Congrats NBA, you've lost yet another fan(warning long rant ahead)

[raptorfan_dr07]

Congratulations David Stern and the NBA, you've just lost another long time fan. It's finally come to the point where I can not, and will not watch another NBA game. At least not until they finally start doing something to change it. Unfortunately, I do not see those changes occuring anytime soon. It's has become clear to me that NBA games are no longer decided by a team's talent and skill, or their heart and desire, but instead by which pocketbook is bigger and what superstar is more marketable.

The loss of Michael Jordan caused the NBA to hype up any young superstar wing player in an attempt to replace what he was to the NBA. This led to the "pussification" so to speak, of the league and a new generation of fans who value nothing but showboating and high scoring. The rule changes during the midpoint of this decade helped to "pussify" the league even more. It's become virtually impossible to guard a player out on the perimeter because a foul is going to be called nearly every possession. I was recently reading a comment on these forums that actually stated that everytime Kevin Garnett took a swipe at Dwight Howard's hands, it should be a flagrant foul. Yes, I kid you not, they actually said it should be a flagrant. Is that what we've come to? Has the NBA become so soft and watered down that people are calling for that? The NBA wonders why they're losing money. They wonder why they're not as popular as the MLB, the NFL, and even the freaking NHL. The game has changed from when we used to enjoy it. I grew up in the 90's. I was too young to have witnessed the careers of guys like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and countless other greats from past eras. When I started following the NBA, Larry Bird was hobbling into retirement and Magic Johnson caught HIV. I had always been around basketball since I was born. My dad was the head coach of the Girls Varsity basketball team at Manuel Arts High School in Los Angeles during the late 80's and early 90's. He used to bring me along with him sometimes at practice and I was at every game. Most of my passion for the game came from him. I've always liked to say that basketball was my first love. Even now as I'm older, girlfriends come and they go, but basketball always remains.

Watching the NBA now, I hate what I'm watching. This is no longer the game that I love. I hate what it's become. Strong, physical defense is no longer encouraged. Everything is all about who has the bigger star and who can draw the most fouls. It's not basketball anymore. It's disgusting watching someone like Ray Allen, a guy who gives his all night in and night out, be taken out of a game due to phantom fouls. It's disgusting watching players like Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol flop around like fishes out of water, trying to get calls and be rewarded for that. Meanwhile, a guy like Kendrick Perkins, who prides himself on defense and toughness, is rewarded with fouls. Probably the most frustrating thing, is the inconsistency. Certain calls are not given at the other end of the floor. For example, tonight I watched Pau Gasol attempt a dunk in the first quarter I believe. Kendrick Perkins recovered and was able to block the shot from behind. Pau screamed like a girl and fell down and of course, Perkins was given a foul. In the third quarter, Tony Allen went up for a similar play, and Kobe Bryant comes over and hits his wrist, causing him to miss the dunk. No foul was called. Another example, in the first or second quarter, I don't remember which, Glen Davis was at the top of the key setting a screen on Derek Fisher. He was stationary and Derek Fisher flopped and Davis was assessed an offensive foul. In the third quarter I believe it was, Pau Gasol came out to set a screen on Davis, hit him to the floor, and an offensive foul was not called, even though it was nearly identical to the Fisher/Davis play.

Whatever happened to the "no blood no foul" saying? My brother and I grew up playing heated battles of one on one, sometimes very late into the night. I used to lay a beating on him, and he would sit there and take it. Never once did he complain, he just went right back at me as hard as he could. We never would call fouls. For anyone who's seen He Got Game, that scene when Denzel Washington is playing a one on one game with his son at the park? That's how my brother and I were. That's the basketball I grew up with. Just the other day, he and I played one on one for the first time in a few years. Just like when we were younger, he and I were going at it, both of us laying a beating on the other. If someone were to play the way we play in the NBA, they'd foul out in a matter of seconds. One of the reasons I like the Celtics, is because they're bringing that physical brand of basketball back. Only in today's league, they're punished for it. Another reason why I like them, is because they play a team game, another thing that has vanished from today's NBA. In today's league, the majority of players have a "what can my team do for me" mentality instead of "what can I do for my team". It's given rise to a new brand of fans who worship a single individual and do anything to unjustly prop up the individual, often times at the expense of teammates and other players. The media and the NBA eat that up. I can't turn on any sports channel without having to hear a million times about Lebron James and his free agency. My dad brought up an excellent point today during the game. He said he preferred TNT's coverage because at halftime, they actually talk about the game and do real analysis. He, like myself, didn't like that stupid segment about Kobe that had nothing to do with anything, and he's a Laker fan. The average fan nowadays, loves crap like that. These fans are idiots, in every sense of the word. They know nothing about basketball or great players that came before. They are the PleezeBelieves, Desperados, Branslowskis, Lebron23s, and Canstops. They will put down former players or eras in attempts to unjustly build up their idols.

When I was younger, I was a huge Michael Jordan fan, as were most other people during the 90's. I didn't know much about Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, etc, but I found myself wanting to know about them, wishing that I could have watched them play. My dad was born in NY, but moved to LA as a teen in the 60's. He's got tons of stories about going to games at The Forum and watching Wilt and Russell, among others. As a kid I loved those stories and wanted to know more about how great they were. I know some of you think jlauber is a troll, and other than his inexplicable ranking of Kobe ahead of Bird, I actually value his contributions to this board, because he actually got to see these guys play and I enjoy hearing about it. Another, lesser known poster here is the Laker fan EllEffEll. I remember last year I called him the best Laker fan here by FAR. He too, has posted stories about seeing these guys play. I love learning more about these legends from the people who were actually there. These new fans don't appreciate that at all. They don't care about these true great players, and constantly put them down to hype up their idols. They don't want to know about these guys, all they want is for people to keep telling them how great Kobe or Lebron is.

So congrats NBA, you've officially lost yet another fan. I join the ranks of many who have left the NBA game behind. I guess that's what they want though, a bunch of mindless, moronic idiots who go along with whatever they say. People who don't have a clue about something as basic as a pick and roll and will continue to spend money on their Kobe or Lebron jerseys. They don't care if they don't know the first thing about basketball, as long as they can market Kobe and Lebron and these idiots buy into it. They don't care that they're slowly becoming the laughingstock of professional sports, if they aren't already. As a passionate basketball fan, I will probably still continue to follow my beloved Raptors, but from afar. Instead, I will get most of my fix from the NCAA like a majority of people are recently doing. The game is much better, and resembles more the one I grew up with. Players play hard, physicality is allowed, less fouls are called, team basketball is encouraged, there are no retarded fans, it's not about money. More than half the guys who play college basketball don't even have the NBA or professional basketball in their futures. They're out there for the love of the game. This year's March Madness was worlds better than this year's NBA playoffs. Sorry for the long rant, but I had nothing better to do tonight and just wanted to express my thoughts. I'm probably not going to watch the rest of the finals. I'll probably even watch the WNBA instead. Hell at least they play hard and they're a lot more physical. Their game is hugely based on fundamentals, and not flash. The fans aren't as stupid either. End rant, it's late and I'm going to bed.

[oh the horror]

My thoughts on it are simple....refs should not influence the flow of the game, ever. And I saw them literally changing the very flow, and rhythm throughout tonight's game being extremely whistle heavy, and calling outright ticky tack fouls. Both sides were literally having fouls left and right at one point...and initially it was because (imo) of Ron throwing himself on Pierce early on....So my guess was, they wanted to shut down physical play and keep players in check?


However....why the fu*k do they do that? CALL EACH INDIVIDUAL PLAY AS IT SHOULD BE CALLED. Why are OFFICIALS trying to make a point?

[Dizzle-2k7]

youve got a point.. but its only one game. who knows how the refs will call it back in boston or even LA.. honestly this is the firstgame ive seen all playoffs where lakers get the benefit of calls.

[AJ2k8]

It's posters like you who laugh at Lakers fans who complain about calls but yet you expect people to take your rant seriously

[Hamburgers]

[EastCaliChillin]

LOL OP Is a Clown who is about to be on the brink of suicide when Kobe wins his 5th. Lol @ blaming the loss on Referees.


I hope Op doesnt do anything drastic on some eminem stan sh*t


But if you are signed up for a NBA message board and have 1,000+ post

You are still going to continue watching NBA GAMES

[ashlar]

Congratulations David Stern and the NBA, you've just lost another long time fan. It's finally come to the point where I can not, and will not watch another NBA game. At least not until they finally start doing something to change it. Unfortunately, I do not see those changes occuring anytime soon. It's has become clear to me that NBA games are no longer decided by a team's talent and skill, or their heart and desire, but instead by which pocketbook is bigger and what superstar is more marketable.

The loss of Michael Jordan caused the NBA to hype up any young superstar wing player in an attempt to replace what he was to the NBA. This led to the "pussification" so to speak, of the league and a new generation of fans who value nothing but showboating and high scoring. The rule changes during the midpoint of this decade helped to "pussify" the league even more. It's become virtually impossible to guard a player out on the perimeter because a foul is going to be called nearly every possession. I was recently reading a comment on these forums that actually stated that everytime Kevin Garnett took a swipe at Dwight Howard's hands, it should be a flagrant foul. Yes, I kid you not, they actually said it should be a flagrant. Is that what we've come to? Has the NBA become so soft and watered down that people are calling for that? The NBA wonders why they're losing money. They wonder why they're not as popular as the MLB, the NFL, and even the freaking NHL. The game has changed from when we used to enjoy it. I grew up in the 90's. I was too young to have witnessed the careers of guys like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and countless other greats from past eras. When I started following the NBA, Larry Bird was hobbling into retirement and Magic Johnson caught HIV. I had always been around basketball since I was born. My dad was the head coach of the Girls Varsity basketball team at Manuel Arts High School in Los Angeles during the late 80's and early 90's. He used to bring me along with him sometimes at practice and I was at every game. Most of my passion for the game came from him. I've always liked to say that basketball was my first love. Even now as I'm older, girlfriends come and they go, but basketball always remains.

Watching the NBA now, I hate what I'm watching. This is no longer the game that I love. I hate what it's become. Strong, physical defense is no longer encouraged. Everything is all about who has the bigger star and who can draw the most fouls. It's not basketball anymore. It's disgusting watching someone like Ray Allen, a guy who gives his all night in and night out, be taken out of a game due to phantom fouls. It's disgusting watching players like Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol flop around like fishes out of water, trying to get calls and be rewarded for that. Meanwhile, a guy like Kendrick Perkins, who prides himself on defense and toughness, is rewarded with fouls. Probably the most frustrating thing, is the inconsistency. Certain calls are not given at the other end of the floor. For example, tonight I watched Pau Gasol attempt a dunk in the first quarter I believe. Kendrick Perkins recovered and was able to block the shot from behind. Pau screamed like a girl and fell down and of course, Perkins was given a foul. In the third quarter, Tony Allen went up for a similar play, and Kobe Bryant comes over and hits his wrist, causing him to miss the dunk. No foul was called. Another example, in the first or second quarter, I don't remember which, Glen Davis was at the top of the key setting a screen on Derek Fisher. He was stationary and Derek Fisher flopped and Davis was assessed an offensive foul. In the third quarter I believe it was, Pau Gasol came out to set a screen on Davis, hit him to the floor, and an offensive foul was not called, even though it was nearly identical to the Fisher/Davis play.

Whatever happened to the "no blood no foul" saying? My brother and I grew up playing heated battles of one on one, sometimes very late into the night. I used to lay a beating on him, and he would sit there and take it. Never once did he complain, he just went right back at me as hard as he could. We never would call fouls. For anyone who's seen He Got Game, that scene when Denzel Washington is playing a one on one game with his son at the park? That's how my brother and I were. That's the basketball I grew up with. Just the other day, he and I played one on one for the first time in a few years. Just like when we were younger, he and I were going at it, both of us laying a beating on the other. If someone were to play the way we play in the NBA, they'd foul out in a matter of seconds. One of the reasons I like the Celtics, is because they're bringing that physical brand of basketball back. Only in today's league, they're punished for it. Another reason why I like them, is because they play a team game, another thing that has vanished from today's NBA. In today's league, the majority of players have a "what can my team do for me" mentality instead of "what can I do for my team". It's given rise to a new brand of fans who worship a single individual and do anything to unjustly prop up the individual, often times at the expense of teammates and other players. The media and the NBA eat that up. I can't turn on any sports channel without having to hear a million times about Lebron James and his free agency. My dad brought up an excellent point today during the game. He said he preferred TNT's coverage because at halftime, they actually talk about the game and do real analysis. He, like myself, didn't like that stupid segment about Kobe that had nothing to do with anything, and he's a Laker fan. The average fan nowadays, loves crap like that. These fans are idiots, in every sense of the word. They know nothing about basketball or great players that came before. They are the PleezeBelieves, Desperados, Branslowskis, Lebron23s, and Canstops. They will put down former players or eras in attempts to unjustly build up their idols.

When I was younger, I was a huge Michael Jordan fan, as were most other people during the 90's. I didn't know much about Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, etc, but I found myself wanting to know about them, wishing that I could have watched them play. My dad was born in NY, but moved to LA as a teen in the 60's. He's got tons of stories about going to games at The Forum and watching Wilt and Russell, among others. As a kid I loved those stories and wanted to know more about how great they were. I know some of you think jlauber is a troll, and other than his inexplicable ranking of Kobe ahead of Bird, I actually value his contributions to this board, because he actually got to see these guys play and I enjoy hearing about it. Another, lesser known poster here is the Laker fan EllEffEll. I remember last year I called him the best Laker fan here by FAR. He too, has posted stories about seeing these guys play. I love learning more about these legends from the people who were actually there. These new fans don't appreciate that at all. They don't care about these true great players, and constantly put them down to hype up their idols. They don't want to know about these guys, all they want is for people to keep telling them how great Kobe or Lebron is.

So congrats NBA, you've officially lost yet another fan. I join the ranks of many who have left the NBA game behind. I guess that's what they want though, a bunch of mindless, moronic idiots who go along with whatever they say. People who don't have a clue about something as basic as a pick and roll and will continue to spend money on their Kobe or Lebron jerseys. They don't care if they don't know the first thing about basketball, as long as they can market Kobe and Lebron and these idiots buy into it. They don't care that they're slowly becoming the laughingstock of professional sports, if they aren't already. As a passionate basketball fan, I will probably still continue to follow my beloved Raptors, but from afar. Instead, I will get most of my fix from the NCAA like a majority of people are recently doing. The game is much better, and resembles more the one I grew up with. Players play hard, physicality is allowed, less fouls are called, team basketball is encouraged, there are no retarded fans, it's not about money. More than half the guys who play college basketball don't even have the NBA or professional basketball in their futures. They're out there for the love of the game. This year's March Madness was worlds better than this year's NBA playoffs. Sorry for the long rant, but I had nothing better to do tonight and just wanted to express my thoughts. I'm probably not going to watch the rest of the finals. I'll probably even watch the WNBA instead. Hell at least they play hard and they're a lot more physical. Their game is hugely based on fundamentals, and not flash. The fans aren't as stupid either. End rant, it's late and I'm going to bed.

you'll be back next year

[NewYorkUSCtrojan]

I am craving this:

[jjayfive]

david stern doesn't care about you..

[NewYorkUSCtrojan]

It's posters like you who laugh at Lakers fans who complain about calls but yet you expect people to take your rant seriously

That's what I don't get.

[Micku]

1. Ever since I was a kid, people have been complaining about the refs and fouls. About how the refs are stupid and they can't call the fouls right. Tick Tack fouls. MJ get every call and blah, blah, blah.

2. The league changes all the time. I think the 90s and 00s they changed the rules to stop centers aka Shaq for being able to take advantage of the paint as much.

They changed the rules again when the whole Piston-Pacers brawl. I think you should blame Ron Artest for the league changing so much. After that brawl, NBA changed a lot. They wanted to establish more of a non-contact league and increase the tempo.

3. The league always been a superstar league for as long as I can remember. The 80s showtime Lakers pretty much started the whole celebrities in the seats and stuff. I think as the league grow, they started to get more...hip or media attention? MJ really increased that in the 90s.

4. It seems like you are bad because of the 1st game of the finals?

[biasedfan]

haha love it, i'm with you. i feel sorry for anyone who's as pathetic to read this guys rant. i dont know you fool.

[NewYorkUSCtrojan]

To the op:

[Lakeshow23]

stop crying

[RazorBaLade]

LOL OP Is a Clown who is about to be on the brink of suicide when Kobe wins his 5th. Lol @ blaming the loss on Referees.


I hope Op doesnt do anything drastic on some eminem stan sh*t


But if you are signed up for a NBA message board and have 1,000+ post

You are still going to continue watching NBA GAMES

i dont think he knows bos shot more fts than us.. Where are all those ppl who said la isnt shooting more than other team cuz of aggressiveness, or too many 3's? yes tc ur one of em