When / What was the downfall of the NBA ?

[23nokaoi]

Originally Posted by nYcHipHopHippo

wuts MJ doing with prince in that pic

But I think it was when Money himself retired

 

[Lizakers]

too add to my earlier post, I think the league should reduce the number of games to about 70 games

82 is too much

also, increase the court size. Players are always stepping on the sideline and baseline because over the years players have gotten bigger and stronger and thesize of the court hasnt changed. The sideline is only like 2.5 feet from the 3-pt line. smh

also, why is Minnesota, New Orleans and Memphis considered western conference?
there needs to be a geographical realignment

 

[Shanegerous]

Money.

 

[mister friendly]

Originally Posted by airjaw

Actually I think the NBA is on an upswing.. Older people are always going to look back on the old days with nostalgia - its very hard, maybe even impossible, for the present to be better than the past. People just look back on the past differently.. its the "good ol' days" mentality.

I'm sure if you asked younger generation who didn't grow up watching MJ, they'd tell you they're happy with the NBA

The NBA is fine. The 1990s werent that awesome ,guys y'all were just younger and you were memizered by it more. Kids still love basketball

 

[burns1923]

also, increase the court size. Players are always stepping on the sideline and baseline because over the years players have gotten bigger and stronger and the size of the court hasnt changed. The sideline is only like 2.5 feet from the 3-pt line. smh

The 1990s werent that awesome ,guys y'all were just younger and you were memizered by it more. Kids still love basketball



Yes, the 90s were that awesome. 1992 > last 10 years combined. There is a noticeable difference between then and now. And kids today wouldn't knowquality if it took away their text messaging privileges. They grew up with crap so they don't know any better.

 

[the north west]

the only thing that I miss from the 90's that is pretty much gone now are the talented big men

the only legit big men now is Yao and Dwight, but Dwight has no offensive game what so ever

 

[mister friendly]

Originally Posted by Burns1923

also, increase the court size. Players are always stepping on the sideline and baseline because over the years players have gotten bigger and stronger and the size of the court hasnt changed. The sideline is only like 2.5 feet from the 3-pt line. smh

The 1990s werent that awesome ,guys y'all were just younger and you were memizered by it more. Kids still love basketball



Yes, the 90s were that awesome. 1992 > last 10 years combined. There is a noticeable difference between then and now. And kids today wouldn't know quality if it took away their text messaging privileges. They grew up with crap so they don't know any better.

I hate when people say the game was better way back in any sport. When in my opinion in most all sports the athletes get better. While the skill level make notimprove the pure athleticism of the newer athletes makes up for the lost skill.

 

[finnns2003]

Originally Posted by Burns1923

The NBA today isn't even real; it's marketed entertainment.

The players of the 80s and 90s were of more traditional generations when a focus on working hard earned you success.

The current generation is over-hyped and over-paid, and what passes for quality basketball now would be laughed at 15-25 years ago.

The league is exploited for monetary gain.

Even stuff like arenas has taken some of the uniqueness away. Teams destroyed or left historic arenas to play in generic, lifeless venues with 8,000 luxury boxes... all for money.

I could write up a lengthy list of why today's NBA is awful.

i agree burns. and i keep forgetting to ask who that is in your avy...

but yeah, i mean give me players of the 80's and early 90's anyday over today's players. magic, bird, MJ, isiah, drexler, dumars, guys who playedthe game the right way. fundamentals.

 

[80jerryrice80]

The NBA in the 90's was the +%*$.
Case and points right below
90-Isaiah Thomas & the Bad boys vs. Clyde the Glide Drexler
91-Money vs. Magic
92-MJ vs. Clyde the glide
93-Money vs. Barkley (1st 3pete)
94-Pat vs. Olajuwan *Battle of the two best centers in the league at the time
95-The rock boys vs. Penny and shaq
96-Mj's back in the finals w/ the best record in the history of the nba

97- White boy stockton vs. MJ

98- The same time next year Utah Jazz vs. the Chitown Bulls, Mj gets his second three in a row

99- The start of the spurs dynasty

, Pat vs. Tim/D robinson.
That is why 90's NBA > ______
I do wish the lakeshow had a piece of the 90's championship pie though, that would have been insane.

 

[dmbrhs]

The NBA was not "better" in the early to mid-90s. The game got insanely slow and the league was too impatient to wait for a revival ofoffensive-minded teams, so they just did away with hand-checking to increase scoring, and let guards run freely past defenders, which allowed them to parade tothe free throw line. It increased scoring, but cheapened the game. Then you had bums coming out of high school and early college getting enormous contracts,and they didn't even have to prove themselves. The whole product was cheap.

 

[burns1923]

Originally Posted by finnns2003

Originally Posted by Burns1923

The NBA today isn't even real; it's marketed entertainment.

The players of the 80s and 90s were of more traditional generations when a focus on working hard earned you success.

The current generation is over-hyped and over-paid, and what passes for quality basketball now would be laughed at 15-25 years ago.

The league is exploited for monetary gain.

Even stuff like arenas has taken some of the uniqueness away. Teams destroyed or left historic arenas to play in generic, lifeless venues with 8,000 luxury boxes... all for money.

I could write up a lengthy list of why today's NBA is awful.

i agree burns. and i keep forgetting to ask who that is in your avy...

but yeah, i mean give me players of the 80's and early 90's anyday over today's players. magic, bird, MJ, isiah, drexler, dumars, guys who played the game the right way. fundamentals.

It's actress Bridget Moynahan. (Tom Brady traded down with Gisele. I'll take Bridget any and every day of the week. And to top it off, she wascaptain of her high school basketball team. Beautiful and plays basketball. *sighs*

)

Yeah, man, you've got it; players from 1987-1993 played the game with a lot of competitive fire and pride. The game meant something. And theplayers' skills and talent marketed itself. Watching the Celtics play at Boston Garden on an NBC Sunday afternoon in 1990-1993 was golden for me. Samefor Bulls at Chicago Stadium. The game was pure and had dignity. I'm grateful I grew up watching the greatest era of basketball.

I hate when people say the game was better way back in any sport. When in my opinion in most all sports the athletes get better. While the skill level make not improve the pure athleticism of the newer athletes makes up for the lost skill.


Well, it's a matter of opinion, I guess, but you can pick almost anything now and compare its quality to its counterpart from 15-25 years ago and the newerversion will be the lesser of the two.

I think the focus on athleticism, and not skill, is precisely one of the things that has made today's NBA worse. The game is choppy and unorganized. Andit doesn't help that the refs are contractually obligated to call a foul every 17 seconds.

 

[nycknicks105]

A lot of things could be the reason...

- MJ himself retiring from the NBA
- The lock out that occurred in 99
- The New York Knicks stepping into a huge slump for an entire decade.
- The Chicago Bulls also falling into a huge slump.
- It hurt the NBA to have 2 of it's 3 top market city teams to play poorly for so long.
- The emergence of young players stepping into the league. (All the Cherokee Parks, Kwame Brown, Nudubi Ebi, etc)
- Kobe Bryant and his rape case.
- The demise of the the Shaq/Kobe/Phil L.A. Lakers reign.
- Lack of rivalries
- Lack of competitiveness and physicality.
- Lack of individuality
- Not even marketable players such as the likes of an MJ.
- Long drawn out playoff series
- A lot of boring teams winning the championship over and over again (The San Antonio Spurs)
- The zone defense
- Players flopping
- Teams sporting plain looking colors and jerseys.
- ESPN taking over the NBA.

There are many many more reasons, but these are the ones that stand out the most.

I think what REALLY hurt the NBA was all those Pistons/Spurs series. Its not a very exciting brand of basketball to watch. Is it effective? Of course, it is,but it's not the most exciting to watch.

 

[dirtylicious]

the end of this.

 

[al3xis]

do yall remember how much the NBA on NBC SUCKED the last year or two?

Jayson Williams, Pat Croce, Isiah, wasn't Tolbert on it, too?

Seriously, it was a joke.

theme music was it.

 

[i nasmatic i]

The pregame, halftime and postgame weren't great that last year or two, but the music and commentating during games was still quality.

 

[swyftdahoe]

Get over it. There's just way too much competition for your money. Everything's diluted as a result.
The NBA's still as compelling to me as it ever was.

 

[cadillacflow]

Originally Posted by Burns1923

The players of the 80s and 90s were of more traditional generations when a focus on working hard earned you success.

The current generation is over-hyped and over-paid, and what passes for quality basketball now would be laughed at 15-25 years ago.

 

[tmukg21]

Jordan brought his A game every single game, even the random Toronto , Minnesota, Sacramento,games giving every fan almost the same experience for the mostpart
Todays players have the ability to be beasts, yet mail it in knowing the same check is coming in the mail

"its so easy , why go hard?"

 

[ratboy90]

David Stern killed the NBA.

And NBC not getting broadcasting rights killed NBA coverage.

 

[slimk4]

These are the THREE downfalls of the NBA IMO

1. DAVID STERN - We have to get his money hungry behind out of office ASAP

2. KG/ Minnesota Timberwolves - If it wasn't for that stupid 100 million dollar deal for this player out of HIGHSHCHOOL, then the current trend of moneyand youth wouldnt exist. I think this money issue lead to the Lockout of 99 if im not mistaken

3. New York Knicks - When they were strong in the east, the NBA got PLENTY of money from that city....The NBA needs the EAST back to tip top shape ASAP, itscoming along though in the King James dynasty though.

Honorable mention: MJ: he brought so many people to the games, there just hasnt been anyone that can captivate the audiences like he does....LBJ has the bestchance as said above. I would have liked to say KB, but he messed his image with the rape stuff....people are not going to drop a "Desperatehousewives' finale to watch Kobe

 

[trillipinotrapstar]

Originally Posted by nycknicks105

A lot of things could be the reason...

- MJ himself retiring from the NBA
- The lock out that occurred in 99
- The New York Knicks stepping into a huge slump for an entire decade.
- The Chicago Bulls also falling into a huge slump.
- It hurt the NBA to have 2 of it's 3 top market city teams to play poorly for so long.
- The emergence of young players stepping into the league. (All the Cherokee Parks, Kwame Brown, Nudubi Ebi, etc)
- Kobe Bryant and his rape case.
- The demise of the the Shaq/Kobe/Phil L.A. Lakers reign.
- Lack of rivalries
- Lack of competitiveness and physicality.
- Lack of individuality
- Not even marketable players such as the likes of an MJ.
- Long drawn out playoff series
- A lot of boring teams winning the championship over and over again (The San Antonio Spurs)
- The zone defense
- Players flopping
- Teams sporting plain looking colors and jerseys.
- ESPN taking over the NBA.

There are many many more reasons, but these are the ones that stand out the most.

I think what REALLY hurt the NBA was all those Pistons/Spurs series. Its not a very exciting brand of basketball to watch. Is it effective? Of course, it is, but it's not the most exciting to watch.

Yup. Although the Spurs are actually good, I don't think a Finals that involves the Spurs doesn't sell well to the national audiencehere.

6.2 viewers' rating in 2007

 

[infinite04]

There are no true rivalries any longer.....b/c of all the big name trades....remember when players used to actually play for a team longer than a couple ofyears? Big names like GP and Malone stepping on to teams trying to buy a ring just ruined everything.

 

[jawnyquest]

Originally Posted by KB8sandiego

David Stern and money.

mostly david stern tho

 

[westcoastsfinest]

its simple...here the reasons
-Lakers stopped winning championships
-the warriors made the playoffs and won a series

nahh j/k

rewatch the rockets/Lakers series...2 artest ejections...the kobe and artests technicals...there is no way artest shouldve been ejected in game 3 after a hardfoul and pau...bad calls

heres more:
- 99 lockout season
-jordan retiring
-hard fouls=suspensions

-quick technicals cause of reputation
-kobes rape case
-the malice at the palace
-knicks sucking
-lack of rivalries
-the media just slurping of Lebron...seriously now
-nba on abc/espn
-the nba on nbc gone
-commentators are

-zone defense
-all-star game being on cable
-most of the big games on cable
-the spurs are a great team but a very boring team

 

[shuges]

Well-made thread and all that...

But I have to disagree.

The NBA has been fantastic to me.

Some of you just seem to be nit-picking.

Not saying it's perfect.

But as others have pointed out, the coverage (majority of games being on cable, the media manipulation & brain-washing of fans, etc) have been a biggerproblem than the actual game itself.