When I started watching basketball as a kid back in the 90s, it was exciting.
Every game had real grit- and Im not talking about just guys talking tough on the court.
Guys who actually banged down low in the post.
It was basketball with tactics and strategy.
Its just a three-point shooting contest where defense is an afterthought.
And sadly, the three-point shooting isn’t even that good.
Take, for example, this past Friday night’s suck-fest between the Bulls and Hornets.
Disgracefully, history was made.
They missed 38 threes (8-46) while the home team missed 37 (14-51).
There were signs early on that we might get to witness history.
The Hornets went 2-11 from three in the first quarter and then 0-6 in the second.
The Bulls, meanwhile, went 5-18 and 3-12 respectively.
Now, defense has essentially disappeared from the NBA, and thats not by accident- its by design.
In fact, the league has all but forbidden it.
Forget about hard fouls or playing tough.
You do that, and youre suspended, fined, or worse.
God forbid you actually bother someone in the paint.
There was a time when basketball was about being tough.
Youd get an elbow in the ribs, and everyone would move on with their lives.
So nobody, outside of maybe Jrue Holiday, even bothers trying.
Want to say I’m wrong?
Watch a Lakers game this season for me one time.
It’s seriously fuckin laughable.
Shaq is absolutely disgusted.
According to Shaq, it all has to do with the modernized playstyle which revolves heavily around three-point shooting.
Its down because were looking at the same thing.
Everybodys running the same plays.
At the damn top of the key dribble handoff," said Shaq.
“I was talking to a coach yesterday and he said ‘They want to shoot 50 threes’.
Because they were trying to contemplate if I could play in this era.
We wanna make 10 or 15 of them.'
I think viewership will continue to go down unless we switch things up.”
And disagree all you want, but just know that you’re wrong.
Back in Shaq’s day and prior, big men were dominant.
But today, those skills are almost useless.
Today they hang out on the perimeter and bomb threes like the other 4 guys out on the floor.
The games become so one-dimensional its like theyve taken all the strategy out of it.
The game back then had its challenges, sure, but it also had real excitement.
Nowadays, were watching teams jack up threes from anywhere on the court, and if they miss?
Similar to striking out while trying to go yard, vs. simply hitting for contact in baseball.
Something he’s repeated and been adamant about ever since.
What’s crazy is I actually love playoff basketball.
The result is real hustle and competition between freak athletes that is hard to beat.
The last few years of playoffs, not including The Finals, have been incredibly entertaining.
The regular season though?
Buzz, your girlfiend-
I don’t know how people with season tickets do it.
Its gotta be so hard to keep watching the same boring show over and over again.
- watch this thing of beauty and get nostalgic with me
P.p.s.-
