Where does the myth of physical 90s NBA basketball come from?

[GiannisAnte34]

But I was told the 90s had plumbers and grocery baggers as athletes. Surely it would be easier

[ScrantonBulls]

It's honestly crazy that the guy played 82 games 16 TIMES. That's an all-time iron man. Even more impressive, he was 170 pounds and did it during the brawling, slug it out, MMA 80s and 90s. At his weight, he's lucky his career didn't get ended by one of those teams.

Is this the most impressive record? It's up there with Wilt's most gaudy records in my opinion.

I love that you think you can fool us by slapping Bulls in your name.

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All those posts in the Bulls forums and in Bulls game threads. Guess I just watch all those games and post there because I'm committed to acting like I'm a Bulls fan? Why would I even claim to be a Bulls fan if I wasn't?

Nice try though. L for you.

[sp6r=underrated]

It's honestly crazy that the guy played 82 games 16 TIMES. That's an all-time iron man. Even more impressive, he was 170 pounds and did it during the brawling, slug it out, MMA 80s and 90s. At his weight, he's lucky his career didn't get ended by one of those teams.

Is this the most impressive record? It's up there with Wilt's most gaudy records in my opinion.

I love that you think you can fool us by slapping Bulls in your name.

search.php?keywords=&terms=all&author=Scrantonbulls&fid%5B%5D=10&sc=1&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

All those posts in the Bulls forums and in Bulls game threads. Guess I just watch all those games and post there because I'm committed to acting like I'm a Bulls fan? Why would I even claim to be a Bulls fan if I wasn't?

Nice try though. L for you.

Hating the only decade your franchise was relevant is really weird but I guess you are sincere. As I said though it is really weird to hate the pinnacle of your team's history.

[JustBuzzin]

This is Haliburton night.

Stop trying to take his shine with this nonsense.

[scrabbarista]

I saw Stockton in a hotel when I was in eighth grade. That guy was built like comic book Superman. A wide V from the waist up.

Hornacek was with him.

[Daddy 801]

Not only did he play all 82 games he set picks and took charges from guys 2-3 times larger than him on a nightly basis.

[JoseRizal]

Stockton's toughness and durability puts load management proponent's like Kawhi to shame...

[LAvision]

This is Haliburton night.

Stop trying to take his shine with this nonsense.

Hali's night where he didn't even win ECF MVP lmao

[Wagonband]

Impressive record, probably can't be done today.

But the game really wasn't that physical for Point Guards in the 80s and 90s. Try watching some regular season games that were not a rivalry. Everyone watches highlights of physical defence and absurdly hard fouls, but those were the exception not the rule

[art_tatum]

Cause he played dirty on D, he was the MMA in his way.
Wouldn't be allowed in todays game. Stars like LeBron could never deal with his D.
Flashbacks of JJ berea but if JJ played dirty.

And on offense Stockton wasn't that physical.
He was methodical.
Back then people actually played through small injuries and weren't soft like today.
You then have to add in a bit of luck and genetics
Stockton isn't some avg guy if he played like an ultimate Ironman. He's an exception not a norm.

[AdamSSSlither]

yes its amazing and stockton doesnt get enough credit for being so great in my opinion.
his all time assist and steals records may never be broken. ultimate iron man.
yes hes in the h.o.f but i still feel he's underappreciated.
then people didnt like what he had to say about covid and even more so act like he isnt one of the greatest players ever.

his walking down the street in barcelona during his run w/ dream team where no one on the street even recognized him walking out of the dream team hotel surrounded by fans, is a classic stockton story/video i will never forget.

[druggas]

A.C. Green nicknamed "Iron Man", he holds a National Basketball Association record for most consecutive regular-season games played with 1,192. Including a game where he got his teeth knocked out.

[KGDirkTD_Fan]

Stockton has records that will probably never be broken in my lifetime due to his iron man status in the league. Add in the fact today's league isn't entirely about having your best players play all the minutes of every game anymore...mix of load management and testing different lineups, etc., makes his records stand the rest of time.

[KayDee35]

No other PG of that era was venturing under the basket and mixing it up with the bigs like Stockton did. He took way more shots than other guys his size did, including some famous ones from Barkley and Rodman.

Stockton was just built different.

[frica]

Stockton played in the oldest era (average age) of the NBA.
A few hard charges per game doesn't really affect longevity that much.

Either way, Stockton was an outlier and incredibly durable.

[hugepatsfan]

It’s probably one of the most unlikely to be broken records when you consider how rigid it is. Someone has to be good enough to play at least 16 years and not get hurt (or play more than 16 and get hurt some years).

[druggas]

Another quality thread.
There is so much coping from Lebron fans lately.

It's OKAY... he's still an all time great.

And yes, the 90s were more physical, the lane was more packed and there
were less three pointers, nothing keeping bigs from camping near the rim to block perimeter players and way more action from big scorers than perimeter players. There's a green light for jacking up threes as well, which we haven't had in the 90s.

That's something that you'll have to deal with. It's ridiculous to think that we just fabricated this when
all of the players talk about it. Get annoyed all that you want, but the truth is the truth.

You'd be annoyed too if you saw the game get soft as charmin after cherishing the aggression and tenacity behind
quality defense instead of players just trying to avoid contact.

You'd also get annoyed if the commissioner purposefully created rules to make scoring accessible, stating so himself, and then
watched players get easy layups. It annoyed the hell out of me. Now, I just don't care to watch as often.

It annoys us because we used to love the game and it looks more like a mockery at times, like it or not.
That's our perspective. Once again- you can deal with it. That's the "myth"

What is it like being proven wrong on a consistent basis on these views, and then convincing yourself that it never happened and/or everybody else is wrong but you?

Ask yourself that question.

[Lockdown504090]

Its no myth. It was noticably more physical game... all the way up until 2005 or so, then it began to drift off from there gradually, on BOTH ends of the floor.

Scrutiny for fouls was much less an issue.

"Henchmen" off the bench.

More paint oriented, inside-out game = more physical because the areas of the court had players closer together. Different rules.

I saw more than enough of it make the comparison through other eras after 2005. Its undeniable.. one who did not see much or actually followed the league, has to put in respectable time and footage-sitting to actually come to this realization.

Most people in the last decade don't have the time, attention span, or dedication to pick up the patterns from actual game footage... for the sake of understanding something like this, and are comfortable with their sampler knowledge sets and info feeds from media sources.

fouls are more physical, but the game itself I wouldnt say is more physical. offensive players have NEVER been more physical than they are now.

Watch on YouTube

you can say this is a one off, I have so much footage i can point to where offensive players are being called for things that would be allowed today in terms of imposing physicality from the offensive player upon the defender. changing directions is more physical and taxing than it was back then. not to say the 90s were not challenging physically for other reasons, but I think todays game is more inducive to injuries that require surgical intervention than the game 30 years ago.

[Hair Jordan]

It’s not a myth. The league was full of men back then, most of whom played 4 years of college ball and were physically ready for the NBA unlike the high schoolers and one-and-done boys who pollute the modern NBA. Back in the day, players weren’t all buddy/buddy and looking to exchange jerseys after games or doing podcasts together. You had legit rivalries, real fights, hard fouls and beefs that last to this very day. It was real. However, here’s where people get confused: Nobody is claiming the ‘80s and 90’s was rock ‘em - sock ‘em robots for 48 minutes a night. It was more physical on average with hand checking, bruising PF’s and shot blocking bigs camped out under the basket. In addition, the floor was crammed inside the 3 point line because you didn’t have teams spamming fifty 3’s a game. You had finesse teams in the league as well. People who watch games from the ‘80s and ‘90s expecting to see a bloodbath on every possession are fooling themselves. The game has never been THAT physical but it was MORE physical than it is now.

[og15]

Stockton's toughness and durability puts load management proponent's like Kawhi to shame...

There were players in the 80's and 90's whose careers ended early or were cut short due to injury. Comparing Kawhi and Stockton makes no sense, different genetics, different bodies, different games, different NBA playstyle, nothing the same about their ability to be durable.

Kawhi isn't missing games for fun, Kawhi would likely already be retired for a few years at this age if his career has started in 1985 for example.