Thread Tools

Display Modes

**Pioneer10** · 11-15-2006, 12:00 AM

Quote:

I love Hardwood Classics on NBA-TV. The older the better. Although footage from games in the 1960s is rare, playoff games occasionally are shown. Boston vs. Philadelphia. Boston vs. Cincinnati. Boston vs. San Francisco. Boston vs. Los Angeles. Boston vs. UCLA.
Just kidding on that last one, although I’d have paid to see it.
The league could do nothing better to promote today’s product than to show the old product. It should air the games on prime time and let Ernie, Kenny and Charles analyze them. All the nostalgia-afflicted fans who think the game was better way back when have either forgotten what it was really like or simply refuse to recognize the truth.
By current standards, the defense in the 1960s and ‘70s is laughable, particularly on the perimeter. The offense is usually worth a few chuckles, too. Half the shots would be booed by today’s fans, who would find it difficult to accept 15-foot hooks or a steady stream of off-balance jumpers. I don’t necessarily blame the players, though. Coaches hadn’t yet come up with offenses sophisticated enough to create what are considered good shots today.
Still, the difference in skills and athleticism between eras is remarkable. Most players, even the stars, couldn’t dribble well with their off-hand. They didn’t dream of throwing a lob for a dunk. Compared to today’s athletes, they often appear to be enacting a slow-motion replay.
All of which isn’t to say the games were less entertaining. Games of that era had two advantages over today’s: The players didn’t argue calls as often, at least before the new Stern-mandated Era of Excessive Etiquette. Better yet, coaches didn’t call a timeout on every possession in the final two minutes of a close game. Even in the crucial moments of playoff games, coaches called minimal timeouts.
Maybe they prepared their players better in practice back then.
Or maybe they just had no plays to call.
Bird, Magic and Jordan ushered in a higher level of talent in the 1980s, which for many fans remains the league’s golden era. Maybe so, but today’s talent, from top to bottom, is better than ever. Some people claim benches once were superior to today, but I don’t agree. The influx of international talent and normal population growth has more than negated expansion.
There might not be any Birds, Magics or Jordans, but the average NBA player today is better than the average player of 20 years ago.
It’s up to the coaches and administrators to make sure the game is better, too.

http://blogs.indystar.com/pacersinsi...nostalgia.html

kflo · 11-15-2006, 11:17 AM

as i mentioned in the rare talent thread re: cousy, players appeared far less adept at dribbling because they couldn't palm the ball. if you tried dribbling with your hand always on top of the ball, you'd look like sh*t too. so you needed more ball movement because it was harder to beat your man off the dribble. so the skillsets that were brought to the table were also different.

JPSeraph · 11-17-2006, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kflo

as i mentioned in the rare talent thread re: cousy, players appeared far less adept at dribbling because they couldn't palm the ball. if you tried dribbling with your hand always on top of the ball, you'd look like sh*t too. so you needed more ball movement because it was harder to beat your man off the dribble. so the skillsets that were brought to the table were also different.

I'm glad somebody said it!

**HKF** · 11-17-2006, 12:59 AM

Very true kflo. It's for that reason alone that I was not a better ball handler (although more than adequate). My father always taught me that my palm should be on top of the ball, never under it or to the side.

**xray** · 11-17-2006, 05:33 AM

It's a domino effect, but influence (or the lack of) was a big difference, and a big difference maker.

Each era influenced the next, so as we progress through time there is more to draw upon - more skill sets, more points of reference and creativity, and even the ability to bend the rules.

Thread Tools Display Modes

Thread Tools

Display Modes