I recently engaged in a lengthy discussion with an older NBA fan regarding various players in different eras. He was a big fan of guys like Wilt/Russell/West/Kareem and got quite passionate when I suggested that while great and deserving HOF players they played in a much weaker era that inflated their stats. They could not compete at the same level during the 90's peak.
He passionately argued these stars would have no problems retaining status. In fact, it was not weaker but stronger. Play today is just ‘flashy’ or 'fancy', not quality. While I respect his opinion as a fan supporting his players to do it he had to more or less ignore an exhaustive list of strong points which settled all but his mind.
Its self-evident the league has evolved from it’s past, I won't write about that, but rather what I learned: the basketball fan in general has evolved with the league. In fairness its possible he's right and I am wrong. I doubt it based on full games and clips I've watched. Compared to today’s game it looks like the video game graphic at the top of this blog.
These are the stars of a finals game? Seriously? No wonder Bill had 35 boards: he invented 'jumping on defense'
Ignoring video evidence he said that it was only a perception that the guys on old film never jump or display ability dribbling the ball... its because they did not want to?? At some point during the back and fourth I realized the intense differences in being a casual/serious fan of pro basketball and how that has itself evolved. It's not so much that you can't compare eras but fans from different eras are too set in their preconceived notions of quality to agree. There is no other reason to think someone could ignore the following list of points. The 60's/70's were weak. Not to say I can't be wrong because my own era affects my own thinking in the same way. But I'm me, not that guy, so I'm writing it from my perspective.
- Most of that era's players actually learned to play with soccer balls
- the talent pool they came from was literally 1000's of times smaller
- the league was so bad defensively that a player could average 50 points, a triple double or 20 boards for a whole season
- Players didn't really know how to box out and rarely did, even on foul shots
- In 10 years from 1966 to 1976 the size of the league more then doubled from 9 to 24
- teams allowing way more scrubs who had never once played at that level into the league to get beat up on by the pros
- At the same time as that expansion the ABA opened it's doors. 3 years later NBA owners voted 14-3 to let them merge cuz they knew they were getting crushed.
- In 1976 when the merger happened 75% of the ABA players made the NBA sending many star's victims home
- of the 4 teams who merged the Spurs won division titles 5 of their first 6 years. The Nuggest were 1-3 games from the league's best record. The Nets who were the best team in the ABA were forced to sell their best player Dr. J and move the team due to the severe financial/draft limitations. Their other great player, Nate tiny Archibald broke his foot. The team still won 22 games.
- when the merger happened many stars stats plummeted... some from top five to out of the top 20 in many cats
- Elgin Baylor, a 6' 5" player averaged 35 and freaking 20 and 38/19 in back to back seasons. He was 6'5" and was one of the first players who could actually play, but he was 6'5". That's almost a 40/20
- one player had a 55 rebound game as well as many other 40+ 50+ games, as did a few other dominant players. In the past 25 years of basketball and more, there has not been a single game over 35 and only a handful close to it
- Jerry West at the 2 guard put up better numbers then Michael Jordan in his prime in the 90's, better then Lebron, better then Kobe in his prime, he was 6'2", could not jump, could shoot the lights out and D'ed up, but could barely dribble with his left hand... he was 6'2"
- While not playing basketball players did not spend time doing anything else but having sex with women and jumping. That's how Wilt had a 50" vert and planted his stilt in 20,000 pieces of trash... well u know, according to him.
- Players used to actually smoke butts at halftime of games
- One of Bill Russel's 'innovations' on the game was learning that jumping helped you block shots: read this quote: "To play good defense... it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. When I started to jump to make defensive plays and to block shots, I was initially corrected, but I stuck with it, and it paid off."[7]
There are 5 myopia inducing Fan eras with plenty of overlap in the group. Fans form opinions about the game and once set its locked in for life. While the 90's/MJ era stands alone as a seperate era, in terms of fandom, the game was very much the same as in the latter 70's and early 00's. Fan eras tend to be driven by how basketball is thought about rather then those who play it so things like major rule changes are the turning points. There are 4 fan eras of hoop:
Pre Shot Clock Era
Did "Mr. Basketball" actually play basketball? Sort of...
Not many of these dudes left. This era occurred when the league was in a formative state. Play varied so much its difficult to imagine any comparisons being made. Games were won with stalling techniques and scores were regularly in the teens and 20's.
Simultaneously equipment was improving. Basketballs before the late late 40’s and early early 50’s were not quite symmetrical and did not bounce consistently. Dribbling therefore didn’t become a crucial part of the game till the 50’s altering how you played. Basketball resembled team hand ball with limited on-ball movement resulting in a very pass oriented game. Maybe an old timer thinks George "Mr. Basketball" Mikan is the greatest but its like trying to argue Charlie Chaplin being more talented then Martin Scorcese.
Post Shot Clock To The 1976 ABA/NBA Merger
Athletic players in the NBA were not really welcomed or accepted. People rarely dunked and much of the league was still quite slow. This era was dominated by the Celtic’s 11 championships in 13 years and fostered rules to limit Wilt Chamberlain’s size induced dominance.
Much Improved: But This Is The Finals With GOAT Candidates??? Really???
While players like Jerry West, Bill Russell and Elgin Baylor dramatically increased elite talent the NBA expanded from 9 to 24 teams negating them. Simultaneously the ABA formed in 1967 and drew many of the best making both ends of the era a wash.
In 1976 75% of the merging ABA players forced out their NBA peers. 10 of the new league’s 24 all stars were ABA players . 3 of the elite teams 1976 NBA teams were the ABA teams despite financial and draft penalties accepted as a concession of the merger. Needless to say talent was spread far and thin prior to 1976.
Fans in this era may tend to feel the well documented statistical achievements of the players indicate supreme strength. Due to their disproportionate size many also consider the era's centers the best to ever to play.
Factoring into their stats however is a much faster pace (25 possessions/game or more) and watery competition sporting boys to take on the men. The size factor meant the few truly dominant bigs feasted on a league of diminutive front court players. Elgin Baylor at 6'5" approached scoring 40 PPG and 20 boards over an enitre season. Twice! Nuff said.
Merger To Bad Boys 2
One of the reasons bigs were able to dominate pre-merger was absence of the 3 point shot. Adopted from the ABA it helped to even the size advantage as the lower percentage outside shot now counted for more then a high % inside one. Good shooters at a distance had to be covered by defenders helping to spread the floor and open lanes inside the painted area.
This new unclogged middle opened up the game spawning new strategies featuring athletic players quick players. A 6’5” player who could jump could get a very high percentage dunk or grab a rebound over a center who had moved out of defensive position. Pro ball as we know it was born when the ABA brought it's style and talent to the NBA.
Offensive juggernauts like the Celtics/Lakers led by Bird and Magic flourished as the running game exploded on the 1980’s NBA. Jordan and Dominque were fixtures of the league's highlights and stats. No guard had ever been able to control games like this. They could nearly beat the other team all by themselves as long as it was close near the end. In Jordan's rookie season he dropped 63 points on a shocked Celtics team. Larry Bird won the game. His face however acknowledged some part of of him had been defeated.
No player has been so great under such pressure in history
In response new sophisticated defensive schemes were developed to fight back. The Pistons bad boys team were notoriously physical taking contact to a whole new level. Result: back to back championships. Could have been 3 but the Lakers were bailed out by Pistons injuries in 1988. They made specific “Jordan Rules” to wear down the game’s best player with success.
Defense intensified into the 90’s. Teams saw it as the only way to stop the freakishly athletic new breed of players from crushing them on a nightly basis. Pat Reilly’s Knicks and Heat teams took advantage of ‘hand checking’ loop holes in the rules to literally beat on anyone scoring in the paint. Players like Jordan reacted using their athleticism to become some of the best defensive players ever but to the determent of scoring which was beginning to dip below 90 PPG. Jordan's own PPG would decline as he entered his prime.
Fans from this era are invariably obsessed with defense and incredible individual play capable of beating those defenses. MJ’s quote “defense wins championships” is used more then Michael Jackson’s attorney. After years of marketing ‘superstars’ the league was at a loss on how to sell team defense to it’s fanbase without an MJ caliber superstar to beat them. Combined with the late 90's parade of reitring superstars and weak drafts, they started to feel desperate
The league attempted to curtail the physicality with little success. A tipping point was reached when the second Pistons defensive powerhouse, with no marketable ‘stars’, bullied their way to a 4-1 finals victory (and near sweep) over the NBA’s flagship Lakers team. LA was fielding 4 future HOF players in their prime to late prime, and all arguably more talented the their counterparts who won ‘the belts’.
2005 Rule Changes To Present
Don't cry Minny KG... your title is coming soon!
Ratings slipped and the front office responded with intense aggression. It wanted the growth it saw in the 80’s but didn't have the talent anymore to build around.
NBC was in a similar scenerio a few years back when it replaced Carson with Leno only to learn that Letterman and the guy who replaced David were both much better at the job. NBC was stuck with Leno and it's solution was to copy Letterman's old material and showcase it being fronted by Jay. The NBA did the same thing and copied their 70's ancestors. Instead of copying the 3 point line, they just told their refs to give stars more calls then ever and fronted it as a minor 'rule revision'.
Stern created the world’s first ref fueled time machine. Hand checking which had been made illegal already was redefined to allow a ref to call fouls on even the most minimal contact or just for plainly arbitrary reasons. A defensive 3 seconds forced centers out of the lane and defensive position to block shots and rebound. Refs were told to call as much contact on the perimeter as possible.
It worked. Big time. Steve Nash experienced an unprecedented non-stereoid fueled resurgence at 30. He won two back to back MVP’s after his owner refused to give him a relatively modest contract extension. 13 teams averaged 99 points a game or more after only 2 teams did the previous year.
The Pistons did luck into the finals again due to Dwyane Wade’s shoulder injury but lost to the Spurs... SA had equally good defense but it their guards won the series for them. Their penetration game was built for the new rules. Tony Parker led the league in points in the paint, something no small guard had ever done. The next year saw two offensive teams in the finals with Wade’s call inflated games defeating the Mavs.
I have a man crush on Lebron, but he does have it easier
The trend has continued. We were all a witness to Lebron’s vastly inferior team climbing on his back as he continually annihilated the Piston’s defense for 29 straight points in game 5 of the East finals in 2006. The Spurs continued to win with good defense and great slashing guards who closed out game: before they won with the twin towers of Duncan/Robinson surrounded by shooters.
What does this say about the fans of this new era? I really can't tell. I cut my teeth on the defensive 80's/90’s making it hard to get a good read. Defense is still important but you can’t win a title without quick slashing players. Effective centers are shrinking in size and weight as mobility to get back into position is trumping power and the banging game.
Players like Marcus Camby, Josh Smith, Amare Stoudamire and Dwight Howard have become the best bigs in the game while 7’6” Yao Ming, who would have been a defensive monster in the 90’s (Manute Bol blocked 5 shots a game in that era!) just does not seem quick enough to get to the spot and protect the rim or board. The league has gone from rebound/defend to slash and kick.
Fans who didn’t experience the 90’s may rate these skills as the most important facets of a good basketball star. That was Jordan's game so he still gets his respect but will a player like Alonzo Mourning, who was absolutely devastating in the paint, get the same props? What about a guy like Patrick Ewing or even Greg Ostertag? Will I be on the receiving end of an NBA fan in 10-20 years who rather justly doesn’t feel many of the players in my era would wilt in his modern game? With Dwight Howard winning the dunk contest and having 9 20/20 games this season, it seems likely.
Forget West, is 'anyone' in the 1963 finals even approaching Jordanesque??? Rotation/role playeresque, not 30/7/6, is more like it
Only time will tell. Many claim you can’t compare eras. On stats alone I agree. You can with the right concessions, but maybe comparison is not the right approach as understanding eras garners more legit results. I still think the overall growth of the game and especially the use of athletic ability to not only overpower/out finesse truly trumps many past era superstars. Jerry West would not put up Jordan numbers today but he did in the 60's.
In the same league Jordan would kill him... its just not even close. There were no Jordans, Battiers, Pauls, Pippens or Stocktons so slow 6'2 guys could put up 32/7/6. The advancement since then is just too much for the old, old school guys to overcome.
Still have to know your roots though. You can't know where you're going if you don't know where you're from. You don't want to be the young punk who just does not understand the game but if you look at things honestly you can also avoid being that guy who can't let go of the past.
So just one last video... this is Elgin Baylor's 61 point FINALS performance. Where is the D? Where is the speed? This guy nearly averaged a 40/20 for two seasons and is routinely compared to players like Barkley and Lebron.
Be Sure To Pay Attention To What Bob Cousey, Best Point Of His Era, Has To Say At The End
During a David Stern interview the other day he was discussing changesthey were considering for next season. He stated people were 'very excited' about the new Euro-style cylinder rule. Once the ball has touched the rim a player may scoop it off without penalty.
My brain bleeds a lot but never so much as when I hear Stern's occupational pretenses. His job supposedly has to do with basketball and it's quality. His paid for interviewers are about as hard on him as Vanity on Smurfette.
With the league in dire straits, scandals and economics that's the best they've got? There's bad refs, a founded perception of rigged games, refs working for the mob, rules who's threat to negatively alter the outcomes of games/series increases with competitiveness.
So here at Full Court Pest we'll do a bit of Commish work free of charge. If only he would accept it. Without further adeiu, 5 sure fire ways to fix (or at least improve) the NBA for next season.
5. The 'Leave The Bench' Rule And Near Automatic Suspensions MUST Be Changed
An authoritative 'judge' (aka: commissioner) is charged with making calls on issues that are not self-evident. That's why you have the position. Thats why its a 'ruling' and not a 'summary of obvious events.' Mandatory sentencing (and suspensions) are a cop out removing the onus of decisions from that appointed decision maker. David Stern has got to grow a pair and accept the responsibility of simply doing his job.
Stern is afraid of image. He made the leave the bench rule to hide both NBA fights and his ineptitude behind. Countless NBA series have been ruined. The best in recent memory, Suns/Spurs, was over and ruined the moment Amare left the bench even though realized what he was doing and turned around before reaching the fracas and contributing to it.
Which Jersey Got Punished For Plays Like This?
David Stern's reaction was "How am I supposed to be able to know his intentions? I can't read his mind!" You're the freaking commissioner... you're job is to make a judgment in the interests of the league and competition. Instead he issued automatic suspensions handing the series to the Spurs and ruining a fair outcome. Stern had his mandatory rule to follow and put his own stubborn image as ruler of the league in front of the game itself.
How many series have been ruined by this rule? The great Knicks/Heat showdown in the 90's. Shot dead when most of the team was thrown out for an entire game. Its a rule that punishes emotion in Stern's childish fear of the thug image. The higher the competition gets, the more drama and emotion build up, the better the games. That's a fact. The side effect is the chances of an incident also increase. That increases someone's foot crossing a line by an inch and nothing else happens, yet that can determine who wins a series. I call bullshit.
Its a strategy now. Get a less important player to sucker punch the other team's leader in front of their bench. When their players naturally react and cross the line they are suspended. Thats how Robert Horry, premeditated or not, essentially won the Suns series for the Spurs. Its pathetic and needs to be fixed as it was the Spurs irresponsible intense physicality that causes the blow up yet the Suns were punished.
This along with the suspending players for 'unsportmanlike' acts that really don't make impact on other players or the game have to go. Elbows and punches happen when you play intense sports at the highest levels. Punishing a player for being blatantly violent makes sense. Punishing a player for being blatantly competitive to be consistant with punishing the violent player is absolutely another.
Lastly, the suspension based on tech's rule will ruin an entire series/playoffs. Its coming. Do we even want the chance of that? A tech is given indiscriminately for minor things as small as TD laughing on the bench. I don't want that turning an epic series of finals. Do you? And that's why we should get rid of it before it inevitably happens. 4. Call Flops... NOW! Make Them Competitive
Call Flips Too NBA! I Bring You The First 65 Year Old League MVP!
Drawing a charge is coaxing/fooling a player into knocking you down. A skill I respect. You anticipate the spot, get there before the offensive player does and do all this craftily enough that his momentum knocks you off the position. Pure sports.
A flop is none of this. When the ref's vision is partially obscured and its 'tough to call' you use your own force to fall down and/or pull his jersey into your mirage of a foul. Cue wildly flailing arms facial expressions worthy of an Oscar. No charge there. Its actually drawing a bad call from impartial refs in an attempt to undermine the game's rules and their spirit. Some say flopping is an art. Most do not.
I actually agree with the former. Flopping is an art. It's already part of the game. A properly executed flop will frustrate the hell out of your opponent. You get to snicker. He attacks/defends less aggressively because he has an extra foul and worries you will flop again. On the fly flopping is hard. Players who complain the most are never very good. Typical jealous critics.
The problem: its already part of the game but outside the rules. The worst flop outcome is an easy path to the basket with a no-call. I say let them flop. Reward skill and the flop masters. Its not easy to do afterall. Punish the unskilled. The result will increase the quality of flops to be entertaining.
You get called for a flop? Thats foul. The flopee gets 2 free throws. If they scored on the play they keep their points. If they didn't score on the play they keep the ball. The refs get fooled a lot on flops but see plenty of them. I say call what you see. If a player is slick enough to get away with it that's his skill. How does this not make the game better (and more attractive in European markets :) ) right away? It cuts down bad flops and leaves them as a secret weapon for the craftiest players. More flops please! 3. Change The Salary Cap, Add Profit Sharing
PS: Apologies in advance but this takes time to explain. If you've made it this far I hope you bear with me. I think there's some meat. If you don't care about the cap feel free to skip.
The salary cap helps small market teams compete. NBA is not MLB and its a good thing. Unfortunately the side effects are horrible for basketball. If you sign one player to a max deal and he has a major injury you're screwed. It takes a decade: 7 years to expire and 3 to rebuild. If you mistake a player's potential or he can't reach it you're screwed again.
Why Should This Define A Franchise For A Decade?
The Magic had 7 straight losing seasons predominantly due to Grant Hill. His was useless amid his injuries and his contract untradeable. They had talent too. Dwight Howard was there for 3 years. T-Mac's own injuries were traded to Houston in 03. It was their inability to pick up other players who could contribute due to the luxury tax line that Hill's contract pushed them over.
Unless your owner does not care about money (Knicks/Mavs/Blazers) winning means GM's making virtually 0 mistakes before players developing together on the court. Bargian players and signing vets to minimum contracts rather then building the best possible squad produces wins. When a players does develop the work put in and the commitment made by fans gets sold out. They can't afford him anymore and his chemistry/continuity with him. Pro sports fans used to enjoy cheering 'their' players to reach their potential. Now signing a player is akin to filling your plate at an all you can eat buffet. By the time you're sitting you've already "If I don't eat this I can get more of that on the next trip.
Take Joe Johnson. After he became good PHX let him go just before his prime. That was followed by selling Rondo, giving away Kurt Thomas and ultimately having to choose between $Amare$ and Marion. They took Amare under the guise of 'getting better defensively.' Every move was made to avoid the tax.
San Antonio are the anti-Suns. Lots of championships. Not the best team they can be though. Crazy? They won 4? Nope! The Spurs win by surrounding one all-time great player with 2 good players and a bunch of scrubs playing for peanuts.
Mind you, the Spurs still got Manu for a KILLING. He puts up better clutch stats then Kobe on half the salary. They pay Parker under 10 to be an all star. Past that the Spurs are a group of okay but bargain basement ballers. Matt Bonner can hit 3's for 2 mil. Bruce Bowen can D up for 4 mil. The Spurs have had an amazing 18 players on their roster this year making below the league average salary. Thats their team. Great, good, good, fill the gaps. They win. Why?
Not great Spurs teams. The same Spurs team. Greece beat USA due to years of preparation. The Spurs beat more talented teams with consistency. Tim Duncan deserves all his credit, but his value has been over-inflated as the only visible great on this team that wins by buying low, keeping low and selling high. All credit to them. However...
I watch sports to see elite physicial competition... not the stock market moves which is where the real action in the NBA takes place. The NYSE is not in Madison Square Garden and the Knicks in offices are they? Fans tended to agree as the Spurs produced some of the weakest ratings in decades while ratings for things like the NBA draft has sky rocketed.
NFL profit sharing works so why not emulate it? The luxery tax boils down to a wealth redistribution mechanism. Just be blatant. Instead of a tax make a minimum profit threshold. Those above share with those below. The direct result: bringing in Jason Kidd to make the NBA product better in two seperate cities does not cost almost 50 million dollars simply because you signed Eric Dampier and got stuck with him. Punishing your successful franchises rather then helping ones in trouble is a stupid, moronic way to operate when good teams are what you're selling. It does not work either as teams have still folded/moved in Seattle, Charlotte, Vancouver, New Jersy (soon) and Indiana (possibly).
Its killing the league. Anything that makes Donald Sterling one of the most successful owners in the books and the worst on the court is just wrong. Blatantly wrong. Wake up. Figure it out. Simply trying to lower the cap/salaries will NOT fix their problem. But I seriously doubt they view anything as a problem except decreased profits.
Okay, that all needed to be said. Finally... 2. Follow The D-Lead
D-League "Founder". Isiah Thomas Corollary: If Isiah Is Wearing A Suit, Your Organization Will Fail.
Just short of NCAA style selection the D-League's playoff seeding is nothing but fantastic. Let the higher seed pick. It allows truly elite teams to face off later in the playoffs. I'm sick of team A escaping team B because of a bracket. Not only that it adds new drama.
Who's to say that a team will always pick weak? Say the Wizards were 5'th and the Cavs were first how great would it be for basketball if they said "No, we want to embarras our rivals out of the first round. We're good enough that it doesn't matter if they're better then Detroit." What a way to build swagger for a championship run.
It adds a whole other level of strategy. Orlandos dominant but have trouble matching up with Detroit. Should they pick Detroit first and take their biggest challenge when they're fresh at the start of the playoffs? Giving teams control will let them create their own fate and create an new competitive facet as upsets will always be 'chosen' by the losers.
If Detroit is the easiest match up for the Cavs however a hard match up for another team they fear more, who's to say they don't take a better team in the first round and throw a monkey wrench into the real contender's first round? It should continue right through the playoffs. With 4 teams left in each conference the highest seed lets you pick who #2 will face. An advantage that teams WILL play for rather then one extra game at home in a series or two. As it stands now every year end is highlighted by fans going to games to find out the all stars they came to see are sitting on the bench cheering on teh scrubs... except tickets are the same price. This rule alone will improve the dead period from all star to the start of the playoffs. 1. Add A Few Ref Challenges
There Has Got To Be A Better Way To Get A Few Fair Calls
One of the major problems for the entire history of the NBA has been bad calls deciding games. In the course of a game a ref has the ability to 'make up' bad calls by giving a 50/50 call back to the team who lost out on a previous mistake. Its not perfect but this nuance of reffing the games, when executed properly, keeps things under control, competition high and frustration low.
Its not enough. When players with 6 fouls are out one bad call will affect a team for an entire half or more. When there's critical end game possessions or key players in early foul trouble a gimme later is meaningless. The margin of error in basketball at this level is so tight a single blown call will ruin the game's integrity: a ref often has a larger impact the competitors themselves. Sometimes its a game, sometimes its a playoff series, and if the series is important a single call can destroy the whole point of the playoffs and thus an entire season.
A coach could ask his player "are you SURE?" If the player says absolutely they challenge the call. 10-30 seconds later the critical mistake is erased and everyone is happy. If he's wrong the other team gets a couple of technical free throws and the home/away fans have something to cheer/jeer about. If the call prevents Duncan from getting his 3'rd or 4'th foul in the first half then he can stay on the floor and play untentative D as he would have if the right call was made.
Of Course, Rick Adleman Would Have Needed 30 Challanges To Make This Game Fair: It Took 3 YouTube Clips Just To Show The Fix, Umm... Bad Calls
The only result is stronger competition and enhanced fan experience. Nothing kills a city's fanbase like bad calls. The Kings had the best franchise in the NBA and now are the worst team in the league: rumored to be in financial trouble. Does that happen if they didn't get jobbed by the refs vs the Lakers? Probably not.
We've already seen video replay improving games this season. Corrected flagrant and 3 pointer calls at the end of quarters are forcing better officiating and less blown calls. No one is unhappy when the right call is made. Theres nothing to complain about, right?
So why only extended replay to such limited circumstances? Only in the last 2 minutes. Only to see if its a 2 or a 3. Only for flagrant. We've already seen that it makes the games better and reduces player frustration so why not do this on more important calls? Due to rules refs who are reviewing a play and notice a mistake are not even allowed to correct it if its not within the defined limits of what can be changed.
This option has been open to the NBA for decades. Its been 30 years at a bare minimum since the advent of video tape. So why is it ignored? Not wanting to review every call is normal: there are enough stoppages and you can bet coaches would. That's why you give them a few challenges to be managed the same as timeouts, still use replay at the ref's discretion and the game is instantly improved.
Take it to your coach' disarms any complaining players. Gone is the pretentious bullshitting players and coaches constantly engage in when they argue calls they know they have no business getting. "Think I'm wrong? Put your money where you mouth is" is what every ref will be able to credibly say with a single glance. Failed challenges can only boost drama and make the refs look even more credible to help their image crisis of the past 50 years. It does not just help it, it dissolves it overnight. No blown games no bad image no conspiracy theories.
5 massive problems with the NBA that are simple to fix. The talent has recovered from it's post Jordan slump. No excuse there anymore. One meeting and vote by the competition committee and next year's NBA comes back stronger and better then it's ever been.
The Next NBA Ball?
Will any of them be implemented? Not likely. While Stern is into surprise changes like introducing a new ball from a secret box that drops shooting percentages while cutting player's hands he avoids rules that are 1. obvious 2. easy to implement and 3. dramatically improve the game.
We can only sit and hope that maybe, just maybe they'll start to get it. Its so damn simple NBA suits. Simple! The issues fans complain about the most are the ones you should be addressing. Could you please just do it? Fix our league? We are your customers. Please???
Feedback Additions I'm happy to add some feedback on some rules that readers have suggested. Check them out... any more suggestions send them in and I'll add them. Cheers!
1. Flopping has to go. No need for it at all. Its annoying as hell. 2. If a defensive player stays in one spot and jumps straight up in the air and the offensive player jumps into him=No call. 3. Five referees each game so that there can be a 2 to 1 player to referee ratio. 4. Ticky tack fouls should not be called. 5. If there is a loose ball on the floor and you dive first, you should not be called for a foul. 6. If some one catches an air ball as the shot clock expires, dont make them inbound the ball, just play on. 7.Consistency, the referees have to be consistent at all times. If you are going to allow physical play, dont just do it for the first three quarters, do it for the whole game. 8. Make the game more physical. Stop playing a soft brand of basketball no one can identify with. To a certain extent, the more physical a game is, the better. 9. Revert the defensive rules to allow more physical defense to be played. 10. Traveling, this has to be remedied right now. Its terrible and needs to be called better.
Storybook endings are rare in sports but easily the most cherished moments. You'll feel lucky that you experienced that game instead of the highlights years later. Commonality is not memorable. Its almost never the actual play that determines if an event is going to be special. Its the details surrounding games and between whistles that drive the enormity the biggest reason we are sports fans. Its fun to try and predict them too when you're right, two years back I predicted the Warriors over Mavs upset and last year successfully picked Davidson to the elite 8. I picked GMU out in the first round though and lost both brackets and fantasy league though. ;0
A couple examples to get warmed up.
MJ. Career Game. Little to do with stats or records. Not the perfect game. Had they lost game 5 to the Jazz it probably would have broken the Bulls. Jordan's stomach virus was visibly making him wobble on court. In his face mind over matter was personified. Pushing out the fatigue, ignoring the sickness for just a few seconds, he focused for the mere seconds it took to score. Rather, rinse repeat until the hearts of Stockton/Malone were crushed to an irreparable state. People truly felt they were seeing something bigger then basketball that game. Watching anything other then the whole game at that specific date in time does not count. An epic struggle of a spectacular human vs. his own humanity, even if it was only sports. Anyone who claims a jumper after crossing/pushing Byron Russel tops that game is more misguided then "Mission Accomplished."
Its not the degree of difficulty of Reggie's biggest moment. Hiting 2 3's between stealing the in bounds pass to scored 8 points in 9 seconds to win... No, that was only amplification. It was IN Madison Square Garden. After a career of proving to Knicks fans that you can NEVER count out Reggie Miller they collectively started to celebrate and count out Reggie Miller. They thought the task too much for even him. He took it personally and for revenge decided he was going to rip out the hearts of an entire stadium/city full of Knicks fans, rip the confidence out from that heart and hold it still beating before their faces. Reggie Miller 1, city of 10 million, 0. If there was ever an F-You ball moment that was it. They did respect him by choice but by force. Reggie is one of the only players in history that truly did enjoy playing on the road as much as home and maybe the only guard that 'wanted' to play Jordan. Jordan was the biggest, and Reggie lived for the biggest moments.
He Did This To Them, They Chanted His Name
I tricked you though. The event above is not Miller's most spectacular or memorable moment; to me anyway. Its something much less famous. In Reggie's last game in NYC the Pacer hometown chant of Reggie! Reggie! raucously echoed in every corner of Madison Square Garden while fans stood on their seats to honor a player many had been indoctrinated to hate since birth. In MSG. Praising 'The Enemy'. It was like watching the Pope pray to Allah in the Sistine Chapel. Rudy's cheers pale in comparison. Ultimate respect for one of THE most important players in Knicks history and they made sure he knew it. Its my favorite sports moment ever.
The improbability drives the drama. The setting and context cause doubt. Most "I believe" moments have a "how silly was I" refrain. Outcomes will be negative almost always if something even has a chance to be shown on replays for 50 years. A handful of times though a player or team is up for the challenge. They say "We Believe". You say "BS, I don't". Then you get pulled over and someone decides to do something people will talk about till long after they are relevant anymore.
Check this list for 5 potential moments this post-season that offer players the slimmist chance of becomming bigger then the game itself. Lebron or Kobe winning will be cool and they'll be great but it whats expected to happen so its not going to really be that big a deal after they retire and the marketing campaign for them slows down. These aren't getting on the list for their likeliness to happen, but rather for the opposite, and the enormity of their importance if the miraculous did occur. 1. Allen Iverson Back "Heals"?
Need An Answer? Doc Has The Cure!
As I write this the Pistons are down 0-2 to the Cavs and the 'end of an era' columns are already showing up on every sports site on the internet. Everyone has written this team off after the Iverson trade and AI is looking like his career is headed in the same direction. Down. The Cavs are the best team in the league and Lebron it's best player and look unstoppable in a 7 game series. Their direction. Up.
There's only two games left for this to happen but should Iverson/Curry/Dumars/The Pistons sit down and make a commitment to each other true playoff history could be made. AI goes all out on a mission, the last of his career, destoring his body to quiet the doubter in a game 7 upset. The Pistons become the first team to ever come back from down 3-0.
After taking more criticism then ever in his historically criticized career AI proves to people he's a team player. The Pistons complete a memorable 4 game series ending sweep. Iverson shuts up everyone who's ever questioned him before. The Pistons shut up anyone who ever questioned their heart. On the other end this would be a crushing defeat for Lebron. One from which he may never recover much like Dirk never recovered from the warriors handing him his own ass on a first round exit platter. Moments like these can turn an entire career. Ask Nic Anderson.
Why It Can Happen: The Pistons are going to lose. It will look bad on them. It will look bad on Iverson. But have nothing TO lose. For the sake of the team someone like Dumars might try something historic.
Why It Won't Happen: NBA egos' and pride prevent people from doing things for the sake of the team anymore... that, and Lebron's own mission is in full effect.
Wow Factor: 8
Likelihood: 1
People Stop Talking: It would have to be 2030 at the earliest a while after Bron retires. Never at the latest especially if a 0-3 comeback occured. It would take a full generation for people to not bring it up. Would a loss this serious put a crack in his thus iron clad confidence? I think so.
2. KG Returns To Push Celts Over The Top
KG Is Actually A Cry Baby, But I'm Not Telling Him
KG's legacy is in the balance. He's proven that Minnesota's follies were not his doing. Ironically however, it's Celtic great Kevin McHale that he can impersonate to create the hallmark of his whole career erasing the criticism he recieved due to McHale's front office incompetence.
To get past the Cavs its most likely will have to return. If KG can emulate Willis Reed and come back the drama will go off the charts. If he can emulate McHale and play his heart out while hurt he may walk away with a limp for the rest of his life, but it will be a limp that makes his enormous paycheques useless in every New England bar for the rest of his life.
Why It Can Happen: There are few whose presence could make such a difference. And there are few with the psychotic intensity required to permanently injure yourself for the sake of winning one or two more games out of 7. If completed KG goes directly to first ballot of the all time warrior list. With KG the Celtics are the best team in the league. The Celts have gotten stronger without him and I can't see KG sitting for the whole playoffs without trying at least once. His return will make the Celtics go bananas. He's got one game to use that chip in so he'd better choose wisely.
Why It Can't Happen: This one is actually pretty likely given aforementioned insane intensity and the fact that it looks like KG can actually get on the court and perform, if in pain and not efficiently.
Wow Factor: 7
Liklihood: 9
People Stop Talking: Knowing Celtic's fans propensity to fanboy their legends (many still claim Bill Russell is the GOAT and no one is close) this might be never. But you'd got to expect this to be shown in retrospective at least once during every Celtics run for the next 50 years and then some. People should quiet down by 2050 but probably talk till at least 2075.
PS: I just watched that KG interview and am more convinced then ever that KG is the best teammate in the history of sports. If you have not watched it take the time: its worth seeing why he got his contract.
3. Dwayne Wade Plays Out Of His Mind
How Many Can Win A Series By Themselves?
Wade has done this one once before but with a team much better then these Heat. If his mediocre teammates can gel enough to keep them in enough games for Wade to take over in the clutch something speical can happen. Wade has to answer the challenge strongly enough for a truly historic run. The historical tipping point would be Wade vs Bron.
Lebron gets the MVP award in the same way as David Robinson was handed his award in game 1 vs Houston. Then Hakeem ripped out his heart, then ripped out his heart's confidence and held it in front of his face, beating. If Wade can respond with taking over the series and soundly out playing Lebron, especially defensively, he will have quieted all the people who foolishly voted against him and affirm himself as the best player in the world.
Writers roundly declared his career as an elite player over. If he can push the heat to winning the title like Dream did it will change everything. Wade gives us one of the most fantastic runs of all time and will start to be mentioned in the same breath as the holy unbreakable trinity of Magic/Bird/Jordan.
Why it Could Happen: Wade is ridiculously good and arguably the best in the world.
Why It Won't Happen: Lebron is ridiculously good and arguably the best player in the word... and has the much better team.
Wow factor: 9, (10 if champions)
Likelihood: 3 and 1 respectively
People Stop Talking: This goes the history of the league. It would put Wade into best player ever discussions as the only guard besides MJ to win without a dominant center. It would be considered the best individual run of all time.
4. Dirk/Mavs Put It Together And Win The Title
He's Fallen: Can He Get Back Up?
The Mavs are an odd team. They lack depth and have been underachieving since they started round 1 vs the Warriors two years ago. The Jason Kidd trade which was bad has now become under rated. Devin Harris' awesome performance has much to do with the team making him the focus of the offense. The sheer volume of negative press the trade received has so outweighed the trade's positives that its undervalued now.
Vetran teams that win championships are not regular season juggernauts. Instead of fast starts they play their best ball at the end of the season. See 08-09 Celtic's 27-2 record to start, KG injury, and subsequent early playoff exit (if #1 on this list does not happen) for examples of vet teams not winning championships. See the Spurs past few titles despite TD et al being either injured, on weaker teams or past their prime for examples of winning.
Its all logical. In the regular season depth matters. You play 3-4 games a week. If you win with your starters they will wear out and hurt the post-season chances. In the playoffs you play 1-2 games a week and rotations shorten as you give your best players heavy minutes. Start to kick after allstar, attain a higher seed then anyone thought capable, cream a weaker opponent in the first round and start to roll on your title run. In the post season you win with your best 6 players and since there's more days of rest older players have much less problem putting it all on the floor and then recovering for the next game 3 days later.
Being doubted all season helps. Shoulder chips for all! More then any other sport this matters in ball: you never want to play the team that feels disrespected or angry. After years of Dirk is soft articles, years of Jason Kidd being considered done and out of 'best PG in the league' discussions you'd better bet they have something to prove.
Why It Can Happen: Kidd can still play and wisely waited till the last month to step up his game, Dirk is still in his prime and Josh Howard has underachieved all year. The Mav's bench players like Bass/Barrera et al have stepped it up. If the many cards fall right Dallas still has the pieces to be very elite. Elite yet under rated teams have a habit of surprising teams and occasionally winning titles.
Why It Can't Happen: Other then having ref's who are in their pockets instead of the Heat, they've always had the pieces. They've never gotten it done. Why should it be different?
Wow Factor: 8
Likliness Factor: 5
People Stop Talking: Hard to judge. I say 2015-2025. Once Kobe retires it won't be nearly as big. This would be enormously discussed right now however consensus would quickly build that the Mavs were always underrated while the other two over rated lessening the achievement of the Mavs. A bevy of reasons they lost before would seem very reasonable if they got the title. People don't talk about the Rockets first Dream Championship cuz it was pretty obvious they were the best team with the best player now. People forget no one thought that at all going in. AT ALL.
5. Derrick Rose Pulls A Magic
This Kid Can Flat Out Play
Very few rookies start. Fewer still are their team's leaders. Only one has led their team to a championship. After two games vs the Celtics Rose has shown he's got the chops to be a truly great player. If he can play at the same level he showed in game 1 what really is the ceiling of this Bulls team?
A Rose/Bulls that consistent can take out the Celtics without KG. With the confidence they gain from that can they push the Cavs? One thing is for certain: if the Rose/Bulls we have seen thus far in the playoffs was playing all season the Bulls win at least 10-20 more games, have home court and be roundly considered championship contenders, if only a dark horse.
Why It Can Happen: It's happened before, it will happen again. Its only a matter of time. A great point can turn almost any underachieving team into a winner and the bulls have proven they've got a whole arsenal of weapons to throw at teams.
Why It Can't Happen: Youth gives you great legs but can be a serious bitch. How are the Bull's front line going to respond the first time foul trouble hits in the first quarter? Probably with panic, more fouls and a loss.
People Stop Talking: Since it's year one of the Derrick Rose era he probably won't retire until at least closeish to 2030. If he pulls it off and has the career that appears to be in front of him it will take everyone who watched to die before they shut up. So the basement is probably 2060. The ceiling 2100 or never. 5A. Little Brothers Are Not Allowed To Win Fights
The Dominant Story Of The Present Era Could Be Story Book... If The Real Shaq Is Behind The Mask
This was scenario one I wrote before the Suns were eliminated from the playoffs and before Amare went out for the season.
Should the Suns make the playoffs Shaq's 8'th place team will face the Lakers in one of Kobe's last chances to prove he could win without the Diesel. The beef is real: not marketing. Both would relish putting their own stamp on the defining moment of the tail end of each other's careers. For Kobe he would push Shaq out of the post season on his way to his first non-Shaq championship. But that's expected.
Shaq is supposed to lose that matchup though. The setting is perfect. If he lays it ALL on the floor and pushes his body at 36 what it used to do 5-10 years earlier, he could make a statement 1000's of times stronger then "Kobe how my ass taste!" No rap neccessary, this would be pure drama and ultimate revenge against the team and player that deserted him after he delivered 3 championships and one more finals appearance in 5 years. After that win Shaq could say anything, any slam at all or nothing at all, and they would have to take it. It defines story book.
Its not likely but without the setup for something unlikely nothing truly historic can happen.
Why It Will Happen: Shaq is playing better then he has in years and the Suns are playing their best ball of the year. Nash and Amare have already sent Kobe packing a few times and have a mental edge to compete with him. Shaq has he's twice the player when he cares and might totally get into Kobe's head if say during game 1, Shaq does something crazy like the Jabberwokeze dance to get the crowd on his side, and then goes insane in the game and gets cheers. Kobe's head would split in two pieces if people in LA gave Shaq love in the playoffs.
Why It Won't Happen: Bynum should be back by the playoffs and the Lakers look just too strong with Gasol, Odom, Bynum, Kobe and decent role players. They should be the best team in the West and have a cakewalk to the finals.
Wow Factor: 10 given the history
Likelihood: 4 The suns are better after allstar then before. They're way above what their record indicates. If their shooters connect you never know what happens. Live by the 3 teams sometimes live.
Most truly great historic playoff moments are nearly impossible to predict because there's nothing truly memorable about the best team winning a title. That's why MJ's 3 most famous moments are the flu game, his switch hands shot when he was the underdog vs the Lakers and his final shot in Utah when he was supposed to be too old. Its rare people talk about his Phoenix, Seattle or Portland series even though they were better performances of unquestioned dominance.
In the same way there is very little talk about the Celtics past dynasty. They were an unbeatable super team. Winning was assumed so when they won it wasn't special unless you were a Celtics fan or your team was crushed by them. The sagging popularity of the league when the Celts dominated is a strong indicator of this.
If even one of these events took place it would be nothing short of spectacular. Just like the flu game or Reggie receiving adoration from his sworn enemies. These events fans would rehash throughout their own lives, retelling to their children and subsequently their grandchildren. Its what makes sports transcend generations and truly great. So while unlikely if we keep our fingers crossed maybe, just maybe, something just ridiculous will happen and in 2009 I'll be happy to know that I lived the moment instead of watching the highlights of it.
