"(they shot poorly vs. OKC in 4 of the 5 games IIRC)"
Same way they shot poorly in 4 out of 5 games vs OKC, they'll shoot lights out 4 out of 5 games vs SA.
Why don't we bring back 70's basketball while were at it.The Spurs used to be one of those teams that penetrated, slung the ball around and shot 3-pointers and I don't recall anyone in here calling for changes during that time (2012-14). Now, you want them to make changes to the league so the Spurs can keep up with it's compe ors?
Dominance is one thing, but even the 90s Bulls and early 00s Lakers, I'm pretty sure no one ever said on July 4th that no one has a snowball's chance in at beating them. What's worse, it's unlikely to change in the near future and that can only hold casual fan's attention so long.
Also, it's trending towards everybody looking and playing the same. Too much of anything is not good.
"The Beautiful Game" wasn't anything like the modern game strategically nor stylistically. Key phrase there is: Slung the ball around. Those Spurs were a great 3 point shooting team, but the difference is they manufactured those shots through an inside-out gameplan that involved a lot of cutting and ball movement to produce open looks. Teams like Houston and the Warriors do everything off the pick and dribble, i.e. chucking.Why don't we bring back 70's basketball while were at it.
The reason the Spurs defense is struggling to stop Houston is because the help defense is so poor. One guy drives causing the entire Spurs defense to collapse leaving two or three wide open 3-point shooters. This just in.... Duncan was good, Lee, Dedmon
Furthermore, those Spurs averaged about 21 three point attempts per game. The Rockets average in' 40. The Cavs 34. The Warriors 31.
We'll get a true gauge of the NBA's popularity once we get something like a Spurs/Bucks matchup. I always felt that NBA "fans" follow players more than they do the league. When Jordan retired, the NBA Finals ratings fell from 30 million to 15 million, and the 1999 Finals featured the Knicks (big market team) and the Spurs (who didn't have their boring rep yet and had a close-to-prime David Robinson, who was one of the more marketable 90's stars).
I think Curry, Lebron, and to an extent, Westbrook and Harden are popular more-so than the league as a whole.
Silver can't be short-sighted here. Their obsession with "superstars" is what led to the ratings doldrums in the early-to-mid 00s before Lebron (Miami Heat and Prodigal Son versions) kind of rescued the concept of NBA superstar. Kobe was on his way, but the rape case derailed things.
See here:
Spurs need a consistent/dominant PNR player..Pop has always had one in his systems (Parker,Manu)in other words they need a damn good point guard...or Chris Paul.
Yeah, a lot of basketball fans don't see the end-game here. Post-play (basketball's most intriguing and "beautiful" skill) is pretty much obsolete, which means that in due time big men will be obsolete, on both the offense and defensive ends since switching is required more than ever. Eventually, we'll just see a bunch of 6'7" players on the floor, aka "positionless" basketball. This sucks, because one of the unique things about basketball is it's the only sport human beings who are 6'11 and taller can play consistently at the highest levels. Yeah, you have your Randy Johnsons and I think Aussie Rules has some 7 footers, but basketball is the one sport where being that tall is considered an advantage. Most other sports it's considered a detriment.
Couldn't agree more and this is coming from a guy who's been in the mold of Curry damn near since I picked up a ball. It's just gone too far though; those 3 teams have ruined the game and though it isn't currently reflected in ratings and other ways, it eventually will be once casual fan inevitably gets sick of watching a style that's not guardable and a team that's unbeatable.
It's not sour grapes either because I enjoyed watching the Warriors specifically play as recently as '15, but it was the Cavs-Hawks series that year that my mindset began to shift. It was alarming how helpless an elite defense was against the 3-point onslaught and we're going to see it to an even greater extent in this series.
Something is wrong with a league, when the #1 defense has no chance at slowing down a top 3 offense, when a big as skilled as Gasol is unplayable against said teams and when everyone is forced to have the same type of personnel and and play the same style.
It's time to equalize this : Move the 3 point line back from 23.9 at the top of the circle to 26 or 27 feet and have the line be straight across.
The modern game is cool for vine loops, though. I guess that's all that matters.
lmao no it isn't, it gets old pretty quick to watch dudes chucking 3 pointers generated by a high pnr every time down the floor tbh because that takes no skill other than, well, shooting 3 pointers
It makes me wonder what the future holds. Players will continue to get better and better at shooting the 3. And it's not that damn hard of a shot. It's easier than a 15 footer for most players because you don't have to do much adjustment to your shot or control the power of it.lmao no it isn't, it gets old pretty quick to watch dudes chucking 3 pointers generated by a high pnr every time down the floor tbh because that takes no skill other than, well, shooting 3 pointers
Not so long ago TD and Shaq prevented drives to the bucket which allowed perimeter defenders to stick to their man. Good times
If this was the Spurs from a couple years ago with guys you know can get hot and get the ball around the horn, I'd have that viewpoint. Right now though, with a group of career losers (mostly) signed in the past 2 years, I cannot imagine them stepping up and beating a team that has the green light and the energy to use it.I didn't say that I did
We need a prime Manu, tbh. Imagine how big of a superstar he would be in today's NBA.:
I love manu but he never had that constant aggression needed for superstar numbers. Even When playing with Argentina.We need a prime Manu, tbh. Imagine how big of a superstar he would be in today's NBA.
I think today, he'd be viewed as one of the top 15 nba players because of his ability to pass and create spaces but I very much doubt he'd average even 25 in today's game.
He always seemed to pick his spots.
But if the Spurs had Green-Manu-Kawhi today with a 58 year old pop..Not this current Pop.
My God that's a Killer lineup. It's going to negate Greens inability dribble.
Bigs will never be obsolete, but traditional ones will get closer to that with each passing generation. Size and length will always be important in this sport though, it'll just be utilized differently. They'll be more guard like, but that's already the case with the best young or youngish bigs.
I agree that the phasing out of the traditional big man sucks though. I don't want to watch the heaps of limited bigs or ISO ball of the 90s either, but anyone who really appreciates the game should enjoy watching guys like prime Olajuwon, Duncan, etc., in the low post. Variety, in general, is good. I don't want to watch a bunch of Warriors imitators pretending they're "progressive", when in reality they're just following the trend.
I don't know how many pts he would score, what I do know is that he will kill it on today's NBA and he would easily, but eeeeasily, be regarded as a top 10 player. 'Cause he would make any team he played for a good team and he would post some monsters advanced stats. He would be very Harden like + defense, tbh.
X 1000
Top 10 is hard to argue. Easily is homerish.
Maybe a slight case...but he's probably in the 3rd tier of star players...
Not to bring soccer into this, but man this is why i love that sport so much. It's impossible to have a winning "trend" in soccer. Nor can you count on Statsitical trends ala baseball.
It's just impossible.
Tell me who are the borderline top 10 players? Antetowahteverhisnameisspelled, Paul George, Cousins, Blake, Isiah Thomas, Wall, Irving? A number one option Manu (or 1B), in today's NBA, is easily on that tier.
When it comes to TV ratings, I think KD signing to the Dubs will be awful for the league. Now sure why Silver didn't call him and tell him to sign to the Celtics or Wizards for some wink wink money.We'll get a true gauge of the NBA's popularity once we get something like a Spurs/Bucks matchup. I always felt that NBA "fans" follow players more than they do the league. When Jordan retired, the NBA Finals ratings fell from 30 million to 15 million, and the 1999 Finals featured the Knicks (big market team) and the Spurs (who didn't have their boring rep yet and had a close-to-prime David Robinson, who was one of the more marketable 90's stars).
I think Curry, Lebron, and to an extent, Westbrook and Harden are popular more-so than the league as a whole.
Silver can't be short-sighted here. Their obsession with "superstars" is what led to the ratings doldrums in the early-to-mid 00s before Lebron (Miami Heat and Prodigal Son versions) kind of rescued the concept of NBA superstar. Kobe was on his way, but the rape case derailed things.
See here:
Soccer is about 20 years behind on analytics. Statistical trends will emerge. Soccer isn't exempt from math and science. Furthermore, the fact the same few teams win the EPL. La Liga, and Bundesliga every year tells me there is indeed a formula that works, whether it's talent=winning or a special strategy or a combination of both, there's still an underlying formula at work that increases a team's odds of winning.
No. The fact that few teams are winning is all about lack of cap.
Rich teams win. Period.
Then the game can reduced to a "trend." Talent=winning.
That's true for all sports. Fans overrate the value of tactics and strategy in every sport. End of the day, skill, talent, and athleticism win out over fancy playbooks.
http://www.espnfc.us/germany/story/3...t-dfb-directorWormuth concluded that tactical variations in a match are "overrated" and added that he thinks coaches these days can get lost in tactical thinking.
Borussia Monchengladbach coach Dieter Hecking also said recently that it is difficult for him to understand what some experts concluded about his tactics when watching matches he coached.
He said: "I read one of those pieces following a Wolfsburg match [where he coached until late 2016], and asked myself, 'They say I came up with those highly complex things?'"
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
