Why hasn't the media addressed the SINGLE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE between the eras?

[3ball]

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Lebron's teammates wouldn't be spacing the floor for him via 3-pointers in the 80's or 90's - the floor setup in those no-spacing environments was COMPLETELY different, so today's skillsets wouldn't be as effective back then.

Specifically, players in previous eras were forced to use their midrange jumpshot rather than get to the rim because the lack of 3-point shooting allowed defenders to overcrowd the paint.. Here's a reminder of the standard setup in this gif - penetration isn't possible, so Jordan must pull-up from midrange..

This is the primary reason Lebron would be worse back then - his lack of midrange shooting ability - virtually ALL great perimeter scorers in the 80's and 90's had great midrange (just look at the top 10 scorers from 1985 or any year in the 80's or 90's - everyone had great midrange).. But in today's game, it's statistical fact that most of the top perimeter scorers don't have good midrange jumpshots, because the spacing and hands-off defense allows them easier access to the rim.

[riseagainst]

the single biggest difference is that today's era is just flat out better and more competitive than previous eras.

[Terahite]

3ball had this thread ready for when the Warriors won the title.

You're correct about the difference between the eras but this hardly applies to the Cavs' style of play in these Finals which was old-era-like in many ways. Lebron's GOAT-level performance was certainly a throwback to superstars of the 90s who will remain nameless.

[3ball]

You're correct about the difference between the eras but this hardly applies to the Cavs' style of play in these Finals

The Cavs didn't play like previous eras - they took [COLOR="Red"]30[/COLOR] threes per game in regular season and [COLOR="Red"]24[/COLOR] per game in Finals, compared to the 1991 Bulls' [COLOR="Green"]5[/COLOR] per game.. So the Cavs' style of play in the Finals was NOTHING like previous eras because they had SPACING, while previous eras did not

The floor setup in the no-spacing environments of previous eras was COMPLETELY different, so today's skillsets wouldn't be as effective back then.

Specifically, players in previous eras were forced to use their midrange jumpshot rather than get to the rim because the lack of 3-point shooting allowed defenders to overcrowd the paint.. Here's a reminder of the standard setup in this gif - penetration isn't possible, so Jordan must pull-up from midrange..

This is the primary reason Lebron would be worse back then - his lack of midrange shooting ability - virtually ALL great perimeter scorers in the 80's and 90's had great midrange (just look at the top 10 scorers from 1985 or any year in the 80's or 90's - everyone had great midrange).. But in today's game, it's statistical fact that most of the top perimeter scorers don't have good midrange jumpshots, because the spacing and hands-off defense allows them easier access to the rim.
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[3ball]

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No one is willing to address the truth - players in previous eras were forced to use their midrange jumpshot rather than get to the rim, because the lack of 3-point shooting allowed defenders to overcrowd the paint.

Spacing is the biggest difference between the eras, yet everyone ignores it when making comparisons, which makes their conclusions meaningless.

[Cap'n Obvious]

I don't think it is a coincidence that the OP'S "single biggest difference" favors Jordan.

[3ball]

I don't think it is a coincidence that the OP'S "single biggest difference" favors Jordan.

So you don't think the single biggest difference in the eras is spacing?

What's a bigger difference than spacing??

Today's 3-point shooting/spacing allows the floor setup to be COMPLETELY different from the setup in previous eras.

What's a bigger difference than that?

[kshutts1]

So you don't think the single biggest difference in the eras is spacing?

What's a bigger difference than spacing??

Today's 3-point shooting/spacing allows the floor setup to be COMPLETELY different from the setup in previous eras.

What's a bigger difference than that?

Haven't you said that you have a background in statistics or something math-centric like that?

Do you honestly not see the additional benefit derived from the use of today's 3p shot? If teams from the 80s and 90s had the personnel to utilize the shot in a similar way, do you honestly believe that they would have been better off NOT using it?

Now, I'm not asking for a preference. A lot of people prefer the 3p shooting league of today, and a lot of people prefer the midrange, low post league of yesteryear. I'm asking from a statistical, analytical standpoint. Do you truly believe that the league, with it's bevy of great shooters, should not utilize the 3p shot?

[Nilocon165]

Why don't you shut your f*cking mouth?

[MP.Trey]

Because they don't care.

[r0drig0lac]

man ... relax MJ >>> Lebron everybody knows

[3ball]

Haven't you said that you have a background in statistics or something math-centric like that?

m & a

Do you honestly not see the additional benefit derived from the use of today's 3p shot?

It's a waste of time to comment if you didn't read the thread title or the OP - I never commented on the value of 3-pointers.. The point I made was completely different: when media or fans compare players over the eras, they omit the most important consideration - SPACING.

The floor setup in the no-spacing environments of previous eras was COMPLETELY different, so today's skillsets wouldn't be as effective back then.. Specifically, players in previous eras were forced to use their midrange jumpshot rather than get to the rim because the lack of 3-point shooting allowed defenders to overcrowd the paint..

Here's a reminder of the standard setup in this gif - penetration isn't possible, so Jordan must pull-up from midrange..

This is the primary reason Lebron would be worse back then - his lack of midrange shooting ability - virtually ALL great perimeter scorers in the 80's and 90's had great midrange (just look at the top 10 scorers from 1985 or any year in the 80's or 90's - everyone had great midrange).. But in today's game, it's statistical fact that most of the top perimeter scorers don't have good midrange jumpshots, because the spacing and hands-off defense allows them easier access to the rim.

[kshutts1]

m & a



It's a waste of time to comment if you didn't read the thread title or the OP - I never commented on the value of 3-pointers.. The point I made was completely different: when media or fans compare players over the eras, they omit the most important consideration - SPACING.

Not a waste of time. I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the coaches themselves. If even YOU admit to the value of the 3p shot, it was not utilized properly back then because of stubbornness. Not because of some logic isoteric idea that they were too tough for 3s or too talented for 3s. Come off it. You can admit that the NBA has evolved schematically without conceding that it's more talented.

[Piccolo]

It's clear from my years of lurking here that 3ball hasn't watched a lick of basketball in his life. You're a geek that loves stats and watch YouTube clips 24/7 of Jordan because you're too damn young to have watched him play live.

LeBron wouldn't suffer in the 80's and do you know why? That's the fastest pace in NBA history. He would have florished with the high tempo teams. Everyone was on the fastbreak. He would have been better in the 80's. Yes, he would have been less efficient in the 90's because the games were slower but he would still be a triple double machine. He would be better in the 80's.

You have no idea what you're talking about. You're an analytics nerd that hasn't watched Jordan live or hasn't watched the modern NBA (2000-2016) ever. It's clearly evident with your 1000+ spam threads.

[3ball]

Lebron would flourish with the high tempo teams of the 80's.

But he'd be worse in the halfcourt, where most of the points were still scored.. So that ends your argument.

In the halfcourt, he'd be forced to use his poor midrange jumpshot more often rather than get to the rim because the lack of 3-point shooting allowed defenders to overcrowd the paint.

Also, many teams in the 80's played just as slow as today's teams, like Jordan's Bulls - so Lebron wouldn't get any extra fastbreaks on Jordan's Bulls or many other teams.

Furthermore, the stats show that pace ALWAYS slowed down in the playoffs - pace was barely faster in the mid-80's playoffs, and SLOWER in the late-80's playoffs than today's game - pace was 94.0 in 1988 playoffs compared to 94.4 in 2015 playoffs:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...all_misc_stats