Usenet thread from 1985 discussing all the problems with the NBA

[HandyWithTheSteel]

Summary of What's Wrong with the NBA (long)

groups.google.com

What's wrong with the NBA? Why is the NBA so boring? Except for maybe Boston, Philadelphia, and LA, I
doubt whether most of the readers of this note can name 2 starters on any other team.

The interest in the NBA is minimal. Most of the people I know (are they the wrong people?) have no idea who's in first, what the divisions are, or even what the team nicknames are.

Also another problem is the "LONG" season....it really is a bore to watch games that have no meaning in such a long season. I think a 50 game season is long enough..it would cut down on injuries and would give players incentive to play harder in a short season to make the playoffs(I also think they should cut the number of playoff teams to eight). I could go on and on with the reasons but it would do no good. The NBA has the BEST players in the world (I also think there should be international play) and it's ashamed that some of the teams are so unbalanced.

The zone was banned in the NBA because too many teams clustered around the basket. No penetration = no layups = 30 foot set shots = low scores = bored fans = no fans.

8- The refs do call charging. At the pro level, people do not take the charge anymore. After all, if you were making $1 million, would you stand in the way of a driving Moses Malone, or Charles Barkley? (:-)

The real reason for the NBA's problem is a general decline in fundamentals. Even watching top teams play, I hardly ever see good defensive position, or a well executed boxout on a rebound. If you want a stat, note the general decline in foul shooting percentage. About 10 years ago, 80 percent was a bare minimum. Now it's considered excellent.

Now the reason fundamentals have declined is part of a general trend in team sports away from the team and toward the individual. What we have is a cult of personality. People don't cheer the Bulls, they cheer Michael Jordan. Somebody noted a parallel development in the NFL. It's part of the same trend. Why does Brent Musberger talk of a matchup between Marcus Allen and Walter Payton?

Also I think that the refs should cut this favoritism and special treatment for certain players. No..I don't think they should call every foul, but I think they should call the game evenly...none of this home court advantage. A foul is a foul is a foul I always say. Some of the things players get away with ...example: players battling for rebounds...bodies flying all over, no foul. But player fakes other player in the air...other player "barely" touches him....FOUL.......case closed...

There are a few things I would change. I hate the "illegal defense" rule; what on earth is wrong with zone defense? Everyone effectively plays a zone much of the time anyway (frequent switches), so why this silly restriction? I *like* good defense.

The all-inclusive playoffs contribute greatly to the boredom of the regular season. That goes for hockey, too. Any playoff system which includes sub-.500 teams is braindamaged.

Meaningless regular season, super teams, privileged superstars, soft fouls, bad refs, lack of fundamentals, no defense, uncalled travels, etc…

I thought this was supposed to be the Golden Age?

Even talk about “too many 30 foot set shots”. I thought the “3-point chucking era” didn’t start until Curry?

Even MJ caught a stray for being too pampered and coddled by the league.

Isn’t this supposed to be the era of tough, physical fundamentally sound “real basketball”

Did old heads lie to us?

 

[Nero Christ]

The more shyt changes, the more it stays the same. People like to complain while offering up little to no solutions (it's a way to be heard but not held accountable) and that seemingly is going nowhere anytime soon.

 

[bigde09]

This just proves that NBA fans are never happy

 

[Luke Cage]

The complaints are the same because the same problems still exist and the real solution will never be used.

The real solution being The 50 game season. That would solve literally every complaint about the NBA having meaningless games/boring games, injuries, minutes managing ect, but they would never do a solution that requires them to sell less product and in turn make less money. so everything is essentially a work around. play in tournaments, mid season tournaments, rules favoring offense, etc etc etc
Season length is why the NFL will always be top dog over all other leagues

 

[ScottyG]

If you was on an internet forum typing up a storm in 85 emojis included ...

I'm sure they aren't any form of a normal demographic

 

[Jplaya2023]

Now the reason fundamentals have declined is part of a general trend in team
sports away from the team and toward the individual. What we have is a cult of
personality. People don't cheer the Bulls, they cheer Michael Jordan. Somebody
noted a parallel development in the NFL. It's part of the same trend. Why does
Brent Musberger talk of a matchup between Marcus Allen and Walter Payton?

I am 100000% positive @NYC Rebel wrote this in between 2 a days and getting his swerve on in college

 

[MJ Truth]

This just proves that NBA fans are never happy

This is just life.

The old generation always complaining about the new generation. The new generation always complaining about the old generation. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

 

[hood b. goode]

Internet message boards existed in some form back in the 80s?

I thought the mid 90s was the earliest example of message boards

 

[hashmander]

Internet message boards existed in some form back in the 80s?

I thought the mid 90s was the earliest example of message boards

usenet been around a decade before the world wide web. shyt usenet was the goat for download pirated shyt. probably still is, but i don't pirate much these days.

 

[KidJSoul]

The more shyt changes, the more it stays the same. People like to complain while offering up little to no solutions (it's a way to be heard but not held accountable) and that seemingly is going nowhere anytime soon.

It's why you should take complaints with a grain of salt. People love romanticizing the past.

Nah, things haven't changed

 

[NYC Rebel]

I am 100000% positive @NYC Rebel wrote this in between 2 a days and getting his swerve on in college

Better to have two a days the never had a day of note

 

[NYC Rebel]

This is just life.

The old generation always complaining about the new generation. The new generation always complaining about the old generation. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

No. This is a lazy take. Whoever wrote what they wrote broke down things perfectly. Why don’t you tear apart what they’re saying rather than hiding behind this?

 

[3rd Koast Kang]

Internet message boards existed in some form back in the 80s?

I thought the mid 90s was the earliest example of message boards

Can you Imagine the boards the day Len bias dropped?

 

[NYC Rebel]

This just proves that NBA fans are never happy

I think it proves that the NBA goes about it wrong in how it markets its product.

 

[ISO]

The complaints are the same because the same problems still exist and the real solution will never be used.

The real solution being The 50 game season. That would solve literally every complaint about the NBA having meaningless games/boring games, injuries, minutes managing ect, but they would never do a solution that requires them to sell less product and in turn make less money. so everything is essentially a work around. play in tournaments, mid season tournaments, rules favoring offense, etc etc etc
Season length is why the NFL will always be top dog over all other leagues

The season should not be shortened.

fukk the NFL two very different sports