The sick sad part is They kind of saddle the Big man to be a pack horse Get Rebounds, get mugged under the goal and runn out to the top of the key to set a ROLLING pick I think the changing or what a PICK is rule is killing alot of good defense too. All Diaws do is set moving picks Rocket River
Look at the four teams left in the playoffs. All of them are teams that play great team basketball. That's what the rule changes have done - they favor teams that can move the ball around. Teams that were totally dependent on defense are fading away - no one could have imagined San Antonio losing to Dallas a year ago....and part of Houston's trouble is that it's locked in a 90's style defense - it's antiquicated. The rule changes neutralize strength and athleticism a bit in favor of fundamental skills like making shots and passing. You see that with the remaining teams. By the way, the comment about returning to white skinny guys....hmmm, a bit suspect
Definitely a new era. Steve Nash, Dirk, Wade, and nearly Le Bron made it to the semi finals. Gone is Duncun...Garnett, Iverson, J - O'Neal, JKidd You can see the face of the game changing. It's also worth nothing that Kobe took Phoenix to 7 games.
Strength yes, athleticism no. Dribble penetration is rewarded above pretty much everything else since touching anyone who is not posting results in a foul. Basically the NBA saw how popular the high flyers like Jordan were and wanted to encourage everyone to do that, hence the prohibition of hand-checking, the restricted area, the allowance of moving picks, etc.
Apparently ratings are up by leaps and bounds (might be the result of so many competitive series, though, rather than style) - so I suspect not.
I was listening to the Radio and heard that Jason Terry's Socks will be outlawed next year. I was wondering what that was about. Rocket River
The NBA hasn't been fun since 1998. I'm glad the drought it over. Dirk, Nash, Wade all advanced. Rip them apart, but they are great players. I'm sorry, stockton could never do the things Nash does on a nightly basis. You can hold on to the relics of the past, but Stockton isn't deserving of legend status. He was a guy who was great at getting the ball to Karl Malone. To comparison to Matt Maloney was facetious - hyperbole, which apparently you can't get away with on this board because people have no sense of humor. Steve Nash is so much more fun to watch then Stockton ever was. Who on earth ever turned on a Utah game and thought to themselves - "WOW - JOHN STOCKTON is going to be playing!!!!" unless you were a chick. Are you a chick? Is that what you're saying. Please, forget about MVP and all the records...give me Steve Nash over John Stockton any day. I'm talking about entertainment here. Get it?
I don't know how you guys can come to the conclusion of who is the better player, when compare players with different styles. Nobody would compare Nash to Stockton if he is still playing for the Mavs; by the same token, I don't think anyone really thinks Stockton could have done as good a job with the Suns put he in the Nash's shoes now. They both are great playing in a particular system. I know this is off the topic, but I guess most Rockects fans think Stockton highly, probably due to the bad memories of his plays vs. the Rockets in the past, but from the games I've watched vs the Pistons, and the Bulls, Stockton was not that impressive at all. I. Thomas owned him almost verytime they played against each other, and he hardly could do anything against the Bulls defense, either. I dislike Thomas, but he was a superior player than Stockton in my book.
A bunch of guys running fast up and down the court, jacking up three pointers, if that's the golden era of NBA basketball, I would suggest a better name: "the golden era of light basketball". Without many skillful big centers playing dominant games, imho, the game is vastly less entaintaining. A bunch of sprinters shooting three pointers? Even WNBA is better than that. I am tired of this kind of games after one playoffs. Really! I never liked Suns and Mavs, and now I dislike them even more. Give me more big men! I will take Duncan's post moves and bank shots, Yao's shakes and baseline jumpers, Shaq's elbow and back downs, over Dirk's jumpers/Marion's mad running/whatever the bunch of guys in detroit are doing any day of the week. This is a big men's game, and is played under and around the buskets. Maginalizing the big centers is a huge mistake, imo, and NBA will regret about it very soon.
Big men haven't been marginalized. It's time people realize that Duncun isn't one of the all time great big men. It's time people accept that Shaq is fading. And frankly, big men have never been fun to watch - with the exception of Olajuwon. The Bulls won championships without a great big man, as did the Bad Boys. Those teams were built around passing. Even the Celtics of the past - while they had the greatest frontline ever Robert Parish and Kevin McHale weren't Shaq or even Duncun. Point is, Dirk is a big man, and the Suns put out a starting line-up that's pretty amazing in any era. So does Dallas. People always talk about how great the past is and how the present never measures up. I don't get that. The Suns - Mavs series is so much fun to watch - and they are playing basketball on very sound fundamentals. Why would any purist bemoan that?
I thought Dirk is only 6'5, you say he is not :-;!? Jumper after jumper, He sure plays like that. That's my point: this type of basketball reminds me of my high school team -- too light. It's not fun to watch and it has no future, but definitely it's just my opinion. BTW Suns starting line-up if minus Nash is very fundamentally unsound. I wish Heat go all the way this year, and next year Yao and Tmac bring us back to real fun.
Yeah, Larry Bird was only six five as well right? I always suspected the Lakers without Magic Johnson were fundamentally unsound. Just a suspicion.
What bothers me most in this 'Golden Age' IS THE FRICKING FLOPPING. . and the fact that the Refs are actually falling for it. . . the game has turned in to a FRICKIN DRAMA CLASS If i see Raja Bell or Ginobilli . . . get touched .. kick his feet out and flop one more time I will throw up If I see Diaw or Duncan set one more moving pick . . I will scream If I see Diaw put his forearm in the defender's chest as he drives the lane then turn the channel and watch shaq get an Offensive foul for backing a guy down . . . . I . . . I . .. *sigh* Fundamentally sound?? At best it is only on one end Fundamentally Sound Defense has been hamstringed and crippled in an attempt to Foster Fundamentally Sound offense. . . what you get is basically better 'looking' offense but is it truly better? Rocket River
When did REFFING a NBA GAME become like Umping a MLB game you spend the 1st couple of innnings in baseball trying to figure out the strike zone now .. in the NBA the 1st half is about what will be called and what will be allowed Rocket River
NBA Finals - no Detroit, no San Antonio (no Duncun). Dirk and Wade in the finals going shot for shot, free throw for free throw. Shaq made irrelevant. Steve Nash and Lebron James nipping on their heals. T-mac still around if he can get healthy. Welcome to the new golden age! Dallas Phoenix Houston (healthy t-mac) Miami Cleavland
