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

[Sedale Threatt]

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.

This post is extremely illustrative. If you're going full old-man-shaking-his-fist-at-clouds over a one-off exhibition game that doesn't mean anything, you're probably pretty rigid and it's not surprising at all that you'd bail out when the sport no longer fits your exact, very narrow parameters. Personally, as somebody who's been watching the game religiously since 1987, there are definitely things I miss, but also things I'm delighted with. Even though my team did amazingly well, I thought the late 90s and early 00s were, as a whole, pretty dreadful. I never thought we'd see teams actually running again and pushing tempo and trying to score instead of relying on hero ball and turning everything into a halfcourt grindfest. To each their own I suppose.

[KembaWalker]

It's probably more painful watching a team like the Jazz dominate year after year and yet just know they are never gonna win a ring because for some reason the playoffs is just a completely different version of the sport than what is played in the regular season from a physicality standpoint, and the only guys that are allowed to fully play their games are the type that aren't going to Utah to play.

Probably easier to just root for a crappy franchise like me or bandwagon superstars

[PierceFan4ever]

Basketball peaked for me from 2008-2013. I felt like there was a perfect balance of post game and three point shooting and a lot of my favorite athletes I enjoyed watching were still playing.

2016 was an amazing year overall as well that I enjoyed watching. But after that, the regular season hasn’t been as fun for me with players always being out, the new stars not being as appealing, too much three point shooting, guys focused on resting and treating the regular season like a marathon where games don’t mean that much. Playoffs are still fun I guess.

[MemphisX]

so if you have moved on...move on. I have been watching basketball since Magic Johnson's rookie season. You and people like you are FOS. The illegal defense era was literally about 5-6 years of holding the ball for 15 seconds. Basketball is was more skilled and diverse than it has ever been. More players from all over the world and it is not just a 3point shooting contest.

And really the goofiness of a person to post on a message board specific to a topic you don't enjoy for over a decade is borderline crazy behavior. Seek help.

Warned for personal attack. Make your basketball point without needlessly insulting people.
-js21

[brutalitops]

My grandad said the same thing in the early 90's

Game Evolves. You romanticize a certain style but cant accept that the game has moved.

[jokeboy86]

The teams had stronger identities back then. The players were also more charismatic for the most part (with some exceptions), and carried more mystique, probably due to the absence of social media.

Pippen was a God-like figure growing up in the 90s for instance. If he played today, we'd all have learned how much of a quitter and a hater he is by now.

Teams play a smarter brand of basketball today. Players are way more skilled on average - although not necessarily smarter. I do find 90s basketball more entertaining to watch, due to the differences in playing style, and the physicality and competitiveness that were allowed. Most teams nowadays hunt the same shots because they're universally recognized as the most efficient, although some superstars still embrace the midrange game (Kawhi, KD, Middleton).

One random thing that really bothers me about today's game is the number of arenas playing music during the games. It sounds cheap, and tacky. Watch highlights of game 6 between Bucks and Suns and all you hear is thumping beats while the outcome of the Finals is being decided. It strips the game of any classic feel.

THIS

It's one thing when the garden or Staples would play the defense chant on the organ but this sensory overload on the fan that every team feels they have to do now is too much. It ruins the live experience especially if you grew up going to games without it. It's like they can't go 30 seconds without playing music during the game.

[Sedale Threatt]

so if you have moved on...move on. I have been watching basketball since Magic Johnson's rookie season. You and people like you are FOS. The illegal defense era was literally about 5-6 years of holding the ball for 15 seconds. Basketball is was more skilled and diverse than it has ever been. More players from all over the world and it is not just a 3point shooting contest.

And really the goofiness of a person to post on a message board specific to a topic you don't enjoy for over a decade is borderline crazy behavior. Seek help.

There were teams in the 90s/00s whose offense actually consisted of sets with 4 players standing on one side of the court, not moving at all, so the 5th could go 1-on-1. Or pitching the ball inside to underskilled big men for low-efficiency postups because coaching staffs hadn't yet figured out this is one of the least productive plays in the game. (McHale or Olajuwon in the post? Beautiful. Eaton or Polynice? Not so much!) The absolute antithesis of this era and what (IMO) basketball should be about: space, skill, movement, creativity, etc. It was f'ing dreadful. Like I said, I miss things about how the sport used to be played. But as somebody who has gone through multiple eras and generations now, there is an enormous amount of romanticizing and glorification that doesn't fit reality.

[hoosierdaddy34]

Basically I think us old heads who to try to crap on the current game are full of it, just like the new kids who try to crap on the old game are full of it.

The game is different but both versions have good and bad parts to it.

Us Old dudes say they hate 3 pointers…but they enjoyed all the long twos from yesteryear? BS.

But I think it’s fair to say I miss the physicality of years past.

Do I miss the dominant centers? Yes. Do I miss Kevin Duckworth or other fat marginal centers clogging the paint with their big butts? Absolutely not. Do I like the modern mobile big who has a more all around game? Absolutely.

Do I miss all the “defensive specialists” who couldn’t score on the floor? Absolutely not. Does it kill me to watch teams today run 3 points guards out there and no one is attacking these midgets in the post? Yes that drives me nuts.

Do I love fast break wide open basketball? Yes. Do I love smash mouth pound them to the ground basketball? Absolutely. I am a basketball fan. In any form it’s the greatest game in the world. F the NFL. F Soccer.

So yeah I don’t have time for fake basketball fans like this dude. Go watch freaking hockey and stop bitching.

[Slade3]

Back in the days of Stockton and Malone I used to live and breath Jazz games. I'd watch every second. IF I couldn't watch I'd listen. I loved the game back then.

Then they moved on. But, I still loved watching AK and a bunch of scrubs try to win games. It was a little frustrating watching them execute the offense to get good looks but just not have enough talent to make open shots. But the energy and effort they put into the game was infectious.

I still enjoyed the Boozer and Deron days. It was a lesser product than Stockton and Malone, but it was still rewarding to watch. They still ran plays. They tried pretty hard.

Then Sloan retired.

I haven't enjoyed basketball since. The game used to be beautiful. Not just the Jazz. But, the Kings under Adleman. The Spurs under Pop. Yes, even the Bulls were a joy to watch.

But, today the game stinks. I have a perfectly good team to watch. And I don't. I check box scores. I follow the offseason. But, to sit down and watch a game?? Nah. It's just ugly basketball IMHO. You don't see the teamwork anymore. You don't see the physicality. You don't see a team imposing their will. It's more like a glorified game of pop-a-shot. And the Jazz are freaking good at pop-a-shot. But, I still don't want to watch that.

I want to watch post play. I want to see backdoor cuts. Throw me a UCLA cut now and then. Something. But, it's either iso or PNR every trip down the floor for every team. It's boring. Even winning is boring. ****, even the playoff are boring. Can you believe that? I don't even watch my team in the playoffs anymore.

I guess the rest of the world is perfectly happy with this product, but I'm old enough to remember something better. And I'm sad. I believe the fact that 3>2 has destroyed the product. It took a while, but it finally did.

I think they need to move the 3pt line back. Way back. The 3pt shot should be a high risk, high reward desperation shot. Not the bread and butter of an offense. You should be looking to make a 3 in specific dire circumstances, not simply every time you can get one. So, push it back about 3ft, let the Currys and Dame's of the league still have value. But, no more corner 3s. Also, if you are fouled on a 3pt shot, you get 2 free throws, not 3. So, less flopping for free throws on the 3pt line. If you are going to shoot there you need to be actually trying to score of the math isn't in your favor.

I wonder if I'm the only old timer that has simply stopped watching games now. Or if we all have decided box scores and offseason moves are the only thing left of interest?

Agreed. I wouldn't mind getting rid of the 3 pointer altogether.

[BigGargamel]

I get to watch Jokic play basketball every day. Basketball is beautiful.

I'm 41. There are things I miss about the older game (individual styles) and things I don't miss (mugging, 70-68 games, unwatchable offense). Basketball will change and evolve and devolve but I'll always watch because these are the best athletes in the world.

[celticfan42487]

Sure having 0 different strategies ruins the game, but another aspect I think is key is the annoying amount of professionalism in the game.

This game is nothing to these players except an object to squeeze money out of for the lowest effort possible. And because they know no one really cares beyond that they don't invest in it personally.

It's very unprofessional to take a cheap shot, or get offended. Hell it's really unprofessional to take someone's shoe that fell off and throw it into the crowd, but damn does it allow for villains and entertainment. You can take offense to someone going to the rim and being clotheslined unnecessarily but that can also lead to someone's career like Bird's ending early due to back injuries.

In no small dose do I think the NBA itself is happy with the increased professionalism, they don't have players appearing in magazines or in professional wrestling a couple days before the Finals as if they Finals doesn't matter to them. But damn is it boring as **** having these corporate stamped personalities.

With very very few exceptions of course, the one that comes to mind the most is Embiid. He's got a bit of Shaq's personality on the court and retired Shaq's lack of dedication to cardio. Hate it or love it at least it's SOMETHING to have an emotional feeling about.

[trickshot]

After the 2000s I decided I'd never complain about the league again. Watching the league make a concerted effort to spam efficient 3pt offense beat watching the league and its stars make a concerted effort to play the wrong way just to be the next Jordan.

Also people greatly overestimate the degree of variety from previous eras. Compared to now 80s looked like a track event. Like all eras the teams at the top carried the brand of ball. The others were far from Lakers showtime or celtics ball movement offense. It was overall fun and i have a feeling it would still be discredited if it happened today.

[Rockazoids]

I been a Knicks fan scents about 1975 & I just stop by to say

[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

Why would you want to talk about basketball if you're not watching it?

good point

the games are largely unwatchable to me. i haven't seen a game from beginning to end yet. since it's a players' league, you watch the players not the games. i think talking about it has taken the place of watching it. how much of realgm is actually about talking about "THE GAME" versus talking trash about players and other ancillary topics. i'd say 3/4 of the topics have nothing to do with the GAME....in which case you can talk about it without watching it

[BeatDaCavs420]

Dude

[ThumbsUpBaby]

This isn't even an "old man yelling at cloud" type of thing. I've lost interest in the NBA, and haven't watched a single game this year. It just doesn't appeal to me like it used to. It's weird because it's not the product that's keeping me disinterested either. I actually like the modern playstyle, even if I do miss the post play. I think it might just be the players themselves, no matter how good they are.

[The Rebel]

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.

You’re arguing that there’s less nuance to the game now than there was 20-30 years ago. That flat out isn’t true.

More players are more capable of more things than ever (shooting, passing, dribble penetration), which has lead to more spacing, which has lead to more options in offensive sets.

“Unc” is talking about the freaking iso-ball ‘90’s, where non-skilled hack-artists saw minutes for most teams, and the schemes were far more iso-based and/or one-note than they are today.

This can’t really be argued. If you prefer that, then that this is perfectly ok, because preference is subjective…


…but to argue the game overall today is less nuanced and more simplistic is ridiculous.

LMAO you do realize that until the early 90s there was no such thing as a specialist in the NBA don't you?

And yes the game is less nuanced and more simplistic than at any time in it's history. The literally had to change dribbling and traveling rules because today's NBA cannot dribble the damn ball.

There is limited offensive movement, go watch the old Princeton offense and all the other offensive systems from the 80s and tell me that today's offense are anywhere close to that complicated. Literally teams are looking for guys who are skilled enough to even know when to move and when to cut, it is rare these days. Coordinated attacks with 5 guys moving at one time, no team enough players that know how to do it to run that type of offense successfully.

HOw many bigs today have any kind of post up game? How many perimeter players cannot make a proper entry pass into the post?

The only people that think today's game is more complicated that any time in NBA history hasn't been watching the NBA long enough to decide what is ridiculous.

[Jabroni Lames]

I miss the Greg Ostertag Era of big men and his ilk. Right there with you OP. It was beautiful to watch.

[XtremeDunkz]

I haven't watched much this year due to players constantly out due to covid. I did watch the pelicans bucks game today though.

It was so boring......

Just constant 3 point heaves. Even when they are going in that's just not exciting.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[rtiff68]

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.

You’re arguing that there’s less nuance to the game now than there was 20-30 years ago. That flat out isn’t true.

More players are more capable of more things than ever (shooting, passing, dribble penetration), which has lead to more spacing, which has lead to more options in offensive sets.

“Unc” is talking about the freaking iso-ball ‘90’s, where non-skilled hack-artists saw minutes for most teams, and the schemes were far more iso-based and/or one-note than they are today.

This can’t really be argued. If you prefer that, then that this is perfectly ok, because preference is subjective…


…but to argue the game overall today is less nuanced and more simplistic is ridiculous.

LMAO you do realize that until the early 90s there was no such thing as a specialist in the NBA don't you?

And yes the game is less nuanced and more simplistic than at any time in it's history. The literally had to change dribbling and traveling rules because today's NBA cannot dribble the damn ball.

There is limited offensive movement, go watch the old Princeton offense and all the other offensive systems from the 80s and tell me that today's offense are anywhere close to that complicated. Literally teams are looking for guys who are skilled enough to even know when to move and when to cut, it is rare these days. Coordinated attacks with 5 guys moving at one time, no team enough players that know how to do it to run that type of offense successfully.

HOw many bigs today have any kind of post up game? How many perimeter players cannot make a proper entry pass into the post?

The only people that think today's game is more complicated that any time in NBA history hasn't been watching the NBA long enough to decide what is ridiculous.

The fact that you articulate yourself as well as you do, and yet still have a take this completely absent of reality makes us engaging on this topic any further pointless.

Good Lord.