Basketball's golden age- 60s, 80s or 90s?

[QUOTE=mlh1981]Basketball's golden age was when we were kids. I would assume for many, that's when we are the most interested, and fascinated, by the product. We gain more knowledge as we get older, but also get more cynical.[/QUOTE]
I aagree. After reading the posts in this thread, I think we need to define what "golden age" means. Is it talent? Best stats? Rivalries? Popularity? Evolution? I think every decade can lay claim to one of these criteria

Best stats? 60s

Best rivalries? 80s

Popularity? 90s

Eolution? 00s

It does seem like alot of posters are thinking with their hearts

[B]Greatest Talent + power/strengthening/conditioning/Defense = '90s decade

Greatest Skills set + Bball fundamentals = '80s decade

Greatest shot selection due to extra pass = '70s decade

Greatest NBA Evolution = '60s Decade

Greatest Destruction of the NBA due to defensive rules changes = '00 Decade

Greatest mockery of the NBA downgraded to Amateur league from Pro level = '10 decade[/B]

[QUOTE=Mr. I'm So Rad]2000s[/QUOTE]
This..
From the epic dunk contest, to and1 mixtapes, to the brawls, to da players releasing rap albums, comin to games with durags n pants saggin representin da hood.

All da white boys can say da 80s, but real hood niggggas kno da 2000s was wat it was

[QUOTE=zay_24]This..
From the epic dunk contest, to and1 mixtapes, to the brawls, to da players releasing rap albums, comin to games with durags n pants saggin representin da hood.

All da white boys can say da 80s, but real hood niggggas kno da 2000s was wat it was[/QUOTE]

For sure man.

And for the Lin fans, things have just got real.

In terms of absolute pure talent-laden rosters, the mid-60's was about as good as it gets.,

I have covered the 66-67 season, and I won't break it down into detail here now, but the Warriors, Royals, Hawks, Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, and Sixers were FILLED with great rosters. All in a ten team league.

For example, the Lakers had West, Baylor, HOFer Gail Goodrich, Archie Clark (who would be an all-star the very next season), Abdul-Rahman (who would average 24.0 ppg the very next season), Rudy LaRusso (who would average 21.8 ppg the very next season), 6-10 Darrell Imhoff (who averaged a double-double), and TWO seven-footers (one of them mostly a PF.)

With ALL of that talent, LA went 36-45. Think about that...West and Baylor, arguably two of the Top-20 players of all-time (and near their primes), along with a stacked roster, could only go 36-45! That is the equivalent of Lebron and Wade, with a solid supporting cast, and in their primes...going 37-45.

From the time Magic and Bird first stepped on an NBA court to MJ's first retirement.

Golden age = between the year Magic & Bird entered the league and when Jordan retired for the first time.

[QUOTE=jlauber]In terms of absolute pure talent-laden rosters, the mid-60's was about as good as it gets.,

I have covered the 66-67 season, and I won't break it down into detail here now, but the Warriors, Royals, Hawks, Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, and Sixers were FILLED with great rosters. All in a ten team league.

For example, the Lakers had West, Baylor, HOFer Gail Goodrich, Archie Clark (who would be an all-star the very next season), Abdul-Rahman (who would average 24.0 ppg the very next season), Rudy LaRusso (who would average 21.8 ppg the very next season), 6-10 Darrell Imhoff (who averaged a double-double), and TWO seven-footers (one of them mostly a PF.)

With ALL of that talent, LA went 36-45. Think about that...West and Baylor, arguably two of the Top-20 players of all-time (and near their primes), along with a stacked roster, could only go 36-45! That is the equivalent of Lebron and Wade, with a solid supporting cast, and in their primes...going 37-45.[/QUOTE]

That's because LA didn't have David Stern to save them back then!

[QUOTE=zay_24]This..
From the epic dunk contest, to and1 mixtapes, to the brawls, to da players releasing rap albums, comin to games with durags n pants saggin representin da hood.

All da white boys can say da 80s, but real hood niggggas kno da 2000s was wat it was[/QUOTE]

Agreed

streetball was created in the late 90s early 00s ... real basketball began in the 90s with Jordan ... no more scrub whites ... even Turks are in the league now

[QUOTE=mlh1981]Basketball's golden age was when we were kids. I would assume for many, that's when we are the most interested, and fascinated, by the product. We gain more knowledge as we get older, but also get more cynical.[/QUOTE]

I used to think this, until I started re watching games from the "Golden" era, and realized "Damn, these players weren't f@cking around at ALL when they stepped on the court". The mid 80s-early 90s just had an edge and unpredictable style that hasn't been seen since.

The fact that it was all about the GAME, and not the personal lives of the players back then helped a lot too, because you could "paint" your own personality of the players, based on how they played the game. Once the league started reporting on Dennis Rodman going out on the town with Madonna, I knew things would never be the same again.
:oldlol:

[QUOTE=Nevaeh]I used to think this, until I started re watching games from the "Golden" era, and realized "Damn, these players weren't f@cking around at ALL when they stepped on the court". The mid 80s-early 90s just had an edge and unpredictable style that hasn't been seen since.

The fact that it was all about the GAME, and not the personal lives of the players back then helped a lot too, because you could "paint" your own personality of the players, based on how they played the game. Once the league started reporting on Dennis Rodman going out on the town with Madonna, I knew things would never be the same again.
:oldlol:[/QUOTE]

He even wrote about dating Madonna LMAO It was a NY Times best seller for ages haha.

Very insightful.:cheers:

[QUOTE=97 bulls]This decade may give the magic/bird rivalry a run though with okc and miami featuring james/durant. Both players are a perfect contrast of each other. With james being the bad guy (like it or not ) and durant being the good guy[/QUOTE]

That's impossible because not only did Magic vs Bird play a part in Lakers vs Celtics the league's biggest rivalry it was also east vs west, white vs black, existed before they came to the league and played a single finals game with each other, and also at one time they really did hate each other. To have a rivalry that captures so many dynamics like that is once in a lifetime.