt inside a barn of a friend of ours whose Dad turned the barn into a full length court. No fancy gym....a barn.
It’s very Hoosiers-esque. Little resources but made things happen. This is why I always roll my eyes at a newer generation acting as if they would’ve been transported back in time playing modern ball and the older gen couldn’t possibly be good despite literally every resource imaginable 😂
Horrible take. I had no idea how bad antibiotics use to be. Or surgery. Or cars. The arrogance of contemporary society is amazing. When I was young we appreciated folks who were trail blazing. And I bet you couldn’t play with the old timers.
I'd have to find it but I saw a replay of the Thunder versus the Pistons from 2009 and even then the style of play was ugly.
You had 3 to 5 people clogging the lane, people standing still and hardly any offensive movement.
Scoring was low and FG% was abysmal. Stars would shoot 45%. One would argue it's because of better defense but I don't think so.
Nowadays it seems like everything goes in, you have better movement and the game is just more fluid than it's ever been.
Added: superstars like Wilt, Jordan, Bird, Magic, etc would excel in any era but the talent today is the best it's ever been. I don't think bottom of the row bench players from 15+ years ago would make it out of the g league.
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