Can the NBA be saved????

I was a huge Jordan and Bulls fan growing up. However, even after the breakup of the Bulls I still watched the NBA. It was the BS officiating in the LA vs Portland and LA vs SAC Western Conf Finals series that made me quit watching this sport. Its fixed and its a joke. Can't stand many of the attitudes the stars have today....

DWade could save the sport...I believe he's the type of player that makes others truly better on his team. He just needs to stay healthy and a couple great playoff series against Lebron would do wonders for the NBA. Even then I still may not watch...because I still believe the games when they matter are fixed.

If there were 108,000 in Dallas...did anyone else even watch the game? I flipped to it about 4 times lastnight and couldn't stand what I was watching.
 
kuhntz said:
I was a huge Jordan and Bulls fan growing up. However, even after the breakup of the Bulls I still watched the NBA. It was the BS officiating in the LA vs Portland and LA vs SAC Western Conf Finals series that made me quit watching this sport. Its fixed and its a joke. Can't stand many of the attitudes the stars have today....

DWade could save the sport...I believe he's the type of player that makes others truly better on his team. He just needs to stay healthy and a couple great playoff series against Lebron would do wonders for the NBA. Even then I still may not watch...because I still believe the games when they matter are fixed.

If there were 108,000 in Dallas...did anyone else even watch the game? I flipped to it about 4 times lastnight and couldn't stand what I was watching.
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I watched the 4th quarter of the game and probably would have turned it off sooner but watched the finish of the game because it was close and ended up coming down to the last possession of the game.
 
DuffMan said:
Dude if you can't see the difference between that and the "LOOK AT ME" crap in the NFL I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you... that being said the NFL has WAY more of that stuff than the NBA has.
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Ok, I know that there are over the top celebrations in the NFL,MLB and NBA,and that Iowa's shows of emotion are mild in comparison,but still I really do not think the NBA(which is pro sports and an entertainment vehicle for city folks) is really marred by their celebrations on the court...I guess I am immune to it....I just like the athletic feats before the celebrations enough to ignore that stuff...which is really not worse than other pro sports.
 
I am just a casual NBA fan, not a diehard, I prefer college basketball to the NBA, I just get tired of the constant NBA bashing. The league has issues no question, but tthe league has evolved and gotton better the past 5 years. Honestly, the past 2 years the NBA playoffs have been better than the NCAA tourney, imo.

If you don't like the NBA just say that and move on re-hashing old stereotypes is tired. It would be like me doing left turn jokes for Nascar, nascar is not my thing, I get it, and I move on, I don't bash the sport and bring up tired stereotypes....
 
Yes. The NBA will go international to save itself.

* * * * * *

I don't watch it. It's boring. Too much 1-on-1. The first 44 minutes are meaningless.

NBA should do like the Ryder Cup. Have coaches list their 12 players in any order they want. 12 matches of 1-on-1. Six two-man matches. Three Three-man matches.

21 "matches" to 21. First to 11 wins the game. Next city . . .
 
JonDMiller said:
And have been for the last several years.

One could argue that Kobe is on equal footing with Jordan at the same age...as much as I hate to admit that. One could argue Lebron is ahead of both of them.

The thing is that Jordan did it first...we have already seen it...and Jordan did it at the right time, as the popularity of the sport peaked with Bird and Magic..when not every game was on TV (in the 90's) and the weekend games were still appt TV no matter if your favorite team was on...but they typically were, because in the 80's you were likely either a Lakers, Celtics or Sixers fan unless you lived in an NBA city.

The basketball was also a lot more entertaining to watch..more scoring, more of an open game. Today's game is just not palatable to the masses as it once was...perhaps its the hip hop culture that has crept in and that just doesn't play in Peoria...well, at least certain parts of Peoria that are the target demos for advertisers.

But it certainly plays in Dallas, where over 108,000 were at the All Star game?!?!
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One could also argue that Jordan did it playing basketball. What Lebron and others do now is not even close to the same game as when Jordan was winning championships. No doubt Kobe is good and Lebron's skills are freakish, but it's like comparing apples and oranges in the end.
 
Some of this may have been said, but...

The NFL has going for it A) fantasy football and B) fewer number of games and its schedule (sundays) makes it an American institution.

The current NBA game appeals mostly to those who can't afford to go to a great number of games and spend much money when they can attend. In the "glory years" of the 80s and 90s, the NBA appealed to those who could, and did, spend money.

The attention span of everyone these days is so short... especially with TV. There are a million things to watch at any given point, and now many have access to even more entertainment on the internet, and video games (connected on-line).

To me, baseball is hanging on because A) it's America's game (originally anyway), and B) fantasy baseball.

NFL has so few games by comparison and also a rabid fantasy following, and again, the bulk of its schedule is on a day when so many don't work.

NHL, although struggling in markets, still has the loyal following of canadians and american hockey families and fans. Hockey fans are hockey fans. They generally don't watch much of anything else. I would be one of these.

Soccer has the attention of the "foreigners" that have invaded the US - however, they don't have as much money to spend as a whole. Sure, a lot of kids may play it, but it doesn't lend itself to much of a watchable sport for the casual fan.

NBA is in the middle of all of this. The big cities are where it does well, but again, "corporate" and "money" people are into NFL, college football and basketball, and baseball. NBA is sort of "lost" out there.

That's my take...
 
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I am with the pro-NBA people here. While some NBA games can be a drag, there is so much young talent in the league it is ridiculous. The old stereotypes of the league really **** me off as well, but I guess that will never change with a league full of black players who wear head bands and arm sleeves. (which is pathetic)

I thought the All-Star game was one of the coolest sporting events I have ever watched. To see the stuff those guys can do is just amazing.
 
I guess it really does come down to having a team that you follow,in the NBA or in college or high school. I admit I do not watch a ton of NBA games outside the Bulls games...but I follow the Bulls,and get to know the players, and follow their progress. Like in the 88-90 years with the Bulls, watching how Scottie and Horace developed into players and the Bulls into a real team over that period. Right now, I like watching Rose and Noah develop into top NBA players,and hopefully,the team will add the right pieces at the trade deadline, or next summer , like Chris Bosh,and then I can see the team blossom into a title contender...that is fun stuff to me.

Interestingly, I find that most Chicago natives really have zero interest in college sports,for the most part...they did not grow up with a school, like we did with Iowa, and it just never caught their imagination like the local pro teams did when they were kids. It is all about familiarity and investment in teams...so I guess since Jordan retired,many non-urban fans just do not have a team or player that they follow anymore...too bad,really.
 
NBA isn't dead in Portland, the arena is the loudest in the league, couple years of sellouts. Love it.

The problem with the NBA is too many teams and too many games. Oklahoma City, send them back to Seattle where they can pack an arena. Memphis/Charlotte cut, cut, cut. The NBA is actually really quite competitive right now. Cut a few teams, slash about 10 games off the season. Spread the talent around, the level of competition would be even better.
 
LG210 said:
In my opinion, the NBA's problem is this: It is half sport, half WWE-style entertainment. It feels as if the games are scripted and, therefore, the games are not that much fun to watch.

You know that LeBron is going to get the foul call when he is driving the lane with less than a minute to go and that he won't get called for the foul on the other end of the court in the same scenario. Not trying to pick on LeBron here, just using him as a proxy for the "stars" of the league. Now, I know the league did this in the 80s/early 90s, as well, but I would argue that it wasn't to the same degree night in and night out. The league would do itself a favor by letting the players decide the outcome of the games without the taint of referee favortism.

Also, as Jon pointed out above, the style of game played is nearly unwatchable. Isolation plays are not really an offense. Trading 20 foot jumpers as the PA system plays a recording of "do-do-do-do-do-do-----Charge" is not entertaining. Further, who wants to pay to watch guys play with 65-80% effort for 45 of the 48 minutes of the game? 82 games is a lot of games to get up for over the course of a season, but the effort level seams to have dropped off from the 80s/90s.

I live in an NBA city, and through work I can get free tickets to almost any home game. I have taken advantage of that perk exactly zero times.
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I disagree and agree with what you say. I don't think that it is scripted at all and it's no where close to being how the WWE.

I do agree that they play way to many games, just like MLB IMO. Also seems like they try way to hard to get the fans into the game. I think that both in the NBA and MLB they seem to all play half *** or just a little over untill the playoffs. Not saying all teams or all players to but it seems that the mojority are that way.

I used to love watching the NBA from when I was 5 years old tell I got into highschool which is about when MJ was done with the game after his combacks and all. Now I just get into the NBA every now and then when there is nothing else to watch or when the playoffs start because you can definetly tell the difference in a playoff game as to a regular season game. To me it's the same way with MLB, although I was never a real fan of it or of a actual team (but I seem to root for the Cubs) I always got really into it during the playoffs.

I do think the NBA is on it's way back up though. Lebron I think is the biggest reason for this because he seems to put on a great show every game for the fans.
 
You can tell a lot of people are commenting without being an actual viewer of NBA games.


If it's not your thing.... that is fine. Some of the comments are just dead wrong however. Don't comment on the NBA if you really don't know.




Watch the Spurs play and report back.... you will see a few plays you have never seen before. Pappovich is a basketball genius.

Watch Kobe Bryant play Defense. Then report back and tell me superstars do not play hard. That is just a joke to even comment that.

Superstars getting foul calls is no different than MJ, Magic, Isiah, Bird.... any big name player. That has gone on forever. Certain respect veterans earn... big deal. Gone on forever.


Portland.... you don't watch the NBA if you are commenting on the Portland fanbase. there arena is insane every game.


Your kidding right, if you care about there sexual behaviors off the court? I have a feeling you would not cheer for a lot of your favorite Hawkeye players if you knew some things. Something to think about. Do yourself a favor and just stop watching all professional sports if you actually give a rats arse about what they do in bed on their freetime. You don't want to know.


Whoever made the comment about Dwade saving the sport..... Give me a break. Kobe and Lebron.


This is all I will say..... when the Lakers and Cavs meet in the Finals..... and its Kobe vs. Lebron..... watch a game. watch the series. if you have the same views, then your right, you just do not like the NBA.

That series and that matchup will be intense. You do not enjoy competition if you watched Kobe and Lebron go at it and not see how hard those guys play.
 
Trust me, fans of teams notice when a player does not play defense. Like Ty Thomas of the Bulls...he makes a spectacular block but leaves his man alone under the bucket...that gets noticed...city media points out bad defense and fans want to win,and defense is a key to that in any league.
This is why Ty Thomas is on his way outta town, fans have noticed that he is not in the right place on defense,and freelances too much...media and fans will not let players get away with lackadasiacal play anymore...too much scruitiny.
 
JHHawk said:
Interestingly, I find that most Chicago natives really have zero interest in college sports,for the most part...they did not grow up with a school, like we did with Iowa, and it just never caught their imagination like the local pro teams did when they were kids. It is all about familiarity and investment in teams...so I guess since Jordan retired,many non-urban fans just do not have a team or player that they follow anymore...too bad,really.
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This is exactly what I have noticed here at Iowa, and it is one of the reasons why the student sections are usually rather weak. My buddies are almost entirely from Chicago and they love basketball. However, they rarely watch college basketball but they watch every Bulls game religiously. These same guys couldn't care less about Iowa basketball and to a certain extent football. Major cities are pro towns while the smaller markets are much more of a mixed bag.
 
The NBA fans have changed my mind with their arguments in this thread. I now love the NBA.
 
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