Re: NBA Off Topic Thread
This is one of those things that borders on being a perception vs reality thing though. Sure players sell contact more, reviews take longer, more calls are upgraded to flagrant/tech.. But things like actual fouls called, free throw attempts, and free throws per field goal attempt are all at basically historic lows. Like the whole "too many fouls in today's game vs insert whatever era" argument factually holds zero weight because less fouls are called now than in literally any other era.
I don't know if it's because less fouls are actually hard fouls, or there are more fouls on jump shots vs being at the rim, or not as many fouls called because guards aren't hounding ball handlers as closely, or too many players manipulate fouls with the dribble, sweep through, etc... but there actually isn't more fouls and more free-throws, and that's just per game. I can't imagine the difference when factoring pace.
It's kind of like the whole hand-check thing. It's constantly brought up and referenced, but when is the last time any of you have actually seen a hand-check being called a foul? And they still happen almost every possession. I don't know that we even see one a quarter?
IDK what to make of it all, obviously there is changes/differences, and the shooting too many threes argument does hold weight because stylistically you can't tell people what they like/don't like to watch from an enjoyment standpoint. But a lot of these arguments that get brought up often just feel like repeated narratives that either aren't actually happening, or are just ridiculously exaggerated.
It feels like the NBA is basically damned if they do damned if they don't with any rule/style change. It takes a few tweets now to create these narratives, no matter how exaggerated, and every opinion on the game is louder than it ever has been. I don't think there is a win in sight to appease anybody. Some of the loudest ones claiming they hate the game don't even watch anymore, but constantly "I don't like today's game because of this and this" followed by "well I haven't watched a game in 6 years" or some **** lol. We all know the type. Old heads calling the new game "soft" has been happening since the 60's. Go watch any clip of Wilt, Big-O talking about players in the 80s or 90s. It's the same. Difference now it's tweeted out, shared to FB, made into reels or YT shorts, so when they make those comments millions of people can say "see even Chuck said so".
It's the same as the flop stuff too. Complaining about dudes "flopping every play" and share some clip of a dude flopping like 10 times. And it's just like yeah nobody wants to watch that, obviously, but players have always sold contact, and that's literally 10 possessions in a highlight clip. Luka for example has played almost 25,000 possessions. If you found a clip of 10 flops to replay over and over to convince yourself that's all he does you're looking at not even a half of a single percent of his career plays to make this exaggerated take on.
It seems like people have not been able to adjust their mindset from a game heavily influenced on post play. And again, if that's the style those people prefer to watch that's fine, you can't tell somebody what to like or dislike. I luckily am largely indifferent and just enjoy both for what they are. But the narratives spinning off that can be incorrect. If the ball isn't inside it will be outside. That means more shots are outside, more fouls are outside, just because it looks different and shots come from different spots on the floor doesn't mean they just call way more fouls and nobody defends. How many times in the 90s did baseline screens set up an open mid-range shot. But you give up the open corner three and all the sudden "nobody plays defense".. There is just no winning for the NBA against those types of takes because those people don't truly care about what happens on the floor only that it looks different now.
This is one of those things that borders on being a perception vs reality thing though. Sure players sell contact more, reviews take longer, more calls are upgraded to flagrant/tech.. But things like actual fouls called, free throw attempts, and free throws per field goal attempt are all at basically historic lows. Like the whole "too many fouls in today's game vs insert whatever era" argument factually holds zero weight because less fouls are called now than in literally any other era.
I don't know if it's because less fouls are actually hard fouls, or there are more fouls on jump shots vs being at the rim, or not as many fouls called because guards aren't hounding ball handlers as closely, or too many players manipulate fouls with the dribble, sweep through, etc... but there actually isn't more fouls and more free-throws, and that's just per game. I can't imagine the difference when factoring pace.
It's kind of like the whole hand-check thing. It's constantly brought up and referenced, but when is the last time any of you have actually seen a hand-check being called a foul? And they still happen almost every possession. I don't know that we even see one a quarter?
IDK what to make of it all, obviously there is changes/differences, and the shooting too many threes argument does hold weight because stylistically you can't tell people what they like/don't like to watch from an enjoyment standpoint. But a lot of these arguments that get brought up often just feel like repeated narratives that either aren't actually happening, or are just ridiculously exaggerated.
It feels like the NBA is basically damned if they do damned if they don't with any rule/style change. It takes a few tweets now to create these narratives, no matter how exaggerated, and every opinion on the game is louder than it ever has been. I don't think there is a win in sight to appease anybody. Some of the loudest ones claiming they hate the game don't even watch anymore, but constantly "I don't like today's game because of this and this" followed by "well I haven't watched a game in 6 years" or some **** lol. We all know the type. Old heads calling the new game "soft" has been happening since the 60's. Go watch any clip of Wilt, Big-O talking about players in the 80s or 90s. It's the same. Difference now it's tweeted out, shared to FB, made into reels or YT shorts, so when they make those comments millions of people can say "see even Chuck said so".
It's the same as the flop stuff too. Complaining about dudes "flopping every play" and share some clip of a dude flopping like 10 times. And it's just like yeah nobody wants to watch that, obviously, but players have always sold contact, and that's literally 10 possessions in a highlight clip. Luka for example has played almost 25,000 possessions. If you found a clip of 10 flops to replay over and over to convince yourself that's all he does you're looking at not even a half of a single percent of his career plays to make this exaggerated take on.
It seems like people have not been able to adjust their mindset from a game heavily influenced on post play. And again, if that's the style those people prefer to watch that's fine, you can't tell somebody what to like or dislike. I luckily am largely indifferent and just enjoy both for what they are. But the narratives spinning off that can be incorrect. If the ball isn't inside it will be outside. That means more shots are outside, more fouls are outside, just because it looks different and shots come from different spots on the floor doesn't mean they just call way more fouls and nobody defends. How many times in the 90s did baseline screens set up an open mid-range shot. But you give up the open corner three and all the sudden "nobody plays defense".. There is just no winning for the NBA against those types of takes because those people don't truly care about what happens on the floor only that it looks different now.
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