Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ?

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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#21 » by Chanel Bomber » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:14 pm

donnieme wrote:00 Spurs were disliked by masses/casuals and considered boring. Even on Rgm they weren't too popular. Fwiw don't agree with it.

The early 2000s Spurs were indeed boring.

Manu was the only flair player on that team.

Duncan was an all-time great player but his game was frankly hard to watch.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#22 » by Chanel Bomber » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:16 pm

Early 2000s Spurs
Warriors with KD
Harden's Rockets when he was at his foul-hunting best
Don't know if I'd have the stomach to watch most Eastern Conference teams from the early-2000s tbh
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#23 » by prophet_of_rage » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:20 pm

Harden'd Rockets
Duncan's Spurs
Ewing's Knicks

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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#24 » by prophet_of_rage » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:26 pm

Haldi wrote:
Dutchball97 wrote:I don't understand how you could be alright with midrange chucking but the moment they take two steps back it is suddenly an issue.


Its jealousy and its pathetic. They recognize that their superstars they loved just weren’t good enough to shoot that well from further out from any type of pass, pumpfake or off any dribble like todays players can. Most don’t even admit that todays 3 point shooters are all miles ahead of even guys like Bird, Miller or Mullin and they all think if Bird would have a green light today he would be doing all the same stepback 3s and pick and roll pops that we see today. Truth is there is a reason players back then only took 3s when they were absolutely wide open. Any coach in the 80s would’ve met Curry or Dame and wouldve gave them the greenest of lights too.

Go look at 90% of Birds 3s and there isnt a defender within like 10 feet of him. Miller was shooting with defenders closer to him closing in from being picked but he couldn’t shoot of the dribble like guys today. Now guys are shooting from several feet behind the line with a hand challenge, off any type of move and still hitting at almost the same percentages as bird. If you can’t understand that, its either a severe lack of basketball knowledge or simply like I said before, just pathetic jealousy.
Or you understand what was practised, what wasm't allowed under the rules, what wasn't conceivable. Yes the game is built on the backs of giants.

The trouble for the old school with the modern three point shooting is that it eliminates a lot of post play and the one-on-one battles that occurred below the free throw line.

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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#25 » by KembaWalker » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:29 pm

Those early 2000s Spurs teams probably singlehandedly stunted fan growth in the league for 5 years. Funny because they became one of the better teams to watch when they got old. But damn they were dull for a while
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#26 » by Tony15 » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:35 pm

Mid-2000s Spurs were a dynastic team....and wholly unwatchable at the time. Now I long for them lol.

I hate to be the "back in my day" guy as a 29 year old, but I really do believe the NBA was a lot better then. Low post play & physical defense was encouraged, and as a result teams actually had to execute on offense. I was watching a Utah @ Miami game from back in '04 (Jerry Sloan was still coaching/first year of Wade-Shaq), and Utah had taken 2 three's total through 3 quarters lol. Amazing how much the game has changed.....and little in good way imo.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#27 » by Lalouie » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:44 pm

the lakers will end up with a winning season but it'll be real ugly
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#28 » by davidfr94 » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:47 pm

It wasn't that fun watching Vogel's pacers

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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#29 » by Optimus_Steel » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:51 pm

Any Harden team. Then Pat Riley's teams in NY and in Miami pre Wade.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#30 » by ArtMorte » Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:53 pm

Not really. If watching winning NBA basketball feels unwatchable to you, you've got a problem with basketball itself, not the team.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#31 » by hauntedcomputer » Sun Nov 28, 2021 4:16 pm

Really depends on why you watch and what you find entertaining. To me, alley-oop dunks are boring. I much more enjoy the elegant deception of the person who set up the lob.

I've finally watched enough games to be aware of rotations, team defense, and what off-ball players are doing rather than just watching one ballhog hold the ball for 20 seconds and then throw up a contested step-back.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#32 » by Texas Chuck » Sun Nov 28, 2021 4:26 pm

If we are really talking about hard to watch winning basketball it would be the 90's Knicks/Heat. Of course now that's largely glorified as physical, tough basketball. But if we are honest and not just nostalgic, it was just highly unskilled, unsophisticated play excused mainly because Pat Riley's name is attached to it.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#33 » by JonFromVA » Sun Nov 28, 2021 4:55 pm

The latest version of the Cavs with LeBron was often eye bleed invoking because they just didn't give effort in the regular season but I suppose technically I watched.

IMO, this is a question that should be directed to fans of the team in question. Watching closely contested defensive slugfests can be a lot of fun for fans who follow that team not so much for other fans or casuals.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#34 » by Bornstellar » Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:12 pm

Most teams the last few years have been unwatchable. 3 point spam fests, free throws parades, and no defense makes for ugly, boring basketball
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#35 » by ciueli » Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:24 pm

Back in 2003 when the NBA Finals between the Spurs and the Nets was ongoing I remember how little anyone seemed to care, everything was about LeBron, Carmelo and a new generation of stars coming into the league.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#36 » by Nazrmohamed » Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:40 pm

prophet_of_rage wrote:
Haldi wrote:
Dutchball97 wrote:I don't understand how you could be alright with midrange chucking but the moment they take two steps back it is suddenly an issue.


Its jealousy and its pathetic. They recognize that their superstars they loved just weren’t good enough to shoot that well from further out from any type of pass, pumpfake or off any dribble like todays players can. Most don’t even admit that todays 3 point shooters are all miles ahead of even guys like Bird, Miller or Mullin and they all think if Bird would have a green light today he would be doing all the same stepback 3s and pick and roll pops that we see today. Truth is there is a reason players back then only took 3s when they were absolutely wide open. Any coach in the 80s would’ve met Curry or Dame and wouldve gave them the greenest of lights too.

Go look at 90% of Birds 3s and there isnt a defender within like 10 feet of him. Miller was shooting with defenders closer to him closing in from being picked but he couldn’t shoot of the dribble like guys today. Now guys are shooting from several feet behind the line with a hand challenge, off any type of move and still hitting at almost the same percentages as bird. If you can’t understand that, its either a severe lack of basketball knowledge or simply like I said before, just pathetic jealousy.
Or you understand what was practised, what wasm't allowed under the rules, what wasn't conceivable. Yes the game is built on the backs of giants.

The trouble for the old school with the modern three point shooting is that it eliminates a lot of post play and the one-on-one battles that occurred below the free throw line.

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What he said was categorically ridiculous. There are definitely more shooters today than ever, nobody can argue that but coaches coach to the trends of the league they grow up in and I don't think fans of today understand that it goes beyond skill, it's culture as well. Many coaches would've given Lillard the greenlight..... at SG or some other position that doesn't involve running an offense. Many coaches would've harped heavily on his defense, on his assist totals and the fact that at PG he's out here scoring 30 while the next best player is averaging 15. That would've been a problem back then. Many 3pt shooters wouldn't even get the opportunity to realize thier 3pt shooting greatness because for many coaches it would be like a QB throwing a hail Mary on every play.

I'm not trying to say today's player isn't really as good or that yesterdays player is any better. I just can't understand why fans of today can't understand that many behaviors weren't favored or fans of old can't acknowledge how much bigger and more athletic even a guy you might find soft is to yesterdays player. I think the difference between Bird of yesteryear and Bird today is that today he may never have played a minute of SF and played PF exclusively and yes, at stretch 4 I imagine him to be just as dominant. Good shooter, good passer, good rebounder. Maybe not a great defender but people out here acting like Luka plays any defense, like Harden plays any defense. He'd be to me in the same class of player. Maybe too slow at SF but then again, Luka isn't all that fast, Luka ain't all that athletic. He's crafty and that's what Bird was. The difference is today in practice, coach would be applauding him for extending his range not criticizing him for it.

It wasn't considered a good shot folks. And because it wasn't considered a good shot it wasn't valued. The moment it became valued everybody got better at it. There are guys in this league that started out not taking 3s and now take 3s. Brook Lopez is a solid 3pt shooter. You gonna tellme Larry Bird wouldn't become a good 3py shooter? Cmon. Have some ability to project, to extrapolate.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#37 » by kowboy » Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:48 pm

donnieme wrote:00 Spurs were disliked by masses/casuals and considered boring. Even on Rgm they weren't too popular. Fwiw don't agree with it.


I remember this, a lot of those early/mid 2000s Spurs teams were considered "boring" and "unwatchable". That 03 finals with Spurs and Nets was one of the least watched of its era.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#38 » by Haldi » Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:41 pm

Nazrmohamed wrote:
prophet_of_rage wrote:
Haldi wrote:
Its jealousy and its pathetic. They recognize that their superstars they loved just weren’t good enough to shoot that well from further out from any type of pass, pumpfake or off any dribble like todays players can. Most don’t even admit that todays 3 point shooters are all miles ahead of even guys like Bird, Miller or Mullin and they all think if Bird would have a green light today he would be doing all the same stepback 3s and pick and roll pops that we see today. Truth is there is a reason players back then only took 3s when they were absolutely wide open. Any coach in the 80s would’ve met Curry or Dame and wouldve gave them the greenest of lights too.

Go look at 90% of Birds 3s and there isnt a defender within like 10 feet of him. Miller was shooting with defenders closer to him closing in from being picked but he couldn’t shoot of the dribble like guys today. Now guys are shooting from several feet behind the line with a hand challenge, off any type of move and still hitting at almost the same percentages as bird. If you can’t understand that, its either a severe lack of basketball knowledge or simply like I said before, just pathetic jealousy.
Or you understand what was practised, what wasm't allowed under the rules, what wasn't conceivable. Yes the game is built on the backs of giants.

The trouble for the old school with the modern three point shooting is that it eliminates a lot of post play and the one-on-one battles that occurred below the free throw line.

Sent from my SM-N970W using Tapatalk


What he said was categorically ridiculous. There are definitely more shooters today than ever, nobody can argue that but coaches coach to the trends of the league they grow up in and I don't think fans of today understand that it goes beyond skill, it's culture as well. Many coaches would've given Lillard the greenlight..... at SG or some other position that doesn't involve running an offense. Many coaches would've harped heavily on his defense, on his assist totals and the fact that at PG he's out here scoring 30 while the next best player is averaging 15. That would've been a problem back then. Many 3pt shooters wouldn't even get the opportunity to realize thier 3pt shooting greatness because for many coaches it would be like a QB throwing a hail Mary on every play.

I'm not trying to say today's player isn't really as good or that yesterdays player is any better. I just can't understand why fans of today can't understand that many behaviors weren't favored or fans of old can't acknowledge how much bigger and more athletic even a guy you might find soft is to yesterdays player. I think the difference between Bird of yesteryear and Bird today is that today he may never have played a minute of SF and played PF exclusively and yes, at stretch 4 I imagine him to be just as dominant. Good shooter, good passer, good rebounder. Maybe not a great defender but people out here acting like Luka plays any defense, like Harden plays any defense. He'd be to me in the same class of player. Maybe too slow at SF but then again, Luka isn't all that fast, Luka ain't all that athletic. He's crafty and that's what Bird was. The difference is today in practice, coach would be applauding him for extending his range not criticizing him for it.

It wasn't considered a good shot folks. And because it wasn't considered a good shot it wasn't valued. The moment it became valued everybody got better at it. There are guys in this league that started out not taking 3s and now take 3s. Brook Lopez is a solid 3pt shooter. You gonna tellme Larry Bird wouldn't become a good 3py shooter? Cmon. Have some ability to project, to extrapolate.


It wasn’t considered a good shot and was undervalued because shooters weren’t out of this world at shooting it like todays players are. Its that simple. If players back then could’ve, the coaches would’ve been thrilled to let them.
Jordans fadeaway is no different, coaches always thought players that its bad for your shot to do that, until a player showed them wrong and became elite at it. Sports evolve, they get better, especially a sport as young as basketball. And a lot of time its players with unreal work ethic that change things like this, like MJ, like Curry.
The Dame scenario is just ridiculous, back to back champs Pistons had a PG that lead them in scoring ( scored a lot less than Dame too ), was a worst passer than Dame and they did just fine winning championships and such. That coach was just fine with this.

I do agree with Prophets point about fans not liking less post play, i don’t understand why, but i do know its a sore point with old school fans. For me its good ridance. I much prefer bigs like Giannis that are becoming skilled all over the floor instead. Imagine if Hakeems coaches hadn’t limited him to only post play and we couldve seen him fly up the court fonding open shooters or throwing it down full speed like Giannis. Instead he become an absolute god at post play but to me that’s limiting this players potential, and the game has finally phased that out. A well rounded 7 footer is much better than a 7 foot stiff that has an amzing 2-5 foot bank shot lay up.

And just so there’s no confusion, I am not a “today fan”. Been a huge fan since the early 90, favourite player was Reggie, but I don’t mind saying that todays players are better, since its true. Its true in every sport, especially when a young sport blows up globally like Bball did because of our old school heros. MJs and the Bird changed the game, and its even better. Point guards in the 80s and before weren’t all very good at finishing with their left, Mark Jackson admitted he never even attempted a left hand layup his whole NBA career, today you won’t even get looked at if you have no left. The game is completely different AND better, and its not just shooting, its everything in it ( minus post gods like Hakeem, Shaq, D-Rob/Duncan… rip )
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#39 » by Plutonashfan » Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:46 pm

90s Cavs under Mike Fetallio.
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Re: Can you have a winning team but be unwatchable ? 

Post#40 » by Maxthirty » Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:50 pm

I find the Lakers unwatchable rn. Unfortunately they’re not winning though.
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