How could someone stomach watching this game in its entirety?

[The_Sheff]

When Jordan was winning titles scoring less than 100 points a game in the finals I didn’t hear anyone saying how bad the offense was.

I don’t see anyone saying that now either.

I wonder why.

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

When Jordan was winning titles scoring less than 100 points a game in the finals I didn’t hear anyone saying how bad the offense was.

I don’t see anyone saying that now either.

I wonder why.

Recently retired players openly talked about how watered down the league was in the mid to late 90’s all in real time. Bird and Julius Erving come to mind. Rodman said while playing for the bulls that there basically weren’t any other great teams and they could basically beat most teams with their eyes closed.

 

[tremonthustler1]

.

People are bothered by the three point heavy offensive play, the price/pain to watch the game, the weird changes and load management.

this was a problem 10 years ago too. Why it’s even more prevalent now is that all that stuff was EFFECTIVE.

If there wasn’t a payoff to any of this, nobody would try it.

 

[threattonature]

Somewhat off-topic, but


When we compare mid to late 90s era to today's era, one name will always resonate with me, and I don't know if many remember him:

Randolph Childress.

He played just 2 seasons in the NBA, averaging 2.4 PPG.

I have no doubt in my mind that he'd average 15 easily in today's league.

A lot of ppl think old players are hating when they say "you couldn't play in our era", when in reality, the league has a lot of players thriving today, that would be Randolph Childress status back then(i.e. Anfernee Simons, Jordan Poole)

After the play below a bunch of us thought he was gone kill it in the league.

 

[threattonature]

It's just funny that the same people saying that low scoring NBA games = unwatchable will be the same ones defending the NFL for low scoring games by calling people fake fans who can't appreciate defense.

A lot of those games were because some teams trended towards defensive players. Due to more physicality in the league there were multiple routes to being competitive. You could load up on offense or load up on defense and ugly the game up. I loved some of those low scoring defensive battles.

Hell look at the rosters of some of those Knicks-Heat series. They weren't lacking offensive talent at all. It was just that nikkas was getting to it defensively and making it hard to score yet lazy observers will claim they were all garbage offensive players.

In 99 Heat had Mourning, Hardaway, Majerle, Mashburn, and hell Vashun Leonard who could shoot his ass off.
Knicks had Ewing, Houston, Sprewell plus Chris Childs, Camby and LJ who could grind for some points as well.

Yet people look at the box score and just claim it was shytty offensive players at play when in reality it was great D being played and every basket being worked for.

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

It's just funny that the same people saying that low scoring NBA games = unwatchable will be the same ones defending the NFL for low scoring games by calling people fake fans who can't appreciate defense.

A lot of those games were because some teams trended towards defensive players. Due to more physicality in the league there were multiple routes to being competitive. You could load up on offense or load up on defense and ugly the game up. I loved some of those low scoring defensive battles.

Hell look at the rosters of some of those Knicks-Heat series. They weren't lacking offensive talent at all. It was just that nikkas was getting to it defensively and making it hard to score yet lazy observers will claim they were all garbage offensive players.

In 99 Heat had Mourning, Hardaway, Majerle, Mashburn, and hell Vashun Leonard who could shoot his ass off.
Knicks had Ewing, Houston, Sprewell plus Chris Childs, Camby and LJ who could grind for some points as well.

Yet people look at the box score and just claim it was shytty offensive players at play when in reality it was great D being played and every basket being worked for.

Those Knicks teams were always bad on offense. From 1992-2000 the Knicks offensive rankings were as follows: 12th, 22nd, 16th, 16th, 21st, 25th, 20th, 26th, 21st

The Heat’s offensive rankings in the late 90’s were at least above the league average, but they weren’t built to play fast. They were 25th in pace at 88.2, 26th in pace at 87.9, 29th in pace at 84.8, and 26th in pace at 89.7 from 1996-97 through 1999-2000.


The major difference in the nfl is that they put rule changes in specifically to artificially kneecap the defenses while scoring spikes in basketball have come from the average player becoming a more skilled dribbler, passer, and shooter while coaches have designed far more complex offenses. 20-35 years ago you rarely saw more than 1-2 guys move without the ball on any possession and there were more isolation and position sets than basically anything else and every team seemed to carry a couple guys in the rotation who offered basically nothing on offense and were only there to give out 5-6 hard fouls. Teams in the same conference as Shaq would carry a guy or two as a designated guy to use hack-a-Shaq fouls.

 

[Peruvian Connect]

Viewership dropped in BOTH 94 and 99 when he left.

NBA fans liked the NBA when MJ played, not when he was gone.

Those are the numbers
[/QUOTE]
No shiit, but that doesn't make the era terrible.

 

[Mike the Executioner]

Breh, you should be a politician. You're playing both sides and every angle. Where exactly do you stand?

He plays both sides so he always ends up on top.

He's trying to leverage OP into making him the head of security at the new Paddy's Pub.

 

[Stick Up Kid]

yeah because we would rather watch a bunch of unathletic mixed breeds and foriegn cac's shoot up 3's all game

 

[NYC Rebel]

It's just funny that the same people saying that low scoring NBA games = unwatchable will be the same ones defending the NFL for low scoring games by calling people fake fans who can't appreciate defense.

Who are these people? Im right here. Tell me I said such a thing, because the NFL product right now is ass to me. You stay making up who someone is. Quote them.

 

[NYC Rebel]

L

No shiit, but that doesn't make the era terrible.

The era was ass. Expansion made play WORSE

 

[Easy-E]

this was a problem 10 years ago too. Why it’s even more prevalent now is that all that stuff was EFFECTIVE.

If there wasn’t a payoff to any of this, nobody would try it.

I'm moreso saying, the overwhelming sentiment about what's ruining the game was team ups and that was just a handful of teams.

The "three point" thing didn't become a thing until the years after the bubble or it wasn't big enough to cause a civil war between the old and new.

Over the last month, it's just been the NBA internet space killing the "old media" for ruining the game for their takes.

"We Over The 90's" was just a TikTok/Twitter meme a couple years ago.

Now, you got Lebron involved in the talks.

 

[NYC Rebel]

The 04 Pistons held 11 opponents, yes 11 under 70 points

Why don’t you make a thread about that era ? Cuz it don’t fit your narrative

More people watched what you call trash more than do today , defense and opposition matters nikka

And if I recall OJ Simpson shyt was going down during the finals

Stand the fukk down

“More people watched TV in a PAST era without streaming options!! News at 11.”



Did you think you made a point comparing past viewership to today?

Second, the OJ thing happened in ONE game. The entire series had little interest from viewers and that was WITH the New York market.

Gtfoh. No one was interested. Fans liked MJ, not the NBA.

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

“More people watched TV in a PAST era without streaming options!! News at 11.”



Did you think you made a point comparing past viewership to today?

Second, the OJ thing happened in ONE game. The entire series had little interest from viewers and that was WITH the New York market.

Gtfoh. No one was interested. Fans liked MJ, not the NBA.

The 3rd best player overall in the series was Otis Thorpe or Vernon Maxwell. Of course ratings would be down

 

[NYC Rebel]

The NBA spent a lot more energy addressing problems with the offensive shortcomings of game in the 90s than they do now.

Shortening the three point line

The "Charles Barkley Rule," which prevented offensive players from dribbling with their back to the basket for more than five seconds in the post to prevent prolonged isolation plays.

The NBA TOLD YALL during the 90s that the play was ass and stagnant.