RealGM

Which decade of ball was better? 90s or 2000- Now

also which team do you think would win a ball game?

90s team | 2000-Now team

Jordan vs James
Pippen vs Kobe
Grant Hill vs Garnett
Malone vs Amare
Olajuwon vs Howard

90s

David Stern ruined basketball with the change to illegal defense, outlawing handchecks, and the Mark Jackson rule (back to the basket for 5 seconds).


Now we have a pretty product, but it isn't real basketball with real defense. Basically Stern sacrificed the integrity of the game to make more superstars and protect players from their horrible defensive abilities.

Jemini80 wrote:90s

David Stern ruined basketball with the change to illegal defense, outlawing handchecks, and the Mark Jackson rule (back to the basket for 5 seconds).


Now we have a pretty product, but it isn't real basketball with real defense. Basically Stern sacrificed the integrity of the game to make more superstars and protect players from their horrible defensive abilities.

qft.. stern did many incredible things, but this is the one thing he f**ked up one.. and the 90s are so much better than 2000s, i mean its not even remotely close at all, the 90s B team is better than the best the 2000s-now can provide

oh and for your game, the 90s team by at least 20..

jordan >>>>> lebron
kobe >>> pippen
hill and garnett is close in their respective primes
malone >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>amare (duncan would be a much better choice)
hakeem >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>dwight (early 2000s shaq would be better choice)

^^^^^
i agree, except for the modern Pistons, since they are built like a 90s team.

and the Kobe's because they have Kobe


I also think Kobe would have been an even greater player if he could play with the 90s rule. Especially the handcheck rule, since that was oe of MJs biggest tools on defense, and since Kobe mimmicks MJ I am sure he is a master of the handcheck.

Baron Davis would also be beastly if there was no Mark Jackson rule.


I can name many superstars who wouldn't be able to do anything back then, because you couldn't just drive to the lane and get whistles. Or drive to the basket with your head down and barrel through people like a certain superstar.

Thank you guys for answering.

This thread was created because i was having a debate with my cousin on what decade was better so i decided to ask realgm'ers thanks for all of your replies and keep them coming.

2000's by far.

ImmortalD24 wrote:2000's by far.

how old are you

If you haven't lived through both eras, or are only voting for the 2000s because your team wasn't great during the 90s (like the Laker poster above me), then please don't vote because of your bias.

I really don't see any reasoning why 2000s basketball is better, unless you enjoy no defense because you only love offense.

during our run, one on one with shaq was impossible. and illegal defense calls were racked up. thus, rule change.

in the 80s, pat riley instituted a zone. the sixers i believe complained about it. and that was the genesis to the illegal defense calls we have today. it was used so effectively, that the fast break game got off an early start and magic ran teams out of the gym.

so the LAKER franchise has much to blame for several rule changes

people voting for 90s just going through midlife crisis.

LAKESHOW wrote:during our run, one on one with shaq was impossible. and illegal defense calls were racked up. thus, rule change.

in the 80s, pat riley instituted a zone. the sixers i believe complained about it. and that was the genesis to the illegal defense calls we have today. it was used so effectively, that the fast break game got off an early start and magic ran teams out of the gym.

so the LAKER franchise has much to blame for several rule changes

i always had a problem with Stern trying to protect MJ's legacy by changing the rules to hurt Shaq.

Its not really fair because most of those 90's guys were all older/ in their primes, so they have the experience factor.....while the 2000's guys are still young with the exception of Garnett... So this might be closer after 5-8 more years....

Payton vs Chris Paul
Penny vs Kobe
Hill vs James
Kemp vs Amare
Shaq vs Dwight

Is more comparable in terms of age

Kobay wrote:people voting for 90s just going through midlife crisis.

how old are you? You know Kobe played in the 90s, so you don't need to vote for 2000s just because you are a homer.

I don't see one aspect of the game that has improved in the 2000s. MJ isn't the reason the league's popularity declined, it is te lack of real basketball existing.

Warya wrote:Its not really fair because most of those 90's guys were all older/ in their primes, so they have the experience factor.....while the 2000's guys are still young with the exception of Garnett... So this might be closer after 5-8 more years....

Payton vs Chris Paul
Penny vs Kobe
Hill vs James
Kemp vs Amare
Shaq vs Dwight

Is more comparable in terms of age

Its not about fairness my friend. It is about decade vs decade. understand that young one!

this question is too hard for those whove never watched the 90s. for me its easily 90s but i dont expect anyone who started after the 90s to pick the 90s despite what we might argue.

By decade is too broad. The league changes too much from year to year to count a ten-year stretch as a whole. I'll go with five year blocks:

1. 1991-1995
2. 2006-present
3. 2001-2005
4. 1996-2000

Warya wrote:Its not really fair because most of those 90's guys were all older/ in their primes, so they have the experience factor.....while the 2000's guys are still young with the exception of Garnett... So this might be closer after 5-8 more years....

Payton vs Chris Paul
Penny vs Kobe
Hill vs James
Kemp vs Amare
Shaq vs Dwight

Is more comparable in terms of age

In the nineties you had a mix of old and young. The young guns were overshadowed by the number of HoFer's in their prime.

Not all of these guys were HoFers but it shows how strong the league was

Payton, Stockton, Hardaway, Kidd, K. Johnson
Jordan, Drexler, Reggie, Richmond, Penny
Pippen, Hill
Malone, Barkley, Kemp, Webber
Hakeem, Robinson, Ewing, Shaq, Mourning, Seikaly, Daugherty

(if Duncan came up during this era he wouldn't get half the praise he does today)

90`s by far!

You could actually play basketball then, now it is like volleyball, no physical contact allowed!

And some of the best players ever played in that era...

What would I give to see Hakeem play again! His post moves were a thing of beauty...

LOL @ the inclusion of Amare in any of these lists...

i'll take the 90's