1990s NBA teams vs Current teams.

[Alexander The Great]

This is just a dumb discussion. No shyt teams built for a different game than today's wouldn't hang with current squads.

If we playing a game of "ifs" then why not also ask what kinda squad would the Knicks, Sonics, Spurs, etc. built around their HOFs for the game played by this era? That seems like the more fair discussion to me

I was listening to LeBatard talk about how James Jones is basically the same height and weight as Bill Rusell. And how Rusell couldn't really hang in this era....that's so fukking dumb imo. If Rusell played today he'd probably have a completely different style, played in a different position and would adapt his skills to whatever could work for him in today's game. Would he be as dominant as he was? Most likely not, but we honestly have no fukking clue what kind of player he would be.

Lebatard's argument is not a good one, he always goes to the fact that the 100 yard dash record now trumps the one set back in the 90s as if thats the determining factor. while also completely ignoring that the long jump record was set back in like 1991, and the Olympic record was set in like the 60s. me and him had a back n forth on twitter a couple years ago about this.

 

[Malta]

The premise of this thread is dumb as hell. The existence of hand checking and how NBA has made it such an emphasis to allow freedom of movement off the ball alone has helped open up the three point game. Not to mention allowing zone defense or the quasi zone defense so many teams use now. In the 90s you were forced rule wise to either do a hard double or be attached to your man which gave post players and players with one on one ability either more room to work or completely left someone wide open. It's not like there weren't players back then who could stroke it. It was just frowned upon a lot more to take a lot of three point shots, they were looked at almost as a last resort or unless you are wide open. So to use the difference in three point shooting to demonstrate the current era teams somehow being better is ridiculous. In reality I think it would just reconfigure who would've been shining. Just to use the old Knicks players like Derek Harper, Charlie Ward, Starks would have a rough time even getting clock in today's era. But at the same time I don't see a player like Harden killing like he is if a player is allowed to be up in your chest and controlling you with his hands.

I think players like Dale Ellis, Mike Adams, Chris Jackson (Adbul-Rauf), Mark Price in today's era with free reign to shoot at any opening.

Always with the hand checking, please explain the Houston Rockets taking 500 more threes once the 3 point line was moved in

I really don't understand the last point, do yall ever fact check? Mike Adams took 9 threes a game in his best season in the 90-91, how many more threes do you think a team would allow him to take today? He shot .296 that year. The nerve to say Harden wouldn't be killing it, then bring up Michael Adams who was 5'11" and nowhere near as talented as Harden, yet averaged 27/11 is just to me. How much more "free reign" would he get today when he was only slightly above average in shooting 3s, you think he's gonna shoot 14 threes a night or some shyt?

 

[Pesci]

There's a whole lot of writing that I'm far too impatient to read, but this is it in the simplist of terms. If all your competition is jacking up 50 3's a game and making a good chunk of those wouldn't everybody adjust to that and practice that part of the game more? I don't see why them single bar hemet wearing QBs from yesteryear couldn't have godly numbers in today's NFL if their gameplan and focus was on throwing the ball 55 times a game

"Hey guys, I ain't reading shyt, but here's my opinion"

 

[Malta]

"Hey guys, I ain't reading shyt, but here's my opinion"

Dudes get real emotional about their 90s basketball

 

[Jmare007]

Lebatard's argument is not a good one, he always goes to the fact that the 100 yard dash record now trumps the one set back in the 90s as if thats the determining factor. while also completely ignoring that the long jump record was set back in like 1991, and the Olympic record was set in like the 60s. me and him had a back n forth on twitter a couple years ago about this.

I'm interested on his take when you argued with him.

Most of his radio show is arguing agaist dumb ass sport fans takes so it's kinda frustrating when topics like yesteday's come up and he only replys to stupid people

 

[OG Talk]

this all hinges on assuming 90s teams couldn't or wouldn't adapt their games also.

Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen would be powerless at the mercy of Kyle Korver..They would just stand in the corner eating a jar of glue while he styled on them with 30 foot bombs

 

[Malta]

The grizzlies team were 2 key injuries away from going to the finals this year.

You can't faux zone nba guys and not expect to get chewed up. It's a gimmicky type of defense in the league, hence few teams even playing zone. Coaches would adjust and guys would have open shot after open shot per game.

Jordan was being zoned by the knicks and pistons (when it was illegal) and it didn't stop the bulls.

You underrate the ability to reroute players (handchecking) on the perimeter
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JttE4UT74k
Are you gonna discredit the great hubie brown?

It's easier to score today because the rules made it so. All these 3pt shooting teams would struggle (not be stopped) to score because of the amount of physicality on the perimeter back then and the rules weren't catered to them.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iMZ1lUz9rI


@Malta and others, my question to you guys is do you think the GS warriors if we transplanted them to 1992 would have an easier time scoring today or harder. Explain your position.

The Grizzlies weren't making the finals, did you not see what the fukk the Warriors did? They completely took Tony Allen out of the series by realizing he can't shoot and putting a goddamn center on him, because of the fact the zone principles would allow Bogut to basically defend "space".

Who said anything about Michael Jordan not dominating? The 60 win Knick teams and many of those "great" 90 squads would be food today because of the fact they couldn't shoot the 3. The whole premise is you dudes constantly saying the league was better in the 90s, teams were better...but they'd get WASHED today.

No, the Warriors wouldn't have trouble scoring in the 90s, defense was not better then. The 3's are a reaction to the fact loading the strongside got so effective that taking the 3 was the natural evolution of the game, if handchecking were so mighty and powerful teams would have been forced into 3s.

Handchecking, but handchecking....but handchecking! always the same shyt.

 

[Malta]

this all hinges on assuming 90s teams couldn't or wouldn't adapt their games also.

Adapting their game means they'd have to make roster changes, they wouldn't be the teams from everyone's Rose colored memories anymore, they'd be "soft" teams today shooting a gang of 3s


The 90s Knicks would pretty much need to get rid of everyone on their squad except for Ewing

 

[NYC Rebel]

The Grizzlies weren't making the finals, did you not see what the fukk the Warriors did? They completely took Tony Allen out of the series by realizing he can't shoot and putting a goddamn center on him, because of the fact the zone principles would allow Bogut to basically defend "space".

Who said anything about Michael Jordan not dominating? The 60 win Knick teams and many of those "great" 90 squads would be food today because of the fact they couldn't shoot the 3. The whole premise is you dudes constantly saying the league was better in the 90s, teams were better...but they'd get WASHED today.

No, the Warriors wouldn't have trouble scoring in the 90s, defense was not better then. The 3's are a reaction to the fact loading the strongside got so effective that taking the 3 was the natural evolution of the game, if handchecking were so mighty and powerful teams would have been forced into 3s.

Handchecking, but handchecking....but handchecking! always the same shyt.

 

[Pesci]

It's not just the 3s, either. How many 80s/90s big men could come out and defend like 40 high screens every game?

 

[Jplaya2023]

The Grizzlies weren't making the finals, did you not see what the fukk the Warriors did? They completely took Tony Allen out of the series by realizing he can't shoot and putting a goddamn center on him, because of the fact the zone principles would allow Bogut to basically defend "space".

Who said anything about Michael Jordan not dominating? The 60 win Knick teams and many of those "great" 90 squads would be food today because of the fact they couldn't shoot the 3. The whole premise is you dudes constantly saying the league was better in the 90s, teams were better...but they'd get WASHED today.

No, the Warriors wouldn't have trouble scoring in the 90s, defense was not better then. The 3's are a reaction to the fact loading the strongside got so effective that taking the 3 was the natural evolution of the game, if handchecking were so mighty and powerful teams would have been forced into 3s.

Handchecking, but handchecking....but handchecking! always the same shyt.

How many players on the 3 teams you mentioned in your opening post had a notorious awful offensive player like TA on the team logging big minutes in the playoffs?

What perimeter player could they have "hid" bogut on throughout the series?

It actually makes your point weaker when you speak on players being better shooters today than their counterparts of yesteryear.

As much as people make fun of starks, no way would they have given him open 3s all game.

 

[Jplaya2023]

It's not just the 3s, either. How many 80s/90s big men could come out and defend like 40 high screens every game?

Shaq couldn't defend them, how that stop him from winning.

I'm sure kareem, moses, parish, cartwright, ewing, wouldn't be able to defend them as well. How would that affect the outcome?

 

[Malta]

I don't understand the point about Atlanta...they're in the East, it's no suprise that a good (not very good) basketball team would win tons of games in the Leastern. I don't believe anyone seriously thought they could go all the way tho (I didn't even bother watching a game in the ECF tbh).

And the point about saying that a 90s team would get washed playing a current team under the current rule is flawed imo, because the current teams are built ACCORDING TO the current rules. So it's self-evident that they compete better under said set of rules.

Atlanta would beat the 60 win Knicks is the point


The current teams are built to take advantage of the 3 point line, there's literally nothing that would prevent them from doing that in any era that has the 3 line. Like @Gil Scott-Heroin pointed out, the core of the game is the same, the difference is teams today have realized 3>2.

 

[Alexander The Great]

Adapting their game means they'd have to make roster changes, they wouldn't be the teams from everyone's Rose colored memories anymore, they'd be "soft" teams today shooting a gang of 3s


The 90s Knicks would pretty much need to get rid of everyone on their squad except for Ewing

Charles Oakley would shoot 33% from 3

 

[NYC Rebel]

It's not just the 3s, either. How many 80s/90s big men could come out and defend like 40 high screens every game?

They couldn't. That's why Lambeer used to beast. He was too much a match up problem being a center that could bang threes.

he was an anomaly.