Pau Gasol: NBA has lost the beauty of the game

[eliteballer]

[QUOTE]It has changed a lot. For me, the big change is the game itself. There are very fast shots, very short possessions, few passes in each attack. There are many hasty shots. When I was younger, some of the shots that are attempted today would have seen the coach send you to the bench as a punishment. Now it is encouraged to shoot in the first eight seconds of possession. It has lost the beauty of the game, the purity it had, the fact of moving the ball from one side to the other, the ball inside-outside, which was to play with two in the post. Now there are times when there are teams that play with five small guys. [Mario] Hezonja played the other day as centre with us.

[Fedor - Laker]

Yea well, the game evolves over time. Players can score quick, run back on D, then do it all over again. Takes more stamina to play in todays league.

[fsvr54]

He's right, but mostly sounds like he's talking about the Rockets to me, who are the epitome of this horrid style.

[solar.hands]

Short possesions and zero ball movement always get me. Makes me curse at my tv. Whether its the spurs or the oppossing team. Its ****ing cancerous. Cancerball.
I know its entertaining for some. But to me its not basketball any longer. I hope they do something about this.

[FKAri]

It's just window dressing in the end. Basketball has always been a mindless and vapid sport.

[Jay-B]

a lot like the style we played growing up on the playgrounds and on our driveways, quick shots and not much ball movement but this happens in everything, things change by decades

[brooks_thompson]

My problem is I can

[DoctorP]

It's just window dressing in the end. Basketball has always been a mindless and vapid sport.
:lol There is some truth to this but it's such a polar statement

[DoctorP]

My problem is I can’t tell the teams apart. So after my initial burst of watching all I could for the first week, I’m back to finding myself having trouble watching an entire half of a game even. Like clockwork, I’ll get antsy halfway through the second and eventually do or watch something else.

It’s kinda like smoking..honestly starting to think I watch out of habit rather than enjoyment now. Like smoking, I may kick the NBA to the curb soon if I can find a replacement to get in to.

Oh wow, you are really processing this. Try taking a break and see if you can break the habit then watch a game. Today you dont even have to watch the full game with all of these highlight packages on youtube. Maybe you will enjoy a game after a break.

[Bronbron23]

Yea well, the game evolves over time. Players can score quick, run back on D, then do it all over again. Takes more stamina to play in todays league.
The problem with this style is that its only effective during the regular season against slack defences. Once the playoffs come and defences and coaches are actually trying the game turns back to a slower pace half court game. This is why players like harden, Westbrook and Greek who thrive in the regular season run and gun style struggle a bit come playoff time.

Come playoff time it's kawhi who's the more slower more deliberate player that's the best.

[Bosnian Sajo]

[QUOTE=brooks_thompson]My problem is I can

[Showtime80']

Finally more people are waking up to this crap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNgX07wvrcQ&t=328s

The NBA knew that flawed fundamentals and the " I wanna be like Mike" athleticism first generation that was coming up in the early to mid 90's were going to ruin the league eventually but thanks to Jordan/Pippen Bulls, Stockton/Malone Jazz and Hakeem/Drexler Rockets they could hide it for a while at least until Jordan's second retirement in 1998 when all the ugliness that had been festering underneath came afloat and has remained at the forefront to this day.

The NBA absolutely panicked after 1998 when it saw what was going to be the new generation of offensive basketball and introduced the "pseudo zone rule" in 2002 which was really an excuse to clear the paint for the new ball hogging high usage perimeter "stars" who didn't have the necessary fundamentals and bball IQ to beat defenses the way 80's players could.

Fast forward to the 2003-05 period when slow, plodding defensive first teams like the Spurs, Pistons and Pacers started dominating the league and thus forcing the NBA to go back to the drawing board and free up EVEN MORE space for their manufactured perimeter golden boys of that era and beyond and what happened?!?

Dwyane Wade
Steve Nash
Derrick Rose
Steph Curry
Russell Dumbrook
James Harden

That's what happened and the cookie cutter modern offenses are making the game unwatchable coupled with the millennial team hopping BFF generation and this is going to get WWE level bad in the next few years.

[AlternativeAcc.]

Beauty is subjective

Jordan's 6 rings are objectively weak and meaningless.

[Showtime80']

Jordan won ALL his titles during the last era where you could play tough, physical hard nosed defense specially on perimeter players.

I and a WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE would say that anything from 2006 and beyond is weak and meaningless since the NBA basically outlawed defense on the perimeter and turned the league into a pussified 3-point shooting/layup drill that is more reminiscent of pro wrestling than a legit sport.

[HoopologyPhD]

Paul Gasoft shouldn't be talking about beauty, he is at least honorable mention for C on the all-ugly HOF team.

[brutalBBQ]

Jordan won ALL his titles during the last era where you could play tough, physical hard nosed defense specially on perimeter players.

I and a WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE would say that anything from 2006 and beyond is weak and meaningless since the NBA basically outlawed defense on the perimeter and turned the league into a pussified 3-point shooting/layup drill that is more reminiscent of pro wrestling than a legit sport.

This.

[Darius]

Game has more ball movement now.

Paus era was garbage hero ball.

He’s right only about the Rockets/Harden.

GSW played some of the most beautiful ball ever.

[hiphopanonymous]

[QUOTE=Darius]Game has more ball movement now.

Paus era was garbage hero ball.

He

[DoctorP]

https://media0.giphy.com/media/eiIZEmS1mTW0g/source.gif

https://media.giphy.com/media/YmDWQIfKOvh6w/giphy.gif

the beauty?? :lol