After watching the golden age of basketball in the 80s, the 90s style of play was hard to watch and not very asthecally pleasing. It's the brand of basketball in the 90s that caused the NBA to change so many of the rules, precisely because the games had become hard to watch and 10 point quarters or 70 - 85 scores were not unusual. Balls clanking of off the back of the rim and missed lay-ups were the norm for most teams.
Actually, the Houston Rockets hasn't done badly as far as whistles go. I took a look at the last 3 seasons, and the Rockets attempted more FTs than their opponents all 3 of these years.
NOT true, though. There are LESS foul shots per TEAM on average NOW compared to the 80's & 90's. And the 90's had a slightly LOWER pace. Which means MORE free throws in LESS possessions = slugfest = MORE game stoppage. Maybe there's a gripe in the WAY fouls are called. But the games today aren't being stopped by free throws any more than in decades past.
Free Throw Attempts/Team Average: 1991 season = 2287 FTA 2011 season = 1998 FTA 300 less free throws per team = 2 LESS free throw trips per game You'd think that means they're letting the players get away with MORE. But yeah perhaps they're calling the games too UNEVEN. Ticky tack foul calls makes players more foul AVERSE and they probably CAN'T play at a higher competitive level. Turns games into soft All-Star type exhibitions.
