Look How Much the NBA Has Changed in some of our Lifetimes

**jjgold** · 02-03-16, 08:59 PM

I think it was better back in the day

It is more loose now and not as competitive

**DOM-Ganador** · 02-03-16, 09:05 PM

HORSE contest.

I am an old bastard, but between Magic/Bird/MJ/et al it was must see TV for me.
Even with multiple units on a game, I just check in now and then.

Playoffs are still OK, but imagine if someone clotheslined an opponent like McHale?
Parish threw 3 haymakers at Laimbeer...stayed in game.Sheit was awesome.

**existential** · 02-03-16, 09:59 PM

**smitch124** · 02-03-16, 11:02 PM

Curry and the NBA suck these days, I'm gonna try to find the full version of Game 4 in 1987 right now!

**smitch124** · 02-03-16, 11:06 PM

What I'd really love to see is one of those 72-68 Knicks/Heat games back in the day. Anybody gotta link?

**DrunkHorseplayer** · 02-03-16, 11:14 PM

80's ball is to today what 60's ball was to 80's ball; there's no comparision. If players could cheap-shot and fight today, every team would be down to six players at the end of games due to injuries.

**Chi_archie** · 02-03-16, 11:20 PM

Originally posted by DrunkHorseplayer

80's ball is to today what 60's ball was to 80's ball; there's no comparision. If players could cheap-shot and fight today, every team would be down to six players at the end of games due to injuries.

not in terms of scoring

the 60's were super high scoring games compared to the 80's or even now

**lakerboy** · 02-03-16, 11:55 PM

Everything in life was always better in the old days.

**The Kraken** · 02-04-16, 12:03 AM

Said every generation ever

**gauchojake** · 02-04-16, 12:42 AM

Get off my grass!

**existential** · 02-04-16, 12:59 AM

Originally posted by smitch124

Curry and the NBA suck these days, I'm gonna try to find the full version of Game 4 in 1987 right now!

top 3 NBA game of all-time, enjoy

**Goat Milk** · 02-04-16, 01:02 AM

Originally posted by DOM-Ganador

HORSE contest.

I am an old bastard, but between Magic/Bird/MJ/et al it was must see TV for me.
Even with multiple units on a game, I just check in now and then.

Playoffs are still OK, but imagine if someone clotheslined an opponent like McHale?
Parish threw 3 haymakers at Laimbeer...stayed in game.Sheit was awesome.

Yeah, it's cool, but it's not basketball dude.

**tony_come** · 02-04-16, 01:05 AM

NBA players are soft

**The Kraken** · 02-04-16, 01:07 AM

Originally posted by existential

top 3 NBA game of all-time, enjoy

not the full version

**Goat Milk** · 02-04-16, 01:09 AM

The 60s were high scoring because there weren't many quality players, assigned positions, no shot clock, no 3 in the key, etc. When someone would grab the rebound, they would frequently just dribble up and down the court, shoot, no set plays, etc. THe pace was insane. That led to inflated stats. Guys in the 60s were so well conditioned -- not the best athletes, but had phenomenal endurance. Lots of white players too as there was only a certain amount of blacks allowed per team.

The 80s were a great era of basketball but there was also very very sloppy basketball. It was not quality basketball at all. You could get away with way too much pushing, hand checking, and that kind of made things a lot more competitive, and took away the star talents that many guys had. It was unfair that the pistons were allowed to check Jordan the way they did early on. Jordan was clearly superior to every athlete on the pistons team, and yet they were just shove him, handcheck, and basically take away his skill by turning it into a physical football type battle. That is not basketball, plain and simple. That's why the rules changed -- for Jordan.

Jordan basically changed all the rules of the NBA by himself. Because no one had ever seen a player that skillful. And the product was just becoming bad to be honest. Closelining players in mid air is not basketball. Basketball is a game of skill, with physicality involved. Not a physical game, with some skill involved.

Curry is just so skilled. Bird is obviously the much better complete player, but as a shooter and ball handler, Bird doesn't even sniff Curry. Bird couldn't create the separation that Curry can, nor does he have the ball skills or explosiveness to do so, that's why Curry is able to take so many threes. Bird was not a rise in your face shooter either. He barely got off the ground on his set shots. You can't attempt 10 threes a game if you barely jump.

Also, think of basketball like nutrition or research. It's constantly evolving. We can take things from the 60s 80s 90s, improve them, come up with new concepts, new ideas. Steve Kerr is the coach of the Warriors and played during the Jordan days. He used all his knowledge to come up with an entirely new system that would dominant today's NBA.

Teams in the 80s were not as smart as teams are today -- didn't have all the same resources. Ppl say the warriors play like showtime, but its really much different. Showtime was amazing and revolutionary. And what the Warriors do today is basically just as revolutinoary as that.

**The Kraken** · 02-04-16, 01:11 AM

All Bird did was create separation, clown

He stood in the corner and waited until the defender sagged, then popped a 3

Were you even alive in the 80's?

**existential** · 02-04-16, 01:11 AM

Originally posted by smitch124

What I'd really love to see is one of those 72-68 Knicks/Heat games back in the day. Anybody gotta link?

are you talking about the Ewing/Allan Houston vs. Hardaway/Mourning matchups during the mid to late 90's?

**Goat Milk** · 02-04-16, 01:16 AM

Originally posted by The Kraken

All Bird did was create separation, clown

He stood in the corner and waited until the defender sagged, then popped a 3

Were you even alive in the 80's?

Yes I was.

And Bird would lul you to sleep. He didn't create separation using his ball handling or speed or explosiveness. He was a crafty player. Bird wasn't the type of player that would dribble down the court and just rise up with 25 on a regular basis. He was a cerebral player. Bird barely got off the ground on his jumper bro. Come on. Just a way different player than Curry, you can't really compare the two.

**The Kraken** · 02-04-16, 01:17 AM

I was fawkin with ya goater

Bird would just run the court, sit in the corner, let someone drive, defender would collaps, he'd slide a foot or two away from the spot, the defender would be lost and Bird would pop a 3

Saw 100's of times

**Goat Milk** · 02-04-16, 01:20 AM

Originally posted by The Kraken

I was fawkin with ya goater

Bird would just run the court, sit in the corner, let someone drive, defender would collaps, he'd slide a foot or two away from the spot, the defender would be lost and Bird would pop a 3

Saw 100's of times

Yes exactly. He would just hypnotize you, lul you to sleep, take his sweet time, never in a rush. Same when he got the ball on the elbow or block. Very patient type of player. Would use his pump fakes often to get you off the ground and would just drill shots all day.

Amazing shooter. But Curry is a different breed of shooter. And he's able to attempt more jumpers all because of his ball handling and speed and quick release. That's another thing...

Bird had a pretty slow release.

Curry might have the fastest release I've ever seen.

**DOM-Ganador** · 02-04-16, 10:12 AM

OK, all the comparisons from decades and players past are simply our our personal opinions.

To me, it wasn`t simply the physical play from the 80`s, it was toughness and fortitude of the players.
I watched the NFL back then as well, and totally agree to todays movement towards safety.
I guess I glorify and miss the teams and players of my youth and blinds me to some of the attributes
of todays GSW. Thats maybe why I would always root for the Spurs (old school) as long as the Celts are mired in mediocrity.

All those 3s make the game unwatchable.

**RockBottom** · 02-04-16, 05:56 PM

Goat Milk - the shot clock has been around since the early 50's.

I watched the GS-Washington game last night. GS moves the ball so well, teams don't want to play tough D for 24 secs.

**DrunkHorseplayer** · 02-04-16, 06:02 PM

Bird was considered a great 3 pt. shooter back then; today he's #110 on the list of all-time three pct. What was spectacular then is routine now.

**TheMoneyShot** · 02-04-16, 06:06 PM

Originally posted by existential

Um... the PS3 blows away those awful intro graphics

Did CBS use a Vic 20 to produce them?

**Grits n' Gravy** · 02-04-16, 06:10 PM

Originally posted by Chi_archie

Steph Curry with 7 3's in the first quarter of the game tonight

In 1981 Larry Bird started all 82 games and he hit twenty 3's all year

or 1 three pointer about every 4 games.

3 point line started like a year or two before Bird got in league. Game was different then because many teams had big men who actually scored from down low in the blocks.

**astro61200** · 02-04-16, 06:22 PM

I can't stand that they play music during the entire game. I also can't stand 95% of NBA announcers. The word "bigs" just rubs me the wrong way as well.

**BigSpoon** · 02-04-16, 06:39 PM

I love the NBA now with all the PED's. Super skill and athletes.

**Chi_archie** · 02-04-16, 06:42 PM

Originally posted by Grits n' Gravy

3 point line started like a year or two before Bird got in league. Game was different then because many teams had big men who actually scored from down low in the blocks.

right

its very different

look how much it has changed!!!!

**CameronJ** · 02-04-16, 06:46 PM

Originally posted by Goat Milk

Yes I was.

And Bird would lul you to sleep. He didn't create separation using his ball handling or speed or explosiveness. He was a crafty player. Bird wasn't the type of player that would dribble down the court and just rise up with 25 on a regular basis. He was a cerebral player. Bird barely got off the ground on his jumper bro. Come on. Just a way different player than Curry, you can't really compare the two.

You are right!! They are two different players....He LULS you, he uses his HANDLES and SPEED and EXPLOSIVENESS, he's CRAFTY, he has permission from everyone in the Bay Area to just RISE UP. Ohh, he is just over 6 feet tall and barely can dunk. Does complete mean he's suppose to defend a center? Then he would be incomplete.

**No coincidences** · 02-04-16, 06:50 PM

Money is the biggest difference in today's game. Lack of motivation due to guaranteed money + too many games + too many teams/players = bad product, despite athleticism being at an all-time high.

**Killer2121** · 02-04-16, 07:31 PM

I'm only 23 and I can agree. I remember watching ball in the early part of the century. It seemed much more competitive then.