Dunks and Three pointers...

[King Nupe]

Is it me, or has the NBA really gone down hill in the last few years, particularly when the Heat came together. I mean think about it. You have all these teams going from post mid-range oriented like Kobe's Lakers, Duncans Spurs, and Dirks Mavs, to this drive and kick bullshit. I mean, it's like all you see is drive and kick and three pointer. If it's not a dunk or a layup, its going to be jacked up. What happened to the post games with Kobe and Duncan, The midrange games that these players used in their arsenals?

It's no wonder Pop was able to put boris diaw on lebron last year in the finals. This league is getting rediculous. And you know what I blame? The VETO'ed Chris Paul trade.

The Lakers, were getting ready to tear the league a new asshole, but stern needed lebron to win his tainted ring so he vetoed it. Now what do we have?

The once great Spurs-Lakers rivalry is gone down the drain to these drive and kick, morey-ball, collusion ball faggots....

*SIGH*

[King Nupe]

:cuss

[spurraider21]

the lakers have really gone downhill, and their fans have all coincidentally taken a lethargic approach to the NBA...

[Clipper Nation]

How convenient that all Lakerfan suddenly thinks the NBA has declined at the same time as their team :lol

[Infinite_limit]

When I consider this, the 1st team that comes to mind is OKC. And OP is correct. The NBA and most casual fans want 5 wing players taking turns dunking & dancing, a.l.a the And 1 tour.

[Kidd K]

If OP stopped typing after the first paragraph I'd agree with his post.

[hater]

league was in shambles when the GOAT MJ retired, it got worse and probably hit it's low point when the 3peat lakers were peaking.

It got slightly better around 2004 then plateaued in mediocrity for about a decade and its actually dropping back down :lol

in other words it's been shit since MJ retired.

[Infinite_limit]

league was in shambles when the GOAT MJ retired, it got worse and probably hit it's low point when the 3peat lakers were peaking.

It got slightly better around 2004 then plateaued in mediocrity for about a decade and its actually dropping back down :lol

in other words it's been shit since MJ retired.
Your timeline of up and down peaks also reflects my general interest in the league. Thus I must agree.

[King Nupe]

league was in shambles when the GOAT MJ retired, it got worse and probably hit it's low point when the 3peat lakers were peaking.

It got slightly better around 2004 then plateaued in mediocrity for about a decade and its actually dropping back down :lol

in other words it's been shit since MJ retired.


This is why you're a faggot. From 99-2010 the League was probably had the same quality as the 80's.

You had the Lakers-Spurs Rivalry, Spurs-Suns Rivalry, Lakers-Kings, Pistons and Heat, Celtics vs Lakers twice in the finals. This was truly the greatest era since the 80's. All the 90's was the Nike Propaganda machine going to work for MJ.

[Clipper Nation]

This is why you're a faggot. From 99-2010 the League was probably had the same quality as the 80's.

You had the Lakers-Spurs Rivalry, Spurs-Suns Rivalry, Lakers-Kings, Pistons and Heat, Celtics vs Lakers twice in the finals. This was truly the greatest era since the 80's. All the 90's was the Nike Propaganda machine going to work for MJ.
The '90s has been heavily overrated due to nostalgia and the Dad Killer marketing machine, but you're wrong, tbh.... 1999 to about 2006 was the absolute low point for the NBA, full of selfish, cancerous chuckers who thought they were the next Dad Killer.... the Kings and Spurs were the only semi-watchable teams in that era :lol

The 2004 Pistons were when things started to get better for the league, but LeBron, Dirk, Duncan and Nash fully revived it in the mid-2000s....

The whining about today's NBA being "in shambles" is idiotic, today's NBA actually features more unselfish team play than at any point since the '80s, and the best teams have started innovating with more advanced offensive and defensive schemes as well as analytics to improve strategy and the overall product.... just because the Lakers are still in the stone ages and Fredo has turned them into a joke doesn't mean the whole league sucks :lol

[Infinite_limit]

This is why you're a faggot. From 99-2010 the League was probably had the same quality as the 80's.

You had the Lakers-Spurs Rivalry, Spurs-Suns Rivalry, Lakers-Kings, Pistons and Heat, Celtics vs Lakers twice in the finals. This was truly the greatest era since the 80's. All the 90's was the Nike Propaganda machine going to work for MJ.
Look at the stars of that Era. Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Amare Stoudemire

Lakers vs Spurs was too one sided. 3 of the 5 series were 4-0 & 4-1 series

Spurs vs Suns. Same issue. Only 2 of the 6 series went 6 games

Lakers vs Kings. Great series but not rivalry because Kings ever won


Plus the Finals were atrocious. The Sixers (worst Championship level team I've seen in my lifetime), Nets twice, Cavaliers, and Magic.

[Thebesteva]

What the NBA needs is for Donald Sterling to come out with a whip and beat the losing team while he says," I like the way you beg boy." Imagine the ratings spike....thats the world I want to live in

[DAF86]

Is this the grown man that watches naruto or the virgin that keeps talking about sex to make pretend he isn't a virgin?

[King Nupe]

The '90s has been heavily overrated due to nostalgia and the Dad Killer marketing machine, but you're wrong, tbh.... 1999 to about 2006 was the absolute low point for the NBA, full of selfish, cancerous chuckers who thought they were the next Dad Killer.... the Kings and Spurs were the only semi-watchable teams in that era :lol

The 2004 Pistons were when things started to get better for the league, but LeBron, Dirk, Duncan and Nash fully revived it in the mid-2000s....

The whining about today's NBA being "in shambles" is idiotic, today's NBA actually features more unselfish team play than at any point since the '80s, and the best teams have started innovating with more advanced offensive and defensive schemes as well as analytics to improve strategy and the overall product.... just because the Lakers are still in the stone ages and Fredo has turned them into a joke doesn't mean the whole league sucks :lol



How did Losers like Lebron, Dirk and Nash revive the league? The Spurs vs Lakers series were always fun to watch. Then we had the Lakers and Celtics trilogy with the Celtics finally flaming out Last year in the ECF.

[Technique]

Drive n kick? Parker is the best in the league at driving and finding open teammates. Tony's aggression is essence to the spurs offense.

Regardless, the NBA has evolved. Gone are the days where you had Isiah and Stockton operating through precise passing and good defense. Now you have point guards that will blow by you and dunk on your center. Naturally the game changes.

[Clipper Nation]

How did Losers like Lebron, Dirk and Nash revive the league?
In what world are LeBron and Dirk "losers"? :lol

The four players I named started the revival of team-first basketball and the beginning of the end of me-first chucking :lol

[King Nupe]

Drive n kick? Parker is the best in the league at driving and finding open teammates. Tony's aggression is essence to the spurs offense.

Regardless, the NBA has evolved. Gone are the days where you had Isiah and Stockton operating through precise passing and good defense. Now you have point guards that will blow by you and dunk on your center. Naturally the game changes.



Yet those same point guards have won ZERO championships. The game is made to be post and mid-range oriented. Not all this, drive to the lane everytime with my head down because I can't shoot

[Franklin]

The average IQ of people (especially young people) has also dropped considerably, I think the League just does something to cater for the preferences of today's young people.

[Clipper Nation]

Yet those same point guards have won ZERO championships. The game is made to be post and mid-range oriented. Not all this, drive to the lane everytime with my head down because I can't shoot
Post-up play and mid-range shots still exist in the league, it's just that teams have realized that a mid-range shot is not the most efficient option, and bigs have taken a hint from the Europeans that entered the league in the '90s and 2000s and have stopped being 100% reliant on a post game (and it doesn't help matters that the AAU circuit doesn't teach fundamentals)....

The best offenses move the ball unselfishly, run intricate sets, utilize a diverse attack, and try to get the most efficient shots possible, as opposed to trying to force the same two types of plays that nostalgiafaggots like you think are the only valid ones :lol

[Infinite_limit]

The average IQ of people (especially young people) has also dropped considerably, I think the League just does something to cater for the preferences of today's young people.
That is true. The average fans favorite series was probably Thunder vs Heat because it resembled an AND1 tour game.

Sure the new age PG can dunk on your center but the underlying reason why is because almost all the shot blockers are gone. Drop a hard foul and you are ejected. This is what the NBA office wanted. Less defense means more open play and more success by the star players.

[Arcadian]

Hm....I have mixed feelings about this one. As a Spurs fan, I loved the NBA from 1999-2007....mainly because that was the Spurs' best era. And that era did have a lot of great players: Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, McGrady, Bryant, Nowitzki, Nash, etc. I enjoyed that era far more than the 90s Jordan era. Just because it wasn't popular doesn't mean it wasn't good basketball - remember, most people in general are stupid and have horrible opinions. :lol

On the other hand, I also agree that the current NBA is an evolution in many ways. Team ball is a good thing. However, the NBA needs to be careful about the low-post and mid-range games becoming lost arts. Not enough players are working on those aspects of the game, and that's sad.

[Jacob1983]

If the NBA wanted to really cash in on money, ratings, and popularity, they need to start having affirmative action. One team must have a gay person, a transgendered person, a Jew, a woman, etc...
A lot of people would watch.

[King Nupe]

Post-up play and mid-range shots still exist in the league, it's just that teams have realized that a mid-range shot is not the most efficient option, and bigs have taken a hint from the Europeans that entered the league in the '90s and 2000s and have stopped being 100% reliant on a post game (and it doesn't help matters that the AAU circuit doesn't teach fundamentals)....

The best offenses move the ball unselfishly, run intricate sets, utilize a diverse attack, and try to get the most efficient shots possible, as opposed to trying to force the same two types of plays that nostalgiafaggots like you think are the only valid ones :lol


Those nostalgia game styles led to 11 Rings with MJ and Kobe, and 10 Rings with Duncan, Shaq and Hakeem. I stand by my post. Lebron ball would be crushed by the 00's Spurs, Kobe and Gasol Lakers, and Kobe and Shaq lakers. The Hakeem Rockets, MJ bulls would annihilate them as well.

Phil Jackson would let Lebron shoot all series long with 5 feet between him and his defender. Thats what pop did until game 7

[King Nupe]

Hm....I have mixed feelings about this one. As a Spurs fan, I loved the NBA from 1999-2007....mainly because that was the Spurs' best era. And that era did have a lot of great players: Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, McGrady, Bryant, Nowitzki, Nash, etc. I enjoyed that era far more than the 90s Jordan era. Just because it wasn't popular doesn't mean it wasn't good basketball - remember, most people in general are stupid and have horrible opinions. :lol

On the other hand, I also agree that the current NBA is an evolution in many ways. Team ball is a good thing. However, the NBA needs to be careful about the low-post and mid-range games becoming lost arts. Not enough players are working on those aspects of the game, and that's sad.



Evolution? Its forced evolution. When they changed the rules to hurt Big Men like Shaq and Duncan, they hurt the league. Kobe, TMac, AI ect were just as athletic if not more than the stars today, but they STILL had to go through Robinson, Duncan, Shaq, Mutumbo etc in the paint. Now a days you got faggots like Jason Collins playing center....no pun intended...Lol

[Jacob1983]

Jason Collins is done. Michael Sam is the new gay sports guy.

[sook]

The rockets go full retard when it comes to this shit, its also why their offense sucked. They pretty much threw the midrange game out completely because fucking Dork Elvis said analytics told him so. You clog the paint and run people off the 3pt line and you can destroy a team's offense. The midrange game is the most versatile and difficult to contain. Its also more consistent than the 3pt shot which will be on and off like the weather.

[King Nupe]

The rockets go full retard when it comes to this shit, its also why their offense sucked. They pretty much threw the midrange game out completely because fucking Dork Elvis said analytics told him so. You clog the paint and run people off the 3pt line and you can destroy a team's offense. The midrange game is the most versatile and difficult to contain. Its also more consistent than the 3pt shot which will be on and off like the weather.


Exactly, That is what Seperates Kobe from Lebron. Lebron needs 4 Shooters around him to spread the floor so he can drive and kick. That his entire game. He can't play with post players because he doesn't have a mid-range game. Why do you think he turned Bosh who was a 24-10 post player in toronto, into a spot up 3 point shooter. He's bad for the game, regardless of what ESPN tells you.

Kobe's game doesn't rely on anything. Put him with a decent post player, and he can torch any team from anywhere on the court.

[Malik Hairston]

The NBA since 2011(the 2 finalists in particular) has been the most team-oriented the league has been since the 80s, tbh, yet certain fans are actually complaining about it:lol..

There are very few teams that run isolation-based basketball anymore, and 3 of the top 7 ISO-oriented teams from the regular season have already fired their coach in the past month(Woodson, Jackson, Brown)..

[Venti Quattro]

How convenient that all Lakerfan suddenly thinks the NBA has declined at the same time as their team :lol

It's true though. The Tom Uncles Clippers as the face of the NBA? Ewww

[Phillip]

i think its pretty much a fact that the 2 best shots to take in basketball are: layups at the rim and wide open 3s

id say driving and dishing if the layup isn't there is pretty smart and basic basketball strategy

[Phillip]

Post-up play and mid-range shots still exist in the league, it's just that teams have realized that a mid-range shot is not the most efficient option, and bigs have taken a hint from the Europeans that entered the league in the '90s and 2000s and have stopped being 100% reliant on a post game (and it doesn't help matters that the AAU circuit doesn't teach fundamentals)....

The best offenses move the ball unselfishly, run intricate sets, utilize a diverse attack, and try to get the most efficient shots possible, as opposed to trying to force the same two types of plays that nostalgiafaggots like you think are the only valid ones :lol
:clap

[Phillip]

Sure the new age PG can dunk on your center but the underlying reason why is because almost all the shot blockers are gone. Drop a hard foul and you are ejected. This is what the NBA office wanted. Less defense means more open play and more success by the star players.

There is a difference between a hard foul and a dirty foul. Plenty of players are still out there giving hard fouls very effectively.

Additionally, dirty fouls don't = defense. You can give all the dirty fouls you want, but if you allow the opponent to shoot 55%, then dirty fouls mean nothing. The 04 Pistons arguably is the most dominant defense the league has ever seen, and they didn't have to do a bunch of dirty tactics the way the Bad Boys Pistons did. The Spurs got 4 championships with suffocating defense, and out of all the dynasties in history, may have been the strongest defensive team of them all, but didn't have a bunch of dirty tactics either.

The NBA didn't get rid of their leniency of dirty fouls to help offenses. It was to maintain (and eventually, to repair) the image of the league. It got to a point that people were losing interest in the NBA, and it was getting harder to gain new fans, because too many people had and were spreading a perception that the NBA is just "full of thugs". Then when a massive brawl is happening every season, capped off by the Malice in the Palace, it's fully understandable why the NBA really cracked down on those kinds of fouls.

Truth of the matter is, it is already hard enough to keep the perception of the league high considering it is a league that is mostly played by black men (yes racism absolutely plays into this), and so when you add tons of tattoos, bad attitudes getting headlines in the media, crazy hair, it makes it tougher. Then you add fights to it? Half of America will be calling the NBA "full of thugs". So it's fully understandable why dirty fouls were cracked down on.