NBA Playoffs

[KurtBevacqua]

Originally Posted by Bryan Swartz

Wow, I couldn't disagree more with that. It's been exciting basketball, but not particularly high-quality.

Compared to the quality of NBA basketball the last 20 years, yes, this has been an exceptional series. OK, last night's game wasn't very good as both teams looked tired and were substituting contact for defending with their feet. And yeah, Rose and Gordon were both off. But game's 1 and 2 were as good as anything I've seen since the Bird-Magic days.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Scary moment in Atlanta as Dwayne Wade konks himself hard on the back of the head in a collision with Josh Smith. Distrubingly, Wade was booed as he writhed on the floor. I guess emotions are running high in this series, which is tied at two as of before tonight's game.

[Bryan Swartz]

Kurt, we are watching two different sports. First of all, I don't think there's any reason to say the Bird/Magic days were better basketball: it was an exciting rivalry, but again that's not the same thing. I think any one game of the Spurs/Suns series from a couple years ago had more quality basketball in it than the entire Boston/Chicago series combined so far. And it's not even close to comparing to the Spurs/Pistons finals, or the Pistons/Heat semifinals the year Miami won it, or the Indiana/Chicago series MJ's final year, or the Bulls/Jazz series(both of them) ... I just don't see where this high-quality basketball idea is coming from.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Originally Posted by Bryan Swartz

Kurt, we are watching two different sports. First of all, I don't think there's any reason to say the Bird/Magic days were better basketball: it was an exciting rivalry, but again that's not the same thing. I think any one game of the Spurs/Suns series from a couple years ago had more quality basketball in it than the entire Boston/Chicago series combined so far. And it's not even close to comparing to the Spurs/Pistons finals, or the Pistons/Heat semifinals the year Miami won it, or the Indiana/Chicago series MJ's final year, or the Bulls/Jazz series(both of them) ... I just don't see where this high-quality basketball idea is coming from.

Not to mention that the term "high-quality basketball" has an enormous number of potential definitions to the point that it's hard to determine any meaning at all. A quality game is one that is exciting and entertaining -- right? Or is there some other aesthetic consideration involved here?

[phightin]

Originally Posted by Michael Hopcroft

Not to mention that the term "high-quality basketball" has an enormous number of potential definitions to the point that it's hard to determine any meaning at all. A quality game is one that is exciting and entertaining -- right? Or is there some other aesthetic consideration involved here?

i couldn't agree more. people who complain about the quality of the nba just miss the point entirely, it's a different game than college. Sure if you like watching team based below the rim basketball with a premium on outside shooting than by all means watch college, very entertaining so i can't argue. However, the 70/80s days of the nba being a below the rim game are well over due to the fact that there is a premium on athleticism now in the league. These guys are absolute freaks and it's amazing to see some of the things they can do. It's the main reason why players who were great in college the reddicks, morrison's etc can't cut it in the nba they're just not athletic enough. You could make the argument that the 80s game had all around "better" players in terms of some of the things they could do, but it's a fact that the modern nba players are 10x the athletes the 70/80/ and even 90s ones were.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by phightin

i couldn't agree more. people who complain about the quality of the nba just miss the point entirely, it's a different game than college. Sure if you like watching team based below the rim basketball with a premium on outside shooting than by all means watch college, very entertaining so i can't argue. However, the 70/80s days of the nba being a below the rim game are well over due to the fact that there is a premium on athleticism now in the league. These guys are absolute freaks and it's amazing to see some of the things they can do. It's the main reason why players who were great in college the reddicks, morrison's etc can't cut it in the nba they're just not athletic enough. You could make the argument that the 80s game had all around "better" players in terms of some of the things they could do, but it's a fact that the modern nba players are 10x the athletes the 70/80/ and even 90s ones were.

Who was complaining about the quality of the NBA? The talent is there the intensity, heart and X factor is not. This todays players are 10X the athletes compared to 10-20 years ago is complete BS however. Perhaps I remember the greatness of players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and Larry Bird too much and no one other than Kobe Bryant has their qualities in todays game.

The games are lackluster at best. Out of the first round games how many have been decided by less than 10 points? What bothers me is the lack of heart shown by the majority of the teams. A team loses by 58 on their home court for crying out loud, isnt this the playoffs? Magic-Sixers and Celtics-Bulls are the only two matchups that have been interesting to watch.

Maybe LeBron James sums up todays game better than anything. An absolute freak that can do anything on the basketball court. He is so talented it seems he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants and it never really seems he has to "up" his game for a huge moment.

My favorite game to watch is when the Lakers fall behind and Kobe presses that on switch and decides his team isnt going to lose. It reminds me of the great years when them 4 I mentioned above would all do the same.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by KurtBevacqua

Compared to the quality of NBA basketball the last 20 years, yes, this has been an exceptional series. OK, last night's game wasn't very good as both teams looked tired and were substituting contact for defending with their feet. And yeah, Rose and Gordon were both off. But game's 1 and 2 were as good as anything I've seen since the Bird-Magic days.

Im guessing you must like offense because the offense in them 2 games(more so 2) was "high quality" the defense however was far from it. Rose was able to to anything he wanted game 1 and if Allen doesnt have his coldest shooting game of the season the Celtics win that one by 10.

[statman]

I live in Chicago and lived thru the wild ride of Michael Jordan and the 6 Championships and I'll tell ya it has really been great to see the Bulls finally give this town a little excitement (along with the amazing Blackhawks). The series hasn't seen the great play of the Jordan years but any series that feature game after game (except 1) of wild finishes, 3 overtime games is just great playoff basketball. Did all of you know the Celtics were such cry babies? GO BULLS!!!

[BaseballMan]

Well i guess i was wrong about the Nuggets.

[phightin]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Who was complaining about the quality of the NBA? The talent is there the intensity, heart and X factor is not. This todays players are 10X the athletes compared to 10-20 years ago is complete BS however. Perhaps I remember the greatness of players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and Larry Bird too much and no one other than Kobe Bryant has their qualities in todays game.

The games are lackluster at best. Out of the first round games how many have been decided by less than 10 points? What bothers me is the lack of heart shown by the majority of the teams. A team loses by 58 on their home court for crying out loud, isnt this the playoffs? Magic-Sixers and Celtics-Bulls are the only two matchups that have been interesting to watch.

Maybe LeBron James sums up todays game better than anything. An absolute freak that can do anything on the basketball court. He is so talented it seems he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants and it never really seems he has to "up" his game for a huge moment.

My favorite game to watch is when the Lakers fall behind and Kobe presses that on switch and decides his team isnt going to lose. It reminds me of the great years when them 4 I mentioned above would all do the same.

How can you say today's players aren't better athletes? Have you seen footage of the league from the 70s and 80s? The game was played below rim because there were very few athletic freaks that had come into the league up to that point. Why do you think players like Dr. J and Micahel Jordan are considered revolutionary? It's because they changed the complextion of the game and more emphasis was placed on players with athletic qualities not just college shooters. And of all the players you mentioned MJ and Magic were the only ones who were great athletes. Issiah and Larry were below the rim players and weren't the fastest or quickest guys out there. You ever watch Bird play? He had horrible coordination, wasn't quick, clumsy at times, but man the guy could shoot and pass lights out. A great player he was, a great pure athlete he was not. James, Kobe, Wade, Howard, Igudola, Joe Johnson, Garnett, Nate, CP, VC the list goes on and on to other players who aren't as great as well...no way in hell any of the guys in the 70s or 80s playing besides maybe a couple could come close to the athleticism of the modern day nba player. i don't even know why i'm arguing something so obvious guess it's just cause i've grown up playing sports my whole life.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by phightin

How can you say today's players aren't better athletes? Have you seen footage of the league from the 70s and 80s? The game was played below rim because there were very few athletic freaks that had come into the league up to that point. Why do you think players like Dr. J and Micahel Jordan are considered revolutionary? It's because they changed the complextion of the game and more emphasis was placed on players with athletic qualities not just college shooters. And of all the players you mentioned MJ and Magic were the only ones who were great athletes. Issiah and Larry were below the rim players and weren't the fastest or quickest guys out there. You ever watch Bird play? He had horrible coordination, wasn't quick, clumsy at times, but man the guy could shoot and pass lights out. A great player he was, a great pure athlete he was not. James, Kobe, Wade, Howard, Igudola, Joe Johnson, Garnett, Nate, CP, VC the list goes on and on to other players who aren't as great as well...no way in hell any of the guys in the 70s or 80s playing besides maybe a couple could come close to the athleticism of the modern day nba player. i don't even know why i'm arguing something so obvious guess it's just cause i've grown up playing sports my whole life.

You really need to stop posting until you actually read what other people write. Did I ever say todays athlete wasnt better? I said they werent 10X better which is fairly obvious. Id guess 90 percent of the people on here have played sports their entire life so Im not sure you get a pass on that.

You really dont need to freak out on every argument. You cant say things like 10X better and not expect a reply.

FYI Athletic ability isnt just your ability to get high up on the rim. Isiah Thomas was a great athlete and I believe youd have a hard time getting anyone to agree with you that he wasnt.

[phightin]

I only take issue with people who follow my posts to argue for the sake of arguing and then start online altercations, which for some reason ironically only seems to be one person on the entire forum. I come on here to talk sports which I love to do, and simply made a counter argument not freaking out. If you don't want me to respond to your response than don't respond in the first place. I'm sorry if you took it personally. And as for athletics I agree that most people on here have played sports and can relate to the aspects of what being an athlete is all about. However, from my own personal experience of playing the sport I did at a very high level, which I won't go into because it's irrelevant, and being around other high level athletes I feel I have a slightly different perspective of what being an athlete is all about. It literally was my life for four years. In terms of 10x better, I absolutely stand by what I said. The aspects of what it takes to succeed in today's modern nba are vastly different to the players from the 70s/80s.

[jbergey22]

It would be difficult for me to take it personally when I was convinced you didnt even know what I had said in the first place

[kenyan_cheena]

Regardless of the quality, has there ever been a series as unbeleiveable as this Bulls-Celtics one? FOUR overtime games out of six? Two of them going into double OT and this one into triple OT?

[Lawley]

Hands down one of the best playoff series i have ever seen, amazing really. Ray is clutch, goodness. Cant wait for game 7!

[yankeesrule]

this has definatly been one of the more exciting/nerve racking series of recent. so many last second shots, its been crazy

[eriqjaffe]

Originally Posted by Lawley

Hands down one of the best playoff series i have ever seen, amazing really. Ray is clutch, goodness. Cant wait for game 7!

Kirk Hinrich owes Derrick Rose bigtime, BTW.

[Jose Cardenal's Afro]

Gartnett is getting as bad as Spike Lee on the sidelines. I used to like Garnett until this series.

[His Own Bad Self]

As a Bulls fan, let me make the following observation:

In Reggie Miller's prime, he was one of the few players one actually followed even when he didn't have the ball. He eventually would get it, and as his legend grew, when he did come off a screen, wide open and ready to shoot, my reaction would consistently be, "No, no, how can you let him get that wide open?" There was no question over whether he would make the shot or not; rather, the question was why he wasn't covered better, so that he could never get the shot off at all.

What I'm saying is, Ray Allen has become all that and more in this series. Maybe Miller's clutch reputation is legendary, but all things considered, it's hard not to think that Allen has been the better player throughout his career.

[statman]

Originally Posted by Jose Cardenal's Afro

Gartnett is getting as bad as Spike Lee on the sidelines. I used to like Garnett until this series.

Agree, too bad the Bulls had to lose the series they gave them a good fight. At least I don't have a reason to watch the Garnett antics anymore. I hope they get blown out in 4 games!