2023-24 Running NBA thread

Final 211-186

Highest scoring "organized basketball" game in history.

 

nets my god just totally rudderless

 

Is someone in the front office seriously looking at that roster and thinking that Jacque Vaughn was the problem?

 

They need to KILL the ASG. About the only thing I could think might be interesting is take the 24 players - have six fans pick four players apiece. Three on Three to 11 (1 and 2s scoring, win by two). Two losses and you are done. Last team on the court wins $1m per person. Or do four six person teams 5 x 5 full court - same deal.

 

The ASG was never watchable basketball and I don’t think I have seen more than a couple of minutes in the past 30 years. And I love the NBA. The players have just taken it to the logical extreme with 3 point shooting and even less defense. It’s a long weekend of parties and marketing opportunities which is interrupted by a hoops game and the ratings reflect it.

Back when there was no NBA on national TV before February and then only once a week until playoffs, it was cool to see players who you haven’t seen for months. Now every team is on national TV constantly so there is nothing unique about seeking Steph or Tatum.

Other than radically changing the format, this is what you are going to see.

 

From 1973. 104-84 final. Doesn't look all that different from a regular-season NBA game during that time. Shots contested. Players getting back on defense.

Most glaring difference between then and today: 37 fouls called in 1973, 3 called in 2024.

 

The first NBA game I ever attended was the 1960 All-Star Game in Philly at the old Convention Hall. East 125-West 115. A team with both Wilt and Russell was hard to beat. BTW, there were 289 shots taken last night. That's one every 10 seconds. But there were also 106 assists. I guess there wasn't much dribbling.

 

Is this really a problem, anyway?

Would you rather watch a legendary Larry Brown "Play The Right Way" game where they play lockdown defense, control the ball for 22 seconds each possession, and come down to the final minute of play with the score 49-49, the possession arrow, and two time outs left so the genius wizard coach can diagram the perfect winning play?

It's not basketball the way we know it. It's probably basketball from 50 years in the future.

 

For many years, as the above examples posted show, the All-Star Game was more or less a regular game in style, albeit with higher scoring (All-Stars are hard to defend against!). Now, it's not even playground ball. It's not competition, which is kind of the point of all games.

 

I suppose they could put some kind of weighted bonus based on plus minus; players would play harder to make sure the team was plus while they were on the floor. That would cut down on the periods of absolutely zero defense.

 

Then I'll enjoy less and less basketball. Which I guess is fine, because I'm not the demographic to which they are catering.

For now, I still have high-school and small-college basketball, where it's about more than looking for your next highlight-film moment.

 

In-season tournament, minimum games for awards and max contracts, rules for rest - the increasing number of terms and conditions to address fan and player apathy is concerning (and the NBA is on in my home every night)