I hate to admit this but warming to the NBA

[CAARHawk]

As far as basketball goes, I go to a number of pro games each year. Will be at 2 playoff games this week and I still can't get myself to watch a whole game on TV, unless it is the Hawks.

I am pretty much a last 5 minutes troller. That 5 minutes is often great, but still don't find it necessary to watch the rest of the game - college or pro.

 

[DuffMan]

I call it bad basketball because for the most part it's a 1 on 1 game or teams just chucking 3s. Just not a brand that I enjoy.

You clearly don't watch NBA basketball. Your comments here and earlier when you said it's bad basketball are laughable.

As mentioned the level of talent in the NBA right now is astonishing. I watched the Dallas/Portland game last night and was blown away. Dallas moved the ball, they got open looks behind the arc, they had penetration buckets by guards, they had 7 footers comming off screens and sticking 19 footers, they had 7' big men swatting shots, catching and dunking, and getting rebounds.

I don't know if they will continue to play at this level but if they do they are a legit title contender.

The only thing that rivals an NBA playoff game in intensity is an NFL playoff game (and that includes the NCAA tournament). I'll be the first to admit the regular season can drag a little bit but playoff basketball is a whole different story.

 

[olivecourt]

If for no other reason, everyone should be watching to see the young point guards play: Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and of course Derrick Rose.

You've also got the Ty Lawson/Ray Felton combo in Denver, Andre Miller and Brandon Roy in Portland, Jason Kidd (still ticking somehow) in Dallas, and Tony Parker in SA. Great point guards make great basketball games, and if Rose and Rondo meet in the Eastern Conference finals, it's going to be amazing.

But yeah, guys have tattoos, so you probably shouldn't watch. Good grief.

 

[TrustKF]

I've never been able to understand how people don't like the NBA, it's amazing entertainment and good basketball. Every year after suffering through watching Iowa basketball, the NBA playoffs serve as a basketball pick me up for me.

 

[GravyJones]

I became a Bulls fan when BJ was drafted, and his Bulls career was pretty much the only time I've ever been interested in the NBA at all. Derrick Rose is making me reconsider. He's as dreamy as Linda Cohn.

 

[528646]

I have also found myself being sucked into the NBA over the past couple years. I bought a lot of the crap you hear floated out there at face value (meaning, I never bothered tuning in to check for myself) - they're lazy, it's bad basketball, there are no real stars ever since MJ left.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I can tell you after watching more NBA ball over the past 1.5-2 years all of those statements are patently false. It's a damn good product.

 

[burky247]

I've never been able to understand how people don't like the NBA, it's amazing entertainment and good basketball. Every year after suffering through watching Iowa basketball, the NBA playoffs serve as a basketball pick me up for me.

I agree. And it's not just because Iowa basketball has struggled. It's because the college game has turned into a boring, Wisconsin style product. It used to be that it was just the mid-majors that played the slow down game. Now it seems like everyone tries to do it and it really diluted the product.
I still like March Madness better than the NBA Playoffs because of the one-and-done factor. But for enjoyable basketball, I will take the NBA every day of the week as long as the Hawks aren't playing.

 

[Tmoney12]

I get a kick out of The Birdman, hands down, the ugliest man in the NBA.

Charlie Villanueva(sp) says otherwise

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

I agree. And it's not just because Iowa basketball has struggled. It's because the college game has turned into a boring, Wisconsin style product. It used to be that it was just the mid-majors that played the slow down game. Now it seems like everyone tries to do it and it really diluted the product.
I still like March Madness better than the NBA Playoffs because of the one-and-done factor. But for enjoyable basketball, I will take the NBA every day of the week as long as the Hawks aren't playing.

I love March Madness just for the excitement but there's a lot of bad basketball in the tournament. I'll take watching a really high level of basketball over that.

 

[Hawkstrat]

"Thuggets and their tatted band of freaks, I gave up on that series.Seriously, have you seen Anderson aka The Bridman's throat tatts?"

Who cares about some guys tattoos?

There are some ball-stoppers in the NBA, but the idea that the NBA is all one-on-one isn't true.

 

[DuffMan]

The reality is many people in the midwest struggle watching the NBA because people are threatened by, or can't relate to, the overwhelmingly black and affluent players.

 

[IAguy]

The last time I watched any significant amount of NBA games before this year was back when Shaq was in LA.

I've found the overall NBA watching experience more tolerable this year since they started giving T's for excessive whining.

Last year I watched over a quarter of maybe 5 games including the title series. This year, probably 15-20. I don't really have a favorite team, so I just watch for good basketball and close games.

 

[GravyJones]

The reality is many people in the midwest struggle watching the NBA because people are threatened by, or can't relate to, the overwhelmingly black and affluent players.

Why do people in the midwest struggle watching college baseball?

 

[burky247]

I love March Madness just for the excitement but there's a lot of bad basketball in the tournament. I'll take watching a really high level of basketball over that.

I agree. Like I said, I enjoy March Madness more just because of the one-and-done factor. And the 4 days of ball you get to watch from 11am til almost midnight for the first two rounds. But the NBA Playoffs is still better basketball.

 

[DuffMan]

Why do people in the midwest struggle watching college baseball?

They don't, ever been to Omaha and the CWS?

 

[pin2win]

playoffs are only time worth watching the nba the rest of the season is a joke

 

[GravyJones]

They don't, ever been to Omaha and the CWS?

The whiteys in the midwest can't follow college baseball at all outside of a few days in Omaha. People don't hate the NBA because of the black players; they hate it because NBA games are boring as hell outside of a small number of highlight-worthy plays.

 

[tm3308]

I'll admit that it's definitely getting better. There was a stretch that lasted until just a couple years ago, where all that stuff about players being lazy/no defense/whining/etc. was true. It seemed like the Spurs and Pistons were the only ones who would play defense. And I kept buying into that line of thinking until just a few weeks ago, when I finally cracked and started watching some games.

And now, defense is a big priority to just about everyone not named D'Antoni. And I prefer to watch defensive basketball to high-scoring affairs. Not super slow-down, but great defense.

 

[pin2win]

if they cleaned up the constant traveling by the big men down low and the palming of the ball and to actually have ppl play defense i might watch more games during the season

officiating is a joke

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

if they cleaned up the constant traveling by the big men down low and the palming of the ball and to actually have ppl play defense i might watch more games during the season

officiating is a joke

Everyone palms the ball at every level, if officials wanted to they could call if on just about every dribble. Again people who say there is no defense in the NBA, just don't watch it. The defense in the NBA is so much better than in the NCAA. Just because teams in college can't shoot worth **** doesn't mean the other team is playing good defense.