NBA/Basketball Thread

To be honest, that’s what basketball fans say about football (“you watch two hours of a match that ends 0:0”, “players fall down to the ground at the slightest touch” etc.). That said, I love basketball, though time constraints have done well to sever me from it almost completely. I would watch a lot of European basketball if I only had the time.

Difference is that football isn’t plummeting in viewership year over year. My point is that a common conversation, at least here is America, is “why are rating falling?”…

They like to blame kids attention spans, “wokeness” etc. but no one seems to be aware that, as a non basketball fan, its very annoying to know that if a game is close with 2 minutes to go then that 2 minutes will take at least 30 minutes real time with 4 timeouts minimum, a bunch of fouls and free throws. You know what you don’t see? Any fucking basketball getting played!

I would like to enjoy the sport, and I do watch a fair amount of high school and college in person, but everytime I do I come away frustrated at how much better the sport could be compared to what it actually is.

This is something that I grew up with watching basketball, so it’s natural to me - and that tension when the opponents are separated by up to three points and there’s less than a minute of game to be played is actually one of the first things that I associate with basketball. Of course, it can’t quite compare with Endo throwing himself into tackles or shielding the ball near opponent’s corner flag when Liverpool are leading by one goal… :joy:

By the way, are you saying all of this with regards to NBA or European basketball or basketball in general?

I’m saying it in regards to NBA/NCAA basketball. I haven’t watched European basketball but I am aware that there are significant differences. I just want to see the game played a fast pace end-to-end and players making quick decisions while doing incredibly athletic and skilful things… anytime an actual game threatens to do that you can be sure that either the referees will kill the momentum with a foul call or one of the coaches will call a timeout.

I feel like basketball does have an inherently pleasant rhythm, but with foul baiting/flopping, TOs and the incessant commercials, it’s been almost completely choked out of the game.

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This is great even more so when you consider how brash and confident Edwards is in his own ability

https://x.com/DaneMooreNBA/status/1907312899824984520

The problem with the NBA is that it is 82 games, and by the end of the season, around half the teams are actively trying to lose to get a better draft pick, about a quarter of the league is just trying to get healthy for the playoffs, and the last quarter are actively trying to win to get in. So you get a lot of bad basketball when the season is winding down.

I love the NBA though. Playoff basketball is a lot of fun. I’ve watched just about every Rockets game this year. There is a lot of physical play this year, the refs have stopped calling a lot of the ‘foul baiting’ moves they called in the past. Playoffs should be fun.

Bloody kiwis! Can’t take them anywhere :rofl:

Brunson is a bad man

Mavs get the first pick after the inexplicable Luka trade?

Yeah, okay.

I like to see the WNBA exposing people.

It’s getting difficult to tell if these assholes are severely insecure, illiterate, deliberately obtuse or just outright scabs for capital.

You support the fucking Hornets and you’re whining about subsidies? Your team has no right to exist - and you’re probably a dickhead.

‘Solidarity’ is a four letter word.

https://x.com/dom_lucre/status/1953226367945904225

The US is now the ultimate shithole country. Bar none.
Used to be that only frat pledges would pull stunts like this, and also only to be able to become full members.

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Pablo Torre has broken a story of a $50m side deal given to Clipper star Kawahi Leonard through fake contracts set up by the team owner as a way to get around league salary cap rules and entice him to sign for them.

It all seems surprisingly amateurish. He should have hired one of City’s guys to do it

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California teams are built different.

Does anyone follow the Eurobasket?

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Second half between Germany and Turkey in the final under way.

Congratulations to Germany.

Fantastic final.

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World Champions 2023 and now European Champions.

https://x.com/EuroBasket/status/1967316048337895610