wilt/thurmond vs. duncan/robinson

[jeahwe]

Thurmonds coaches didnt call plays and didnt have sets. The NBA of the 60s was pretty much playground basketball.

Great, somebody admit that. That's why 60s is worse than today (late 80s-now) basketball.

[penbeast0]

Warspite, you are just plain wrong about the set plays (at least for the coaches I have read about) . . . . and jeahwe . . . .generally coaches in the 60s relied more on fast breaks then set plays designed to force the ball into the post or to free up a jump shooter because without the 3 point line, those were the high percentage shots.

Today there is a lot more improvising and one-on-one isolation plays (which is more the "playground" style) because, with the greater spacing and less packed interior defenses, now they can work instead of swing the ball around for a jump shot or forcing it in for a contended post move.

The 3 point play was the biggest change for the NBA since the 24 second clock (though things like wider lanes, goaltending rules, no handchecking, etc. all were also designed to free up space for scorers to operate in more of a playground fashion).

[Warspite]

Warspite, you are just plain wrong about the set plays (at least for the coaches I have read about) . . . . and jeahwe . . . .generally coaches in the 60s relied more on fast breaks then set plays designed to force the ball into the post or to free up a jump shooter because without the 3 point line, those were the high percentage shots.

Today there is a lot more improvising and one-on-one isolation plays (which is more the "playground" style) because, with the greater spacing and less packed interior defenses, now they can work instead of swing the ball around for a jump shot or forcing it in for a contended post move.

The 3 point play was the biggest change for the NBA since the 24 second clock (though things like wider lanes, goaltending rules, no handchecking, etc. all were also designed to free up space for scorers to operate in more of a playground fashion).

Auerbach had 3 plays and 2 of them were a moving screen or a clothesline by Russell of Couseys man. From what I saw most teams used early offense about 70% of the time. What we consider a bad shot is the norm of 60s basketball. They had bad shot selection but I understand the desire to push the ball and get an open 17-20ft shot as opposed to waiting for Wilt, Russell, Thurmond, Beatty, Kerr to get back on defense.

I will admit that teams of the 60s used much better defenses. They could play zone and didnt have the illeagal defense rules or def 3secs. They also were much more physical. A punch to the head of the shooter is not a foul (in many cases) in the 60s because the head is not part of the shooting motion.

I would like to see a study or any evidence that suggests fatigue plays no factor in shooting a basketball. From my experience teams that run seem to either run you out of the building or run out of gas.