I used to watch the NBA. I don't anymore.

[tondi123]

I don't watch nearly as many games as I used to and I think part of it is that the games evolved into something I interpret (whether fairly or not) as a glorified pickup game. I was a big fan in the 80s/90s and the game today reminds me more of of the all star games back then than anything else and I never particularly enjoyed those either. Having said that, I find that I watch far fewer sporting events, across the board, as I get older and I suspect thats the case for many others as well, so it's not all on the NBA.

[rtiff68]

If you prefer previous eras and teams for whatever reason, that is fine and makes perfect sense.

If you actually believe the game itself as a whole is less sophisticated and less talented overall, then you live in a fantasyland, and you should go into your backyard, sit on your lawn chair, and pump your fist at the clouds (like one of the initial responses to the OP).

[jazzfan1971]

I don't watch nearly as many games as I used to and I think part of it is that the games evolved into something I interpret (whether fairly or not) as a glorified pickup game. I was a big fan in the 80s/90s and the game today reminds me more of of the all star games back then than anything else and I never particularly enjoyed those either. Having said that, I find that I watch far fewer sporting events, across the board, as I get older and I suspect thats the case for many others as well, so it's not all on the NBA.

Interesting. I have always DISPISED the All-Star game. I hardly ever watch. I will watch the dunk contest and the the 3pt shootout. But, the allstar game to me is offensive.

[Bum Adebayo]

I disagree about moving the line back, this would increase spacing, the good shooters would still be good at shooting from there and slower centers already have it tough on defense, trust me, you don't want that.
The best solution has always been (along with the small improvement that would be removing corner 3) changing the points rewarded for each shot such that 3pt shot is not worth 50% more than midrange shot anymore. That could be:
- changing 3p to 4p and midrange to 3p.
- 3pt to 8pt, midrange to 6pt, inside scoring and layups to 5pt.
- even better, artificial inteligence able to track player's distance to the rim and assign the appropiate points in real time.
Doing this you are only changing the value of each shot without unexpected changes such as worse rim protection due to increased spacing, etc.

[Stern]

Prefer this era of ball movement basketball than the old iso post bully ball. And the post-season are not as rigged as before. They do slow down the game with instant replays, but not as bad as football.

Maybe adjust the the 3pt to no corner 3's and three to make two on the foul line.

[jazzfan1971]

If you prefer previous eras and teams for whatever reason, that is fine and makes perfect sense.

If you actually believe the game itself as a whole is less sophisticated and less talented overall, then you live in a fantasyland, and you should go into your backyard, sit on your lawn chair, and pump your fist at the clouds (like one of the initial responses to the OP).

I would say that passes per possession is probably a good proxy for sophistication. I don't know where to find this stat, but if you can find it I would be willing to see if that supports your position.

[Catchall]

The James Harden, Morey-ball Rockets used to run the same play over and over. Harden and Capella would run a high screen-and-roll. Capella would dive to the rim. Harden would shoot a 3, pass to an open wing shooter, or drive the ball to set up Capella. That's it. Every single play. But analytics say a team should shoot a 3, score at the rim, or get free-throws.

Now every team runs some variation of the above. The Jazz do this too. They add a few wrinkles and move the ball some more, but it's more or less the same. The league's offensive efficiency is at an all-time high. So if you're someone who likes the art of the post-up, the mid-range shooter, and crafty sets to get open 2pt shots the game has moved on from you.

The Jazz's offense is based on Gobert shooting over 70% at the rim, Bogdanovic shooting 50% on corner 3s, Mitchell and Conley being efficient triple-threat players in pick-and-roll, and the floor being well spaced. If you're an analytics nerd, it's pretty impressive. But yeah, there isn't a ton of variety.

[rtiff68]

If you prefer previous eras and teams for whatever reason, that is fine and makes perfect sense.

If you actually believe the game itself as a whole is less sophisticated and less talented overall, then you live in a fantasyland, and you should go into your backyard, sit on your lawn chair, and pump your fist at the clouds (like one of the initial responses to the OP).

I would say that passes per possession is probably a good proxy for sophistication. I don't know where to find this stat, but if you can find it I would be willing to see if that supports your position.

You want more “passes per possession,” and you’re propping up the freaking ‘90’s while killing today?

Dude….

[Gusto1903]

Tbh, i only really watch the playoffs. Because Regular Season has become so pointless after the first couple of weeks.

[Lalouie]

Cool but what are you guys doing here if that's the case?

you can't watch a game on realgm in case you haven't noticed LOL

you TALK about the game on realgm

[nitric0]

I wish this whole three point trend wasn’t a thing. It almost ruins basketball. Teams just jacking up threes.

[Bum Adebayo]

Whether you like the current NBA and style of play or not, even if you hate the "2000's inefficient iso midrange era", it is evident that the scoring system is not fair at all and 3pt shot is an OP shot, it has been a flawed shot from the beginning, it's just that for whatever reason almost nobody paid attention to the imbalance, when teams started to exploit it it was game over. Of course efficiency is at an all time high, because a 3pt shot is worth 50% more than a midrange shot, and efficiency reflects that, one only needs to look at league average 3pt% and midrange%, it was 36.7% 3P, 41% 16-3pt and 43.5% 10-16ft in 2020-2021. So not even 20% more success when shooting midrange but 3pt is worth 50% more than midrange, yeah totally broken. Players today are more efficient only because they are exploiting a bug in the system, a huge mistake that should've never been created in the first place.

[Calvin Klein]

it's ok, most nba fans don't watch the games anyways nowadays. they just look at memes and social media posts

[Lockdown504090]

If you prefer previous eras and teams for whatever reason, that is fine and makes perfect sense.

If you actually believe the game itself as a whole is less sophisticated and less talented overall, then you live in a fantasyland, and you should go into your backyard, sit on your lawn chair, and pump your fist at the clouds (like one of the initial responses to the OP).

I would say that passes per possession is probably a good proxy for sophistication. I don't know where to find this stat, but if you can find it I would be willing to see if that supports your position.

You want more “passes per possession,” and you’re propping up the freaking ‘90’s while killing today?

Dude….

i think its moreso that the passing is so telegraphed and the reads are so obvious because theres so much space. there is almost always an oobviously correct pass to be made. cutting to the basket is often times bad offense. the lack of spacing and bail out calls forced a level of creativity around the basket in terms of passing and finishing that we just arent going to see anymore.

illegal defense for example had defenders coming over to help from their man as opposed to being already in the correct position, making the decision to pass or shoot less obvious and require more creativity. zone defense is THE defense in the nba now, and im sorry, it doesnt take skill to beat a zone, it just takes discipline and good decision making. brook lopez used to have a rreally nuanced game, but now, i can tell you from a mile away what hes going to do. DFS on dallas for example, just stands around on offense and waits for luka to get zoned and sits in a spot and shoots. his game based training must be boring as hell. I still like this nba, but i totally get what unc is talking about.

[Big J]

I think the Jazz are just a boring watch even though they are good. The warriors do a ton of back cuts and not as many pick and rolls. Much better watch.

[LuDux1]

I guess if you hate it so much, then bye?

[BayWarrior]

Evolution of the game of basketball is usually based on doing it better than their predecessors. I could see how liking an older product is understandable but it doesn't mean the game was better, only that coaches and players found out how to change the game by exploiting the weakness of past players or positioning like the traditional center is no longer valued as much as in the past.

[eminence]

If you prefer previous eras and teams for whatever reason, that is fine and makes perfect sense.

If you actually believe the game itself as a whole is less sophisticated and less talented overall, then you live in a fantasyland, and you should go into your backyard, sit on your lawn chair, and pump your fist at the clouds (like one of the initial responses to the OP).

I would say that passes per possession is probably a good proxy for sophistication. I don't know where to find this stat, but if you can find it I would be willing to see if that supports your position.

We have passes per game back to '14, but not prior to that.

Warriors/Nuggets sound more like your type of team these days.

The Jazz are certainly more monotonous than many in their offensive approach.

[realball]

If you were watching basketball for "physicality" aka to watch people beat each other up, basketball was never really your sport to begin with. You should stick to football or hockey.

[zimpy27]

Yeah, the game has changed. If you fell in love with aspects of the game that have now changed then that is unfortunate. Obviously, the NBA product is only growing more popular globally. I think change is inevitable.