It doesn't just affect offensive numbers...it affects all numbers. Less possessions also means less opportunity for assists, rebounds, steals and blocks.... Also there was plenty of talent in the 90s...the biggest difference between now and then is what skills are seen as more valuable based on the rules and strategies used.
Well, you and all the young kids are missing the bug difference. The 90s was all about going against Michael because you had to go through him eventually. The 2000s was about going through shaq. I don't care what you kids and your deluded version of reality say...Michael or shaq in today's NBA are averaging 50. Back then you would rather take a guy that can barely put up 10 a game but stood a chance of slowing those guys down. Thats why ben Wallace couldn't score a basket but was probably one of the most valuable players in the 2000s. You kids just don't get how superior these guys were.
@TheChrismeg34 Well, michael jordan literally said that taking away the illegal defensive rule back in 2001 would result in him not having the career he had.
I grew up as basketball player watching things that were mostly from 90's and 00's. For me these were best eras of NBA basketball. It was not as media and other stuff oriented like its now, and it was time when internet made it more and more popular throughout the world. Fans and people that watch it are tired of all these records, stats, thousands of spamming videos and fake actions, political correctness and other things also broke it when it all went further. Personally its kinda vibeless now, like passion that gets extinguished even though people do amazing stuff and all things are often more technical than ever.
1970s was the darkest era in NBA History because fights/ altercations were practically a regular occasion in games, plethoras if NBA players consumed drugs, and the league was about to go bankrupt.
@@ejdagoonhow does this make sense? dawg watch joel embiid… he averaged 35 and the only reason is because if you even touch the air next to him it’s a foul 😂
@@gelkezo3039 no doubt about it. It's a shame that most people remember the drug use and the NBA not being popular in the 70's instead of the great players and teams that were in the 70's. Some all-time greats played in that era. I wasn't born until 1978, so I didn't get to watch it live but I appreciate the greats who played.
The numbers might be skewed since they got rid of hand-checking right after 2004. I wonder how that number looks from 05-09 where scoring did pick up right after they scrapped that rule
@@matthewgabbana5021Kobe said the zone is more difficult than the 90’s rules. If he played in the 90’s his stats would be higher than if he played today
@VeedoCapone Kobe played his early career with the old rules. BEFORE he developed and they changed the rules he made 2 all-star teams and got an all-NBA nod. Kobe said the old rules (hand checking, illegal defense) were easier for players like KD, Melo and himself. I’m gunna take the word of a guy who averaged 28+ in both lol
Facts, people act like it was so bad. It might have been inefficent but it was more entertaing than teams just spamming 3's. Ultimately, the highlight plays, the dunks, the blocks, the crossover's is what's fun to watch. Not just random going back and forth and making or missing shots.
@@chrisuncleahmad666 It wasn't "No 3's". You had three point specialists on every team versus everyone shooting them. It was 20 3's per game instead of 40 per game. The distribution of inside, mid range, and 3ball was move even then.
@@kenstevens7855 Distribution? It was all inside, all mid range, minimal 3ball, the perimeter game was nonexistent. Everyone whines about too many 3's yet they pine for the days of 'what's a 3?'
Even the Sacramento Kings were good at defense in the 2000s... It was just a tough era and clutch players were extremely valuable because every possession counted more.
I personally think it boils down to this, the 90s and 2000s players have more intangibles than current players. I think Skill wise current players are better especially with the three point shot, they have mastered spacing and pace of play and they are faster and more explosive. However i think 90s and 2000s player had more toughness both physical and mentally, have more grit and will power and i would say they are stronger physically
I'm glad you mentioned that, because I see a lot more collapses in the clutch now than ever, and I think it's because players lose sight of each possession's value when there are so many.
I'm a Kings fan from that era, the major difference between those kings teams vs. other teams were that they employed the Princeton motion offense that used more ball movement than iso ball, which was super popular in that era.
@@poly_g6068 yeah i think its due to pace of play and too much possessions. Rarely do i see players slow it down for time unless its the final possesions. And ofc its alsp due to pace of play. There is less calculations nowadays.
@@jmgonzales7701 Too much possessions, you do know that the early 9à's has the same pace as today's game, and even the 80's was going faster. Relative to the NBA history, the league is playing at average speed nowadays
I know everybody is tired of talking about LeBron but because he played in 3 eras, he's kind of the best example of the effect of rule changes on stats. You can see him average nearly 30ppg again recently in his worst years of his career since his rookie season. Not really important by itself, but when you factor in his the level of decline on his body, his reduction in minutes, etc. You begin to understand just how ridiculous his young self would be now.
Yeah Lebron is way out of his prime now, since 2020 which I believe was his last season where he was the best player in the nba, and the last season of his prime, but since the pace of play and more 3 pointers has increased he scores more in 2022 and 2023 than he did in his prime in Miami and Cleveland, even though he has lost a step in athleticism, and defense, and gets tired faster now
@@BallCDOfr, mfs try to say 2018 lebron, when 2018 lebron was a far worse defensive player, and only better in 3s… and somehow lebron fans are so dumb that they say lebron had a weak team in 2018, and then say 2018 was peak because of his stats and how he carried that team… like bro 2013 lebron played in a good team and still had that 😂 theirs a reason why some some players who are great are only good because their team needs them more
bro stating "lack of talent" in the 90's and showing a clip of John Stockton is straight up disrespectful; even the kids who get aroused over stats should recognize. Stockton is STILL the all time leader is steals & assists.
Tim Duncan got robbed of a quadruple double in a championship clinching game in this era. 20 points, 20 boards, 10 assists, 10 blocks (though 2 were incorrectly credited to The Admiral). Era adjusting those stats for pace would be ridiculous.
To be fair, adjusting stats game to game is kind of silly. Even today there are plenty of games where teams score under 100, while back then teams still scored 120+. It's much more of an effect that you see over the course of a season. Just like if Steph Curry shoots 1 of 5 from 3 or something. You don't say he's washed up and can't shoot now because he shot 20% in a game. He just missed one or two shots that he might usually make. And it may not even make a difference in the outcome of that game.
@@salacommander2674mate the nba peaked in offence this year im pretty sure… besides the 50s and 60s, the nba now is the most in ppg… so stop tryna lie and say teams back then got 120+ points acting like it was often… pretty sure the average back then was 95-100
@@lucashigdon4488 The point I'm making is that teams don't always score their average. In fact it's not all that uncommon that teams score under 100 today, just like it wasn't all that uncommon that teams scored 120+ back then. Every game is very different.
From 2002 the league allowed teams to play a soft zone, defenses were also allowed to double a guy without the ball for a few seconds. The 2000's still allowed most of the physicality of the 80's and 90's to go with the zone so it made it very hard to score. Around 10 years ago the rules have allowed more freedom of movement and punished physical defense. Little by little, year by year, the rules get softer especially in the regular season. Although the league has done a good job of allowing more physical play in the playoffs. I will say Centers and Power Forwards are better now when it comes to outside shooting, but they stink when it comes to post scoring, boxing out, setting picks. I think the 80's had the best mixture of rules. But the league did a good job of eliminating the fights and cheap fouls that teams like the Pistons used to do for todays game.
@@lucashigdon4488the ratings were higher than they were today, what do u mean? Also the game was more balanced. I don’t want to see 3 130 point games a night and anyone in this era can average 30. A lot of these guys that’s all stars now wouldn’t be 20 yrs ago
@@wnuZeLLionaire First two years Kobe maybe. Other than that, with his athleticism with today's spacing he'd scoring at the rim at a high clip, plus the mid range is opening up again and being valued in some areas of the court such as the elbows, cause teams are focused on rim protection and guarding the three point line. So Kobe would just be scoring and dishing nonstop. Plus he could always catch fire from outside.
@@wnuZeLLionairenope, kobe with today’s equipment, the way nba players are now, and tons of other factors would make him greater… you often forget that kobe’s mentality made him overwork and get little sleep, now if he did that the lakers org and fans would heavily ask if he can sleep more and rest more… and kobe himself admitted that he’s poor sleep didn’t help at all
I'm starting to see a shift to teams prioritizing versatile defenders on their rosters. Guys like Isaac, Hartenstein, Lu Dort, Herb Jones, OG, some of the new prospects. It's becoming the most enticing thing for guys to be able to switch defend and guard multiple positions
What numbskull thinks the 90s lacked talent? That's arguably the deepest era of them all. Some of the greatest players in history went ringless during that era because there was just too much glory to go around and MJ got most of it anyway.
Let's be clear, the talent is better than ever. However that means the entire pool of players. Doesn't mean the 90s was watered down. Most of the 00s players were drafted in the 90s and the NBA back then took a couple of years before players got into their prime plus 90s players constantly played closer to 40 than now. Gilbert Arenas had a conversation with John Salley and what came to light was basic logistics(travel, sleeping, nutrition, etc.) was none existent until like 2006. Until then 90% of the league played solely off of raw talent. When all the things you consider modern for off-season training and workouts didn't happen as a standard league wide until after the most recent lookout.
No, the talent isn't better than it ever has been. The perimeter play, passing and shooting is much better today but dunks, defense and everything in the paint was much better in the 90s. Also, when I say defense was better that has nothing to do with today's players being bad defenders, it has to do with the rules not favoring them anymore and having to focus more on the perimeter.
@@redlion45 Inside play is a combination of size, power, and skill. Toughness reigns supreme down there. What I was pointing out was the floor of players today is better, but 90s basketball is the best because you had all phases of the game that today's game can't compete. Players control the league more and so everything reflects it. 90s was about competition and the game reflected it. I remember the game didn't really start until 2 minutes left. You could miss the entire game but if you saw the last 2 minutes, you got to see the NBA at its best. Better talent doesn't always mean better product.
Travels are not called, no 3 sec violation, no touching - those factors are making a huge difference in todays game and honestly this is the worst era i've ever witnessed.
I agree. Scoring especially has been so watered down. You used to have to be a hell of a player to average 20 ppg. But today 20 ppg is the equivalent of a 2000s 15 ppg
When the NBA added 3 sec violation, gather steps, and banned hand checking, the scoring must’ve exploded, right? MJ would’ve averaged 70, right? Nope - quite literally the same amount of points per 100 possessions until 2015. The only difference is now players 1-5 are way more skilled (objectively), shooting higher % from everywhere on the court, on open & contested looks. & The game is much more optimized now. Don’t even get me started on defense… Zone defenses used to be illegal! KD’s rip through was legal! Jumping into defenders for shooting fouls was legal! Teams didn’t even know how to switch on screens. I’m sorry, it’s not fair to older generations, but any team pre-2010s is getting embarrassed by modern basketball, with or without hand checking. Would love to watch the 96 bulls play some college ball in today’s game, maybe they’d make a deep tournament run if they get hot in March.
@@tacodonkey1 well he certainly wouldn't have been injured. That being said this era has no fundamentals. All previous eras would destroy them. Fewer teams means fewer spots to fill with the same amount people generally means the players will be better. When you add in not being spoiled pampered brats the gap widens immensely. This is why Wilts records on multiple sports have never been broken and he was hardly the only two sport athlete in those days. And their records still hold up today as feats most people cannot do.
The zero step made scoring too easy. People over focus on hand checking, the zero step was a much bigger change. They need to take the zero step away. Also the James Harden foul baiting era was the absolute worst! Harden is such a bum.
@@salacommander2674idk how bro doesn’t realize that 😂 did he never watch his team face the 76rs 😂 embiid literally gets phantom calls, like LITERAL made up calls 💀
To be fair, the foul baiting has been around for 20 years. Not just the flopping, but DWade and Kobe pioneered the head fake then lean into the defender shit on the perimeter.
@@_M3WTW0_and how is the game? do you realize how pathetic it is for a sports to peak in the 90s… shows how shit the sport was, mj carried the shit out the nba… again, how is your most watched game and final series from the 90s… it’s sad asf
I’m not an old head, but I agree the 90’s and 2000’s were more physical and harder to score in, and players then are as good if not better than players today
Oh, come on. Cope harder. The romanticizing of the '90s and 2000s is laughable. Sure, it was more physical, but that just masked the lack of skill and finesse. Players today are leagues ahead in terms of athleticism, strategy, and overall talent. The old-timers couldn't hold a candle to the precision and speed of modern players. Saying they're "as good if not better" is just nostalgic nonsense. The game has evolved, and so should your outdated opinions.
@@KyleCox404rules changes definitely attributed to what your saying though, a lot of what nba players do today would be called for violations in previous eras. The strategy and style of play has advanced but has to do more with the European influence the nba wants to appeal because they made it a priority to make the game more global starting in the late 90s after the bulls jazz series and really took into effect after the pacers and pistons series in 04. Your not completely wrong in some of what your saying but you are completely undermining great players from previous eras. Great players would be great in any era, and good role player/ all stars would be the same. There’s a reason why players like Al horford and brook lopez went from post bigs who were average to 3 point shooting bigs who can last years in the league because players adapt to the style of play
LeBron's game can never be outdated, Luka's game is slow and boring. LeBron = GOAT. It's not all about the numbers, and you also need to put them in context, something you fake NBA fans can't understand.
Modern offense only looks impressive, mostly because of limited defense rules. The game is much easier when defenders can't touch you and don't practice good court awareness.
@@chrisuncleahmad666 offensive play in either rule set is differently skilled. Dribbling against a hand check defense is a much different skill than against players who can't touch.
@@econarticles There are massive amounts of hand checking on every single possession in today’s nba. It’s also more effective than ever seeing as there aren’t any baby “illegal defense” rules anymore.
People always bring up “rules” like there’s been any significant rule changes since 04. What changed the most is faster pace and increase number of threes. It’s funny how Kobe gets praise for his scoring outbursts in 06 & 07 when handchecking was illegal but modern players get criticized for not playing with handchecking.
One thing to note is that the real ice age for scorers was not the 00s which saw roughly 20 20 point scorers in the league on average. It was the 2011-2016 period when that number dipped to 9 and averaged around 14. I think the amount of 20 point scorers as a rough hueristic is s better metric than offensive rating as a whole because there are many dead meat points which get distributed within teams by default across eras. What we want to see is how hard is to be a elite no.1 option not how hard is it for teams to score overall. In 2012-13, only 9 players averaged 20+. 8/9 are them are first ballot hall of gamers and 7 of them are either past MVPs or FMVPs.
no. the point is to look at the decrease in efficiency, possessions, pace of game and why the 00s is considered the dead ball era, how many players averaging 20+ doesnt tell anything
It’s crazy to think in 10 years there’s probably gonna be a lot of kids and teenagers who think Lebron was a scrub because of the “era he played in” lol
well rightfully so, not to lebron but it’s clear that the game evolved far quicker and it would be unfair to the past eras if they don’t get a “we done with the 20s”, and yet lebron fans would probably still try to argue that lebron had it harder 😂
2000s was the best era. Wish I was born a few years earlier so I could've seen more of it. Kobe, Steve Nash, Dirk, and Manu Ginobili are the guys that first got me into basketball.
If he wants to finish 8th seed yes he could. Butif he want to win he would average the same he did when he won in 2009 and 2010. Most of y'all just saying BS without realizing that nobody is taking 25+ shots nowadays, because it would kill the whole team success, by taking away from your teammates. And the NBA these last years show use that team work ( 2024 Cs, 2022 GSW, 2023 Nuggets, 2021 Bucks) is better than individual stats ( 2022 Nets or 2023 Sixers for example) Like if Luka play more for the team instead of averaging 35 ppg that's when he started winning more, with more assists and more time for Kyrie. Something that #24 Kobe understood with Gasol next to him
@slavdog3180 that's ridiculous, Naz Reid couldn't have happened without those centers who came before him. And they would have been able to adjust just as easily as modern players. It's one thing to think about if a player from the past played today, how good would they be; because the talent level progresses with time. But taking someone from the future and putting them back in time to say that they're good doesn't make sense.
Defense rules changed and this became the era of “defense wins championships.” But casuals didn’t like it as much so they let the game morph in to today’s game in which they don’t really have rules on steps, carries, moving screens, palming, push offs, hooks…
Honestly defense vs offense just needs balance my biggest problem now is flopping and over calling fouls, drawing contact is literally a skill now, and it slows down the game and inflates numbers
As an "Old Head" who watched the league from the Jordan Era onward, This video is kind of all over the place to me but there is ONE point that is I think the PRIMARY factor. THE RULE CHANGES!!! The 90's did NOT have a less talented pool of players. What made the 90's tougher and lower scoring at the time were the RULES of the game back then that favored defense. So here is an interesting question... What if we could go back in time and change the RULES and let the players from the 90's play with today's NBA Rules, would players from the 90's scoring go up? Now we can't go back in time. so then how about this... What if we changed the RULES for today's players back to the RULES from the 90's for one season. Do you think they would put up the same amount of points? Remember, as the RULES changed, offensive and defensive schemes also changed. If it wasn't for the RULES changes in the 2000's and more RULES changes in the 2010's and 2018 which were designed as mentioned in the video to make it a more open and faster and higher scoring game, would today's player actually be putting up the numbers we see today? So does that really mean that today's player are MORE talented than the players in the 90's? Think of it like this... imagine players in the 90's playing a game of HORSE and the RULES are, you can only use one hand to shoot, one leg to jump off and one eye must be covered but later on you tell the players today, you can use either hand to shoot, both leg to jump off and both eyes can be uncovered. Who will have the better game?
I think one thing you cant discount is the rise in AAU after the late 90s and all these specialty coaching/schools that that players get to develop their skillset. The players from the 80s and 90s played only for their local school teams and thats it.
I’d say definitely players on average are better, but I don’t think by much, especially when you get into the Playoff teams. Along with other futuristic medicine/training routines/diets/etc. But otherwise, it does come down to rules
Why would you lie to us and say Adam Silver a: wants balance in the game B: is working in general C: is specifically doing work to curtail the offensive explosion? All of these things are blatantly false.
A. Cause everything is best when it’s balanced B. I mean I assume he’s working considering he’s the leader of a multi billion dollar company C. Because not only is the NBA best when it’s at balance, but he’s expressed interest and has made actual changes for it
He literally made changes for THIS season, and I believe last season on flopping. There didn’t use to be any challenges for the Playoffs, now there are
i dont think alot of players would thrive playing that brand of of basketball ,when you can play a physical basketball its changes your mental approach to the game each possession gets gets harder and harder to score , your getting banged up on drives , teams drafting for size and athleticism instead of skill
From the 1998/99 season to the 2003/04, scoring teamwise dropped into the 90 PPG, with 93.4 PPG in 2003-04 being the lowest scoring season of all time. 1. The introduction of zone defense on top of handcheching from 2000s onwards led to defenses being stiffling. Thats why when they abolished handchecking before the 2004/05 season, scoring and assists numbers went up. 2. Hero ball fantasies. Michael Jordan pioneered a style that was breathtaking and efficient as well. But when you have players like Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen try to emulate that style it will lead varying results. 3. Lack of floor spacing as well. One of the reasons why scoring is at an all time high now is the strip down of defensive rules, the leniency granted towards foul calls, travels, gathers freedom of movement rule in 2019 which banned the obstruction of offensive player's all over the court, etc.
I like the Dead Ball Era because scoring had to really be earned instead of these gather steps, which should be travels, drives to the paint, having to have strong amounts of contact to be fouls, and actual defense. Sports have really messed up the balance by favoring more offense instead of an equal level of offense and defense.
Scoring wasn’t earned. It made games a chore to watch. Buckets felt like a sigh of relief rather than an accomplishment Too many 83-80 games that felt like a waste of time And yet people pine for the days when the NBA was unbalanced in favor of defense
Jordan invented dead ball basically for perimeter players. The game was slow because of isolation and post ups every possession. Then zone d rules lessened effectiveness of it and the league became more balanced with pick and roll before pick and roll completely took over. Wade, Nash, LeBron, Harden, Luka, etc.
in the dead ball era there used to be only 1 maybe 1 1/2 scorers on the team there was only one main guy scoring/ball handling now there's 4-6 guys on a team that can drop 15, 20, 25 points a night 2-3 players that can bring the ball up the court and run the offense were now in an era of positionless basketball where every player on the court is an offensive scorer
You nailed it when you said the issue was ISO heavy offense. It was so bad/boring most games were hard to watch. That and it was a tactic to kill the clock starting as early as 10 min left in the 4th quarter.
I think the next rule change in allowing full on NFL level tackles is going to (slightly) tip the balance back to good D. Just like it was in the 80s Pistons era where men could full on drive a tow truck to hit men in the paint. I was there. Rough era. Bring it back.
Can we stop discrediting people’s successes due to different eras? People glazing Lebron by moving the goalposts to fit the narrative that he’s the goat but Jordan played against plumbers? Make it make sense like Cmon
something that gets ignored in the mainstream is the difference in how teams spaced their offense. the 2000’s didn’t prioritize court spacing the way the current NBA does, which makes it easier for defenses to cover all 5 guys.
They made the zone defense legal in the early 2000s... where previously you had to man uo one on one, you could now have these big men (who were having a renaissance during this time) roam around the paint. At the same time, there were only a handful of small ball teams that embraced the 3 for some reason
They made that zone for shaq😂but people hate on the 2000s because they don’t understand the game or are just casuals. How 4/5 top sgs come from the 2000s💀kobe had to average 35 just to make the playoffs carrying bums. But the zone is why there wasn’t much scoring
@@chrisuncleahmad666Hand checking is overrated and is updated every decade, lack of skill/spacing from role players and zone d rules combined with heavy isolation/post ups (they make the game slower) is what led to all time low scores. The league became more balanced with pick and roll in the second half of the 00s which is what increased offensive efficiency slightly before pick and roll/4 out 1 in completely took over in the 2nd half of the 2010s.
*Darkest* That was the 2010s. Superteams, absolutely no parity, constant flopping, shit defense, hardly anyone playing in the paint, literally just either the Heat, Cavs or Warriors in the finals. People even wanna shit on the 2020's? I'll take today 10 out of 10 times over 10 years ago.
Let’s look at 2001-02, when MJ came back. Only 6 players scored 25+ ppg that year. Average TEAM points: 95.5 per game For perspective… teams averaged 114 points per game this year and we had 14 players average 25+ 2001 -02 Season (All-Stars) 25 year old Vince Carter: 24.7 PPG 5.2 RPG 4.0 APG 1.6 SPG 22 year old Tracy McGrady: 25.6 PPG 7.9 RPG 5.3 APG 1.6 SPG 23 year old Kobe Bryant: 25.2 PPG 5.5 RPG 5.5 APG 1.5 SPG 24 year old Paul Pierce: 26.1 PPG 6.9 RPG 3.2 APG 1.9 SPG ----------- Michael Jordan Stats in age 38/39 season BEFORE tearing his meniscus: (46 games) 25.1 PPG 6.2 RPG 5.3 APG 1.5 SPG
Nobody's saying all the players themselves organically are soft (Some are), but I witnessed the shift in how the game is called when it happened in 2015 and 2016. The offense is better now because they don't allow you to play defense like they did in the 2000s, so we end up with a league that's mainly an offensive league, and the main defense now is either trying to cut off passes or being way taller than the guy you're guarding (Like Wemby or KD). I see a highlight of a modern day guy going up to contest a dunk and jumping away from the guy so he doesn't get a foul, in the 2000s they were just jumping straight up and you had to finish through them, and unless you're Kobe the refs probably weren't giving you that foul call you just had to make it with contact. Out of all the small rule changes they've had, they mainly just simply stopped allowing teams to be physical. When it comes to guys who are similar in height in the modern NBA, there's pretty much no more locking down your guy in a man to man and all it becomes is trading buckets, not to mention they allow way more extra steps than they used too I'm sure LeBron at this age wouldn't be averaging 30 a game like he was in a recent season if they still played like they did in the 2000s, his numbers stayed consistent with what they were back then, but he also benefitted some most likely in health longevity and stat production due to the way the league is now that's structured in a way where 40 points is the new 35, 30 is the new 25, and 20 is the new 15. And back then he was a very good two way player who gave a lot of energy on offense and defense, versus today where he saves all his energy for offense But at the end of the day it's hard to win a championship in any era, just hard in different ways. Personally though I'd prefer the 2000s where they utilized the midrange and the paint was more protected, and every play felt like it mattered more. Plus when guys hit a three it actually felt like a big shot vs just chucking threes and letting each other score so you can get the ball back. But that's not to say either era is perfect, I would personally mix rules and culture from multiple different eras, including a few from this era such as allowing them to dribble more freely and also not benching guys for taking a three pointer (Andrew Bynum getting benched for that comes to mind)
Don’t forget how awful the ‘99, ‘00, ‘01, ‘02 drafts were. Too many high school guys going straight to the pros. Where the game was considerably more physical and iso heavy. They were never tough enough to see the floor and when they did there was no place for them. Lot of players just faded out of the league
People that don't know basketball don't understand that defense is awful now. Alot of players get off screens for free, (not getting pushed out with the non screened defender not showing his hands and pushing up behind the screener) and defensive rotation is atrocious help defense is almost non-existent... Defense was way better back then forcing great iso play. Of course players are gonna score more points and have more assists
Wait this dude is saying the 90s was less talented? WTF is this dude talking about he ever hear of the dream team and the second dream team the two best teams ever to touch a court I'd say there was plenty of talent
There has never been a smaller gap between american and european basketball now (both in National teams and nba-euroleague teams) at least since the early 80s when NBA really exploded So, either european basketball just got a lot better or american basketball is in decline, or maybe both
People just assume players today are more skilled. The truth is players today have MORE FREEDOM. An example is ballhandling. In the past players actually had to dribble while keeping their hand on top of the ball. Over time those rules were relaxed to the point where now basketball is basically rugby without the contact. Traveling rules were very draconian back in the day as well. Just the way those two things were enforced was a MAJOR hindrance to what players could do offensively. The same goes for how teams were allowed to succeed within the rules. Things like Zones, Illegal Defense rules, and all of the other stuff mentioned in the video. It's not that those things made the era "tougher" it was just more _restrictive._ The league just revamped a lot of those rules to free up the game.
After 30secs a voice in my head said "it was the constant iso" which implies comparatively long posessions and a lot of tough shots. 3:25 in.. I feel empowered and vindicated. Thx internet!
Idk why people still compare eras, lets accept the fact that the game is evolving. Its better than ever. Not just the players but also the trainings, coaching, and systems. All thanks to the former players too that passed down their knowledge and wisdom to the players of the present. We must give respect to the former and appreciate the present. Without the past pioneering the moves and plays, we wont have the luxury of skills adapted by the players now.
This is the "skill level" that we're told about today's players: skipping step-backs, 5 stride "gather steps", carrying on carrying on carrying, shooting wide open threes, and ability to convert layups in empty paint created by moving screens and "pace and space" 5 wide-out offensive schemes and aided by a 3 second defensive rule. Luka, Jokic and Giannis have all said that it’s easier getting a bucket in the NBA than in Europe because of the rules to help offensive players. The game has become ridiculous. (LOOK UP: "Europe is WAY HARDER than the NBA" - Giannis and Luka EXPOSE Modern Basketball")
dead ball era was from D gettin more aggro and people still being not that good at O. teams today everyone can pretty much hit a jumper HUGE difference from the 2000s
In every area of the world having experience is viewed as wisdom. Except when it comes to being a NBA fan. It's the only situation where I see ignorant young fans saying the older fans who've seen 10-30 more years of basketball but somehow they're idiots and the young fans who've seen maybe 10 years of ball know everything. It's incredibly idiotic. And no Lebron did not have to score in a league where it was harder. The D3 rule was put in place as he entered the league and hand checking was removed his 2nd year. He's had an easier path to scoring than any other all time great. Stop saying he's dominating when he's allowed to carry the ball, travel, and shove defenders out of the way all while "taking breaks on the court" while on the defensive end. Go watch Thinking Basketball's video titled "How the NBA continues to make scoring easier" and think about how much easier it'd be for guys like Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Bird, etc to score if they were allowed to carry the ball and travel.
the league average offensive rating and scoring were still in the toilet for around a decade. If you think the only 2 things that made scoring harder were D3 and hand checking. Then man. I have news for you Also, this entire video was literally on how the uptick in scoring isn’t because “the nba is weak” it’s literally because offenses found a way to maximize scoring based on the current set of rules
Bro most top 75 players came from the 80s and 90s. How you gonna say 90s was weak? Lol Also, the "watered down"? How? Only 2 teams were added in the 90s . The other 4 was in the 80s that became contenders right away. 90s wasn't just Jordan and Hakeem. Glenn rice, Clyde , Stockton, penny, Orlando Shaq, pre injury Chris Webber Comeon now lmfao Other than that. Great video !
They added six teams in eight years, and this was before the big influx of European and African players. So the talent pool was definitely watered down by the late '90s.
I think it's more on the who's those players affect the game whether it's a rule thing or just the teams' set up. Example here is Shaq the whole league adjusted because of him they rather get someone to at least slow him down instead of a very good offensive bigs from those of bigs like Malone, Hakeem, Ewing and other high scoring bigs Rn the league adjusted to how the warriors play specifically steph who is someone of a smaller guy, fast pace, high volume shooting. So they went small, nowadays the bigs are mostly under 6'10 rarely we see 7 footers. But it is changing again to these freaks bigs that can cross the ball half court, initiate offense.
It's all about pace, the 3-point revolution made it so teams could get good looks faster, so they shot earlier on the shotclock, more shots in a game, more scoring.
It wasn't really a talent difference at all post-ABA. There were extreme amounts of talent in every era from top to bottom, and there were less teams, so the talent pool was less watered down than today's league. I do agree that the ABA years were a low point for overall talent in the NBA because players were split between the two organizations, but outside of that, the talent was pretty similar overall. I would argue that the role players were superior overall during the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. Just because there are more shooting specialists in today's game doesn't mean they are more talented, or skilled. It's just that role players used to do more things at a high level than role players of today. On average, role players did more of everything accept 3-point shooting, and there still were a lot of excellent 3-point specialists from the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. Modern role players of today's game get more open looks, extreme spacing, less defensive resistance, moving screens, traveling, and they all have have access to the internet from the time they were old enough to speak so that they could learn their techniques, and refine their skillsets. All players of today have 3 or 4 shooters around them at all times. I don't think they are as good defensively, and I don't think role players of today are as good at creating opportunities for other players, passing the ball, or creating their own shots on average. The big difference was the rules, the style of play, the physicality which meant that certain skillsets were in demand for teams to be successful in each era.
Every era gets better with time. 2020's > 2010's > 2000's > 1990's > 1980's etc. But the best of the best would still be great. Kobe, T-mac, KG would still be great in any era
For anyone who’s pro this Era, missed out on true competition of the 80’s-90’s and even the 00’ where pride of winning meant something. Too much money is in sports right now, players complaining the season is too long. Management worried about their players getting injured. This applies to all sports btw.
Oh yeah, darkest era where players fought with their teeth and nails to get it done and provide endless entertainment for the fans. Now we're in the era of pure light and sunshine where there are no fans, only ADHD boys who don't watch games because they're unwatchable and count inflated stats that don't mean anything. Just because you missed the train, doesn't mean it didn't exist.
@@chrisuncleahmad666 It's not about stats brother. It's about the intensity of the game when it's physical. You could feel that tension even while watching it on TV. Now, it's like a beauty peagent. Where is the fun in that?
You cant discount the fact that players in the late 90s and early 2000s became too big and athletic that they had to change the rules to increase scoring. Going from the 80 to early 90s you saw a huge increase in the type of athlete as they became rapidly bigger and more athletic(to the pace i haven’t seen since).
Players perform better now because of the rule changes. Everything's a foul, players can carry and travel all they want. It's easier to stat pad in this era than any other.
It’s not Dickriding.. that one Man Michael Jordan when he retired.. the league changed so many rules already to try and emulate what he brought. They are trying to do it to this day
The 2000s allowed the physical defense of the 90s until 04 hand checking was still allowed and i believe illegal offense was no longer a thing so you could double and throw zones at teams.
The transition from the dead all era to the analytics era is probably the most top tier talent the nba had. IMO from about 2006ish to 2017ish is the golden age. All those talents from the 90s were still playing. The iso specialists still had roles on teams. Super teams were rhere but weren’t unbeatable and hogging all the talent. There were contenders and dynastic rivalries with teams and players. It wasn’t a sure thing on who would make it but you had an idea. The role players weren’t as bad as they were from the 90s or 2000s and were expected to do things that could actually translate as we move into newer eras. There was no ABA/NBA although that does make the 70s underrated imo. There was good rules in place. There were offensive superstars and also a lot of defensive specialists. There was a balance of 3 point shooting. And good teams always had good shooters. It was a balanced game.
3:30 thats not the reason why. not fully. people literally dont shoot 2s as good back then as they do today not even close and its becasue of skill. people play INSANE D today its much harder to play D cuz O is through the roof
The 80s and early 90s was the best era of basketball. Tough physical play and defense too. Imagine that!! Who wants to watch a bunch of SOFT outside shooting every game? Not me. And based on NBA ratings not many others either
I don't miss the days when it was all physicality without actual basketball ability. Toughness was seen as more important than talent. By the mid-2000s, there was NO outside shooting to the point where they HAD to make the rule changes.
Biggest thing is, if you’re 30 or so you grew up in the 2000’s era and that what you grew up with. So most of these guys are just biased because that how it was when they grew up and why they don’t like it now
I remember the NBA making a rule to limit the time that Charles Barkley could back someone down in the post. I think that rule didn't last that long because the league didn't want to limit Shaq.
It doesn't just affect offensive numbers...it affects all numbers. Less possessions also means less opportunity for assists, rebounds, steals and blocks....
Also there was plenty of talent in the 90s...the biggest difference between now and then is what skills are seen as more valuable based on the rules and strategies used.
Exactly.
Well, you and all the young kids are missing the bug difference. The 90s was all about going against Michael because you had to go through him eventually. The 2000s was about going through shaq. I don't care what you kids and your deluded version of reality say...Michael or shaq in today's NBA are averaging 50. Back then you would rather take a guy that can barely put up 10 a game but stood a chance of slowing those guys down. Thats why ben Wallace couldn't score a basket but was probably one of the most valuable players in the 2000s. You kids just don't get how superior these guys were.
@@alanlee67lmao Jordan wouldn't average 30 against zone defense
@@fica1137Jordan would average a 30 point triple double against zone defense.
@TheChrismeg34 Well, michael jordan literally said that taking away the illegal defensive rule back in 2001 would result in him not having the career he had.
*Darkest*
That was the peak of the NBA where averaging 25 ppg+ meant you were Elite.
And now the numbers have changed. Stop constantly telling yourself one era is worse than another
@@slavdog3180 you tells a guy who watches competition to stop comparing? The fck?
Y’all say that now but the ratings then prove otherwise. Just like ppl gas the 90s but stopped watching when MJ played baseball lol
Literally not true, shareef abdur rahim is exhibit A for disproving this
I grew up as basketball player watching things that were mostly from 90's and 00's. For me these were best eras of NBA basketball. It was not as media and other stuff oriented like its now, and it was time when internet made it more and more popular throughout the world. Fans and people that watch it are tired of all these records, stats, thousands of spamming videos and fake actions, political correctness and other things also broke it when it all went further. Personally its kinda vibeless now, like passion that gets extinguished even though people do amazing stuff and all things are often more technical than ever.
1970s was the darkest era in NBA History because fights/ altercations were practically a regular occasion in games, plethoras if NBA players consumed drugs, and the league was about to go bankrupt.
Jerry West was averaging 40+ nice try tho
@@ejdagoonhow does this make sense? dawg watch joel embiid… he averaged 35 and the only reason is because if you even touch the air next to him it’s a foul 😂
Magic and bird saved nba
@@gelkezo3039 no doubt about it. It's a shame that most people remember the drug use and the NBA not being popular in the 70's instead of the great players and teams that were in the 70's. Some all-time greats played in that era. I wasn't born until 1978, so I didn't get to watch it live but I appreciate the greats who played.
@@lucashigdon4488 a lot of today's "stars" would have been average players in the 70's 80's and 90's, especially today's "bigs."
Top SGs in the 2000s barely cracked the 45% fg mark since this era was still adjusting to the zone heavy defense + midrange heavy era
Imagine if Kobe played in today’s game
The numbers might be skewed since they got rid of hand-checking right after 2004. I wonder how that number looks from 05-09 where scoring did pick up right after they scrapped that rule
@@matthewgabbana5021Kobe said the zone is more difficult than the 90’s rules. If he played in the 90’s his stats would be higher than if he played today
@@matthewgabbana5021he started shooting his most efficient in the 2010s right before his injury so he for sure would have dominated
@VeedoCapone Kobe played his early career with the old rules. BEFORE he developed and they changed the rules he made 2 all-star teams and got an all-NBA nod. Kobe said the old rules (hand checking, illegal defense) were easier for players like KD, Melo and himself. I’m gunna take the word of a guy who averaged 28+ in both lol
Dead ball era was fun
Facts, people act like it was so bad. It might have been inefficent but it was more entertaing than teams just spamming 3's. Ultimately, the highlight plays, the dunks, the blocks, the crossover's is what's fun to watch. Not just random going back and forth and making or missing shots.
@@kenstevens7855
There’s a lot more than that going on in the modern day, but I will grant you that the stuff about the 2000’s was very fun
@@kenstevens7855no 3’s and spamming 2’s was fun?
@@chrisuncleahmad666 It wasn't "No 3's". You had three point specialists on every team versus everyone shooting them. It was 20 3's per game instead of 40 per game. The distribution of inside, mid range, and 3ball was move even then.
@@kenstevens7855 Distribution? It was all inside, all mid range, minimal 3ball, the perimeter game was nonexistent.
Everyone whines about too many 3's yet they pine for the days of 'what's a 3?'
Even the Sacramento Kings were good at defense in the 2000s... It was just a tough era and clutch players were extremely valuable because every possession counted more.
I personally think it boils down to this, the 90s and 2000s players have more intangibles than current players. I think Skill wise current players are better especially with the three point shot, they have mastered spacing and pace of play and they are faster and more explosive. However i think 90s and 2000s player had more toughness both physical and mentally, have more grit and will power and i would say they are stronger physically
I'm glad you mentioned that, because I see a lot more collapses in the clutch now than ever, and I think it's because players lose sight of each possession's value when there are so many.
I'm a Kings fan from that era, the major difference between those kings teams vs. other teams were that they employed the Princeton motion offense that used more ball movement than iso ball, which was super popular in that era.
@@poly_g6068 yeah i think its due to pace of play and too much possessions. Rarely do i see players slow it down for time unless its the final possesions. And ofc its alsp due to pace of play. There is less calculations nowadays.
@@jmgonzales7701 Too much possessions, you do know that the early 9à's has the same pace as today's game, and even the 80's was going faster. Relative to the NBA history, the league is playing at average speed nowadays
I know everybody is tired of talking about LeBron but because he played in 3 eras, he's kind of the best example of the effect of rule changes on stats. You can see him average nearly 30ppg again recently in his worst years of his career since his rookie season. Not really important by itself, but when you factor in his the level of decline on his body, his reduction in minutes, etc. You begin to understand just how ridiculous his young self would be now.
Yeah Lebron is way out of his prime now, since 2020 which I believe was his last season where he was the best player in the nba, and the last season of his prime, but since the pace of play and more 3 pointers has increased he scores more in 2022 and 2023 than he did in his prime in Miami and Cleveland, even though he has lost a step in athleticism, and defense, and gets tired faster now
@@adityakancharla5815facts
@@adityakancharla5815Miami LeBron was apex LeBron
@@BallCDOfr, mfs try to say 2018 lebron, when 2018 lebron was a far worse defensive player, and only better in 3s… and somehow lebron fans are so dumb that they say lebron had a weak team in 2018, and then say 2018 was peak because of his stats and how he carried that team… like bro 2013 lebron played in a good team and still had that 😂
theirs a reason why some some players who are great are only good because their team needs them more
Eras are not decades.
bro stating "lack of talent" in the 90's and showing a clip of John Stockton is straight up disrespectful; even the kids who get aroused over stats should recognize. Stockton is STILL the all time leader is steals & assists.
I swear that was unintentional 😭
@@Theopinson_57 hahaha I’m out here reading way to deep into the production of basketball content
@@Sh4dyClass1c happens to me all the time when I don’t take my meds 😂, just make sure you don’t forget to take them next time.
Considering they had less possessions and pace was slower in the 90's makes it even crazier that stockton is so far ahead of everyone
Tim Duncan got robbed of a quadruple double in a championship clinching game in this era. 20 points, 20 boards, 10 assists, 10 blocks (though 2 were incorrectly credited to The Admiral). Era adjusting those stats for pace would be ridiculous.
To be fair, adjusting stats game to game is kind of silly. Even today there are plenty of games where teams score under 100, while back then teams still scored 120+. It's much more of an effect that you see over the course of a season.
Just like if Steph Curry shoots 1 of 5 from 3 or something. You don't say he's washed up and can't shoot now because he shot 20% in a game. He just missed one or two shots that he might usually make. And it may not even make a difference in the outcome of that game.
@@salacommander2674no there isnt they score 110+ ppg 😂
@@duckboy5725 Read again, I said it happens in certain games.
@@salacommander2674mate the nba peaked in offence this year im pretty sure… besides the 50s and 60s, the nba now is the most in ppg… so stop tryna lie and say teams back then got 120+ points acting like it was often… pretty sure the average back then was 95-100
@@lucashigdon4488 The point I'm making is that teams don't always score their average. In fact it's not all that uncommon that teams score under 100 today, just like it wasn't all that uncommon that teams scored 120+ back then. Every game is very different.
It was harder to score in the 2000s because the paint was clogged. Cavs made the finals with Big Z at center and Varejao at power forward.
putting dead ball era and kobe’s face is crazy
Surprised he didn't pop out a 🚁 emoji
right? 😭 like damn could have put others like duncan or even shaq with kobe
It’s not he was the best player in this era, why does everyone look for something to have a problem with??
@@Ymainetwo how do you not get it😭
@@fishstxck I do get it, it’s just obvious he doesn’t mean that
From 2002 the league allowed teams to play a soft zone, defenses were also allowed to double a guy without the ball for a few seconds. The 2000's still allowed most of the physicality of the 80's and 90's to go with the zone so it made it very hard to score. Around 10 years ago the rules have allowed more freedom of movement and punished physical defense. Little by little, year by year, the rules get softer especially in the regular season. Although the league has done a good job of allowing more physical play in the playoffs. I will say Centers and Power Forwards are better now when it comes to outside shooting, but they stink when it comes to post scoring, boxing out, setting picks. I think the 80's had the best mixture of rules. But the league did a good job of eliminating the fights and cheap fouls that teams like the Pistons used to do for todays game.
Darkest era of nba history?? Huh?? This was one of the best periods.
it was shit, i’m not saying that the nba did… they realized there numbers were going down for a reason
@@lucashigdon4488the ratings were higher than they were today, what do u mean? Also the game was more balanced. I don’t want to see 3 130 point games a night and anyone in this era can average 30. A lot of these guys that’s all stars now wouldn’t be 20 yrs ago
@@bronxriverchinobrown2856 you are delusional asf if you think an all star from today wouldn’t dominate back in the day😂
Only for Lakers and Spurs fans.
@@chrisuncleahmad666yea because they actually played defense!! These guys today wouldn’t even make an allstar team.
This is why the 2000s era is the least efficient and lowest ppg games compared to the 80s and 2020s
Imagine if Kobe played today
@@matthewgabbana5021 Young Kobe would be a liability Old Kobe would win hella
@@wnuZeLLionaire First two years Kobe maybe. Other than that, with his athleticism with today's spacing he'd scoring at the rim at a high clip, plus the mid range is opening up again and being valued in some areas of the court such as the elbows, cause teams are focused on rim protection and guarding the three point line. So Kobe would just be scoring and dishing nonstop. Plus he could always catch fire from outside.
That’s not the only reason lol.
@@wnuZeLLionairenope, kobe with today’s equipment, the way nba players are now, and tons of other factors would make him greater… you often forget that kobe’s mentality made him overwork and get little sleep, now if he did that the lakers org and fans would heavily ask if he can sleep more and rest more… and kobe himself admitted that he’s poor sleep didn’t help at all
I'm starting to see a shift to teams prioritizing versatile defenders on their rosters. Guys like Isaac, Hartenstein, Lu Dort, Herb Jones, OG, some of the new prospects. It's becoming the most enticing thing for guys to be able to switch defend and guard multiple positions
What numbskull thinks the 90s lacked talent? That's arguably the deepest era of them all. Some of the greatest players in history went ringless during that era because there was just too much glory to go around and MJ got most of it anyway.
Let's be clear, the talent is better than ever. However that means the entire pool of players. Doesn't mean the 90s was watered down. Most of the 00s players were drafted in the 90s and the NBA back then took a couple of years before players got into their prime plus 90s players constantly played closer to 40 than now. Gilbert Arenas had a conversation with John Salley and what came to light was basic logistics(travel, sleeping, nutrition, etc.) was none existent until like 2006. Until then 90% of the league played solely off of raw talent. When all the things you consider modern for off-season training and workouts didn't happen as a standard league wide until after the most recent lookout.
No, the talent isn't better than it ever has been. The perimeter play, passing and shooting is much better today but dunks, defense and everything in the paint was much better in the 90s. Also, when I say defense was better that has nothing to do with today's players being bad defenders, it has to do with the rules not favoring them anymore and having to focus more on the perimeter.
@@redlion45 Inside play is a combination of size, power, and skill. Toughness reigns supreme down there. What I was pointing out was the floor of players today is better, but 90s basketball is the best because you had all phases of the game that today's game can't compete. Players control the league more and so everything reflects it. 90s was about competition and the game reflected it. I remember the game didn't really start until 2 minutes left. You could miss the entire game but if you saw the last 2 minutes, you got to see the NBA at its best. Better talent doesn't always mean better product.
Travels are not called, no 3 sec violation, no touching - those factors are making a huge difference in todays game and honestly this is the worst era i've ever witnessed.
Bruh stfu old ass constant fouling not being called is just as bad and makes players more likely to be injured, every era has strengths and weaknesses
I agree. Scoring especially has been so watered down. You used to have to be a hell of a player to average 20 ppg. But today 20 ppg is the equivalent of a 2000s 15 ppg
When the NBA added 3 sec violation, gather steps, and banned hand checking, the scoring must’ve exploded, right? MJ would’ve averaged 70, right?
Nope - quite literally the same amount of points per 100 possessions until 2015.
The only difference is now players 1-5 are way more skilled (objectively), shooting higher % from everywhere on the court, on open & contested looks. & The game is much more optimized now.
Don’t even get me started on defense… Zone defenses used to be illegal! KD’s rip through was legal! Jumping into defenders for shooting fouls was legal! Teams didn’t even know how to switch on screens.
I’m sorry, it’s not fair to older generations, but any team pre-2010s is getting embarrassed by modern basketball, with or without hand checking. Would love to watch the 96 bulls play some college ball in today’s game, maybe they’d make a deep tournament run if they get hot in March.
@@tacodonkey1 well he certainly wouldn't have been injured. That being said this era has no fundamentals. All previous eras would destroy them. Fewer teams means fewer spots to fill with the same amount people generally means the players will be better. When you add in not being spoiled pampered brats the gap widens immensely. This is why Wilts records on multiple sports have never been broken and he was hardly the only two sport athlete in those days. And their records still hold up today as feats most people cannot do.
@@tacodonkey1 players are far less skilled today not more skilled. You can't be skilled and have no fundamentals.
The zero step made scoring too easy. People over focus on hand checking, the zero step was a much bigger change. They need to take the zero step away.
Also the James Harden foul baiting era was the absolute worst! Harden is such a bum.
100% agree. The "gather" or "zero" step is just ugly basketball. It violates the way the game is played on all levels except the NBA/FIBA.
The foul baiting era is still here. The NBA made rules against it but the refs still call that shit in favor of the offense 90% of the time.
@@salacommander2674idk how bro doesn’t realize that 😂
did he never watch his team face the 76rs 😂 embiid literally gets phantom calls, like LITERAL made up calls 💀
To be fair, the foul baiting has been around for 20 years. Not just the flopping, but DWade and Kobe pioneered the head fake then lean into the defender shit on the perimeter.
Before load management, players used to run around less, therefore a lot of iso.
Stg. U saw a lot more standing around 😂😂
@@_M3WTW0_and how is the game? do you realize how pathetic it is for a sports to peak in the 90s… shows how shit the sport was, mj carried the shit out the nba… again, how is your most watched game and final series from the 90s… it’s sad asf
I’m not an old head, but I agree the 90’s and 2000’s were more physical and harder to score in, and players then are as good if not better than players today
Oh, come on. Cope harder. The romanticizing of the '90s and 2000s is laughable. Sure, it was more physical, but that just masked the lack of skill and finesse. Players today are leagues ahead in terms of athleticism, strategy, and overall talent. The old-timers couldn't hold a candle to the precision and speed of modern players. Saying they're "as good if not better" is just nostalgic nonsense. The game has evolved, and so should your outdated opinions.
@@KyleCox404rules changes definitely attributed to what your saying though, a lot of what nba players do today would be called for violations in previous eras. The strategy and style of play has advanced but has to do more with the European influence the nba wants to appeal because they made it a priority to make the game more global starting in the late 90s after the bulls jazz series and really took into effect after the pacers and pistons series in 04. Your not completely wrong in some of what your saying but you are completely undermining great players from previous eras. Great players would be great in any era, and good role player/ all stars would be the same. There’s a reason why players like Al horford and brook lopez went from post bigs who were average to 3 point shooting bigs who can last years in the league because players adapt to the style of play
@@KyleCox404Then you agree Lebron is outdated compared to Luka Doncic. Because "prime" Lebron has worse numbers than Luka
LeBron's game can never be outdated, Luka's game is slow and boring. LeBron = GOAT. It's not all about the numbers, and you also need to put them in context, something you fake NBA fans can't understand.
@@KyleCox404not saying Lebron isn’t good, I’m just say that 90’s were harder to score in and their players are as good as players today
Modern offense only looks impressive, mostly because of limited defense rules. The game is much easier when defenders can't touch you and don't practice good court awareness.
@@chrisuncleahmad666 offensive play in either rule set is differently skilled. Dribbling against a hand check defense is a much different skill than against players who can't touch.
@@econarticles There are massive amounts of hand checking on every single possession in today’s nba. It’s also more effective than ever seeing as there aren’t any baby “illegal defense” rules anymore.
@@lilbaby9547no it really isn't
@@econarticles Back then, games were a chore to watch.
People always bring up “rules” like there’s been any significant rule changes since 04. What changed the most is faster pace and increase number of threes. It’s funny how Kobe gets praise for his scoring outbursts in 06 & 07 when handchecking was illegal but modern players get criticized for not playing with handchecking.
2009-10 season (Per 36 min): Kobe - 25PPG ( 5th place).
2023-24 season (Per 36 min): Jarren Jackson Jr - 25.2PPG (18th place).
One thing to note is that the real ice age for scorers was not the 00s which saw roughly 20 20 point scorers in the league on average.
It was the 2011-2016 period when that number dipped to 9 and averaged around 14.
I think the amount of 20 point scorers as a rough hueristic is s better metric than offensive rating as a whole because there are many dead meat points which get distributed within teams by default across eras. What we want to see is how hard is to be a elite no.1 option not how hard is it for teams to score overall.
In 2012-13, only 9 players averaged 20+. 8/9 are them are first ballot hall of gamers and 7 of them are either past MVPs or FMVPs.
no. the point is to look at the decrease in efficiency, possessions, pace of game and why the 00s is considered the dead ball era, how many players averaging 20+ doesnt tell anything
this logic is so flawed…
Great video man. Love the channel
It’s crazy to think in 10 years there’s probably gonna be a lot of kids and teenagers who think Lebron was a scrub because of the “era he played in” lol
well rightfully so, not to lebron but it’s clear that the game evolved far quicker and it would be unfair to the past eras if they don’t get a “we done with the 20s”, and yet lebron fans would probably still try to argue that lebron had it harder 😂
Bruh his haters think he's a scrub now 😂
2000s was the best era. Wish I was born a few years earlier so I could've seen more of it. Kobe, Steve Nash, Dirk, and Manu Ginobili are the guys that first got me into basketball.
Kobe was averaging like 35 a game, he’d be averaging 40 rn
If he wants to finish 8th seed yes he could. Butif he want to win he would average the same he did when he won in 2009 and 2010.
Most of y'all just saying BS without realizing that nobody is taking 25+ shots nowadays, because it would kill the whole team success, by taking away from your teammates. And the NBA these last years show use that team work ( 2024 Cs, 2022 GSW, 2023 Nuggets, 2021 Bucks) is better than individual stats ( 2022 Nets or 2023 Sixers for example)
Like if Luka play more for the team instead of averaging 35 ppg that's when he started winning more, with more assists and more time for Kyrie. Something that #24 Kobe understood with Gasol next to him
@@paquinraino8180hey I’d recommend you leave, smart people don’t usually leave comments about basketball. But Fr thank you.
And Naz Reid would average 30 and have 4 rings before centers would learn to guard him.
At least
@slavdog3180 that's ridiculous, Naz Reid couldn't have happened without those centers who came before him. And they would have been able to adjust just as easily as modern players.
It's one thing to think about if a player from the past played today, how good would they be; because the talent level progresses with time. But taking someone from the future and putting them back in time to say that they're good doesn't make sense.
Bro the 2000’s was NOT the darkest era of the Nba! It was clearly the 1970’s due to practically everyone being on drugs and fighting and shit!
Gotta get the clicks man
Defense rules changed and this became the era of “defense wins championships.” But casuals didn’t like it as much so they let the game morph in to today’s game in which they don’t really have rules on steps, carries, moving screens, palming, push offs, hooks…
Honestly defense vs offense just needs balance my biggest problem now is flopping and over calling fouls, drawing contact is literally a skill now, and it slows down the game and inflates numbers
@@SkaterNate1 That wasn’t great defense, it was terrible offense.
They HAD to let the game morph. The game was way too unbalanced in favor of defense by the mid-2000s
Just because we tend to overvalue the era we grew up in, doesn't mean that the era WASN'T better. 🙂
As an "Old Head" who watched the league from the Jordan Era onward, This video is kind of all over the place to me but there is ONE point that is I think the PRIMARY factor.
THE RULE CHANGES!!!
The 90's did NOT have a less talented pool of players. What made the 90's tougher and lower scoring at the time were the RULES of the game back then that favored defense.
So here is an interesting question... What if we could go back in time and change the RULES and let the players from the 90's play with today's NBA Rules, would players from the 90's scoring go up?
Now we can't go back in time. so then how about this... What if we changed the RULES for today's players back to the RULES from the 90's for one season. Do you think they would put up the same amount of points?
Remember, as the RULES changed, offensive and defensive schemes also changed.
If it wasn't for the RULES changes in the 2000's and more RULES changes in the 2010's and 2018 which were designed as mentioned in the video to make it a more open and faster and higher scoring game, would today's player actually be putting up the numbers we see today?
So does that really mean that today's player are MORE talented than the players in the 90's?
Think of it like this... imagine players in the 90's playing a game of HORSE and the RULES are, you can only use one hand to shoot, one leg to jump off and one eye must be covered but later on you tell the players today, you can use either hand to shoot, both leg to jump off and both eyes can be uncovered. Who will have the better game?
thank you for saying the right answer
I think one thing you cant discount is the rise in AAU after the late 90s and all these specialty coaching/schools that that players get to develop their skillset. The players from the 80s and 90s played only for their local school teams and thats it.
Nba fans are stupid af. N yes is all rules. Imagine a 4point line coming in the future.
perfectly said, this is the only right answer to this
I’d say definitely players on average are better, but I don’t think by much, especially when you get into the Playoff teams. Along with other futuristic medicine/training routines/diets/etc. But otherwise, it does come down to rules
Why would you lie to us and say Adam Silver
a: wants balance in the game
B: is working in general
C: is specifically doing work to curtail the offensive explosion?
All of these things are blatantly false.
A. Cause everything is best when it’s balanced
B. I mean I assume he’s working considering he’s the leader of a multi billion dollar company
C. Because not only is the NBA best when it’s at balance, but he’s expressed interest and has made actual changes for it
He literally made changes for THIS season, and I believe last season on flopping. There didn’t use to be any challenges for the Playoffs, now there are
David Stern tipped things too far in favor of the defense and he was praised for it
i dont think alot of players would thrive playing that brand of of basketball ,when you can play a physical basketball its changes your mental approach to the game each possession gets gets harder and harder to score , your getting banged up on drives , teams drafting for size and athleticism instead of skill
9:05 Wasn't expecting to get a full-career Thanasis Antetokounmpo highlight video sandwiched into this analysis! Very nice!
This is just as crazy as bronny James
@@Brararaf101whats even crazier is how long thanasis has stayed in the league for
It’s the rules man. Plain and simple. You can’t measure talent the way you think you can; that’s arrogant.
Great video, great editing, keep it up.
From the 1998/99 season to the 2003/04, scoring teamwise dropped into the 90 PPG, with 93.4 PPG in 2003-04 being the lowest scoring season of all time.
1. The introduction of zone defense on top of handcheching from 2000s onwards led to defenses being stiffling. Thats why when they abolished handchecking before the 2004/05 season, scoring and assists numbers went up.
2. Hero ball fantasies. Michael Jordan pioneered a style that was breathtaking and efficient as well. But when you have players like Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen try to emulate that style it will lead varying results.
3. Lack of floor spacing as well.
One of the reasons why scoring is at an all time high now is the strip down of defensive rules, the leniency granted towards foul calls, travels, gathers freedom of movement rule in 2019 which banned the obstruction of offensive player's all over the court, etc.
They had to make those rule changes
Mid-2000s basketball was not fun to watch
@chrisuncleahmad666 from 1998/99 to 2003/04 I would agree. But not from 2005/06 to 2009/10.
I like the Dead Ball Era because scoring had to really be earned instead of these gather steps, which should be travels, drives to the paint, having to have strong amounts of contact to be fouls, and actual defense.
Sports have really messed up the balance by favoring more offense instead of an equal level of offense and defense.
Scoring wasn’t earned. It made games a chore to watch.
Buckets felt like a sigh of relief rather than an accomplishment
Too many 83-80 games that felt like a waste of time
And yet people pine for the days when the NBA was unbalanced in favor of defense
Dude if you’re going to have a channel dedicated to basketball I feel like you should know how to pronounce Doncic
No
i stopped when u said that besides mike, hakeem and a few there was no talent in the league in the 90s.... smh
you should have continued. that part was just a joke and he says so at the end of that segment.
The darkest era is now.
Your channel is really good man keep it up love the vid
2000s was easily the best era of NBA
I would 100 percent like to have a version of the dead ball era again.
Am I crazy in thinking that 90s ball was still very team oriented? Lots of sets and movement? I thought it was mainly 2000s ball that was dead ball
Jordan invented dead ball basically for perimeter players. The game was slow because of isolation and post ups every possession. Then zone d rules lessened effectiveness of it and the league became more balanced with pick and roll before pick and roll completely took over. Wade, Nash, LeBron, Harden, Luka, etc.
Great editing, good comedic timing, well done analysis.
What is the horn I keep hearing 4:36 ts is killing me
Deadball era > Pace and Space Soft Era
in the dead ball era there used to be only 1 maybe 1 1/2 scorers on the team there was only one main guy scoring/ball handling now there's 4-6 guys on a team that can drop 15, 20, 25 points a night 2-3 players that can bring the ball up the court and run the offense were now in an era of positionless basketball where every player on the court is an offensive scorer
Good video! See you at 100k subs you deserve it bro
You nailed it when you said the issue was ISO heavy offense. It was so bad/boring most games were hard to watch.
That and it was a tactic to kill the clock starting as early as 10 min left in the 4th quarter.
Its the lack of defense compared to the 2000's.
@@chrisuncleahmad666 watch an All Star Gsme from 1994 and compare it to 2024. Are you not entertained?
After 2005, I stopped caring about basketball for years because of a lack of offense.
I grew up with 90s basketball, and I know the dudes were tougher in the 80s.
Excellent video. Newly subscribed, with thanks 🙏🏾
I think the next rule change in allowing full on NFL level tackles is going to (slightly) tip the balance back to good D.
Just like it was in the 80s Pistons era where men could full on drive a tow truck to hit men in the paint.
I was there. Rough era. Bring it back.
Then you would have to recruit UFC fighters
Can we stop discrediting people’s successes due to different eras? People glazing Lebron by moving the goalposts to fit the narrative that he’s the goat but Jordan played against plumbers? Make it make sense like
Cmon
something that gets ignored in the mainstream is the difference in how teams spaced their offense. the 2000’s didn’t prioritize court spacing the way the current NBA does, which makes it easier for defenses to cover all 5 guys.
Some guys I loved that get passed over in my eyes are guys like Steve Francis, baron davis,, Michael redd, Marcus camby, , Gilbert arenas
They made the zone defense legal in the early 2000s... where previously you had to man uo one on one, you could now have these big men (who were having a renaissance during this time) roam around the paint. At the same time, there were only a handful of small ball teams that embraced the 3 for some reason
They made that zone for shaq😂but people hate on the 2000s because they don’t understand the game or are just casuals. How 4/5 top sgs come from the 2000s💀kobe had to average 35 just to make the playoffs carrying bums. But the zone is why there wasn’t much scoring
And that combined with handchecking led to scoring hitting rock bottom in 2004
@@chrisuncleahmad666Hand checking is overrated and is updated every decade, lack of skill/spacing from role players and zone d rules combined with heavy isolation/post ups (they make the game slower) is what led to all time low scores. The league became more balanced with pick and roll in the second half of the 00s which is what increased offensive efficiency slightly before pick and roll/4 out 1 in completely took over in the 2nd half of the 2010s.
*Darkest*
That was the 2010s. Superteams, absolutely no parity, constant flopping, shit defense, hardly anyone playing in the paint, literally just either the Heat, Cavs or Warriors in the finals. People even wanna shit on the 2020's? I'll take today 10 out of 10 times over 10 years ago.
Ironically speaking, that means the 80s-2000s were the darkest cause the celtics, lakers, and bulls were the finals 90s
Let’s look at 2001-02, when MJ came back.
Only 6 players scored 25+ ppg that year.
Average TEAM points: 95.5 per game
For perspective… teams averaged 114 points per game this year and we had 14 players average 25+
2001 -02 Season (All-Stars)
25 year old Vince Carter:
24.7 PPG
5.2 RPG
4.0 APG
1.6 SPG
22 year old Tracy McGrady:
25.6 PPG
7.9 RPG
5.3 APG
1.6 SPG
23 year old Kobe Bryant:
25.2 PPG
5.5 RPG
5.5 APG
1.5 SPG
24 year old Paul Pierce:
26.1 PPG
6.9 RPG
3.2 APG
1.9 SPG
-----------
Michael Jordan Stats in age 38/39 season BEFORE tearing his meniscus:
(46 games)
25.1 PPG
6.2 RPG
5.3 APG
1.5 SPG
Nobody's saying all the players themselves organically are soft (Some are), but I witnessed the shift in how the game is called when it happened in 2015 and 2016. The offense is better now because they don't allow you to play defense like they did in the 2000s, so we end up with a league that's mainly an offensive league, and the main defense now is either trying to cut off passes or being way taller than the guy you're guarding (Like Wemby or KD). I see a highlight of a modern day guy going up to contest a dunk and jumping away from the guy so he doesn't get a foul, in the 2000s they were just jumping straight up and you had to finish through them, and unless you're Kobe the refs probably weren't giving you that foul call you just had to make it with contact.
Out of all the small rule changes they've had, they mainly just simply stopped allowing teams to be physical. When it comes to guys who are similar in height in the modern NBA, there's pretty much no more locking down your guy in a man to man and all it becomes is trading buckets, not to mention they allow way more extra steps than they used too
I'm sure LeBron at this age wouldn't be averaging 30 a game like he was in a recent season if they still played like they did in the 2000s, his numbers stayed consistent with what they were back then, but he also benefitted some most likely in health longevity and stat production due to the way the league is now that's structured in a way where 40 points is the new 35, 30 is the new 25, and 20 is the new 15. And back then he was a very good two way player who gave a lot of energy on offense and defense, versus today where he saves all his energy for offense
But at the end of the day it's hard to win a championship in any era, just hard in different ways. Personally though I'd prefer the 2000s where they utilized the midrange and the paint was more protected, and every play felt like it mattered more. Plus when guys hit a three it actually felt like a big shot vs just chucking threes and letting each other score so you can get the ball back. But that's not to say either era is perfect, I would personally mix rules and culture from multiple different eras, including a few from this era such as allowing them to dribble more freely and also not benching guys for taking a three pointer (Andrew Bynum getting benched for that comes to mind)
Don’t forget how awful the ‘99, ‘00, ‘01, ‘02 drafts were. Too many high school guys going straight to the pros. Where the game was considerably more physical and iso heavy. They were never tough enough to see the floor and when they did there was no place for them. Lot of players just faded out of the league
People that don't know basketball don't understand that defense is awful now.
Alot of players get off screens for free, (not getting pushed out with the non screened defender not showing his hands and pushing up behind the screener) and defensive rotation is atrocious help defense is almost non-existent... Defense was way better back then forcing great iso play.
Of course players are gonna score more points and have more assists
That was not great defense, it was terrible offense
Wait this dude is saying the 90s was less talented? WTF is this dude talking about he ever hear of the dream team and the second dream team the two best teams ever to touch a court I'd say there was plenty of talent
Every era post merger outranks them in talent
0:23 defense???
There has never been a smaller gap between american and european basketball now (both in National teams and nba-euroleague teams) at least since the early 80s when NBA really exploded
So, either european basketball just got a lot better or american basketball is in decline, or maybe both
I think Euro ball is in it's golden age while American ball is in decline.
People just assume players today are more skilled. The truth is players today have MORE FREEDOM. An example is ballhandling. In the past players actually had to dribble while keeping their hand on top of the ball. Over time those rules were relaxed to the point where now basketball is basically rugby without the contact. Traveling rules were very draconian back in the day as well. Just the way those two things were enforced was a MAJOR hindrance to what players could do offensively. The same goes for how teams were allowed to succeed within the rules. Things like Zones, Illegal Defense rules, and all of the other stuff mentioned in the video. It's not that those things made the era "tougher" it was just more _restrictive._ The league just revamped a lot of those rules to free up the game.
They had to. By the time 2005’s Finals set the sport back to the Stone Age, the NBA basically had its head stuck in the sand
@@chrisuncleahmad666 Yeah, I agree. As much as I want to deny it, that is what ALL OF US were thinking at the time.
Oh you mean where Defense was actually crucial and allowed in the game? It was an *awesome* era
That wasn’t great defense it was terrible offense
After 30secs a voice in my head said "it was the constant iso" which implies comparatively long posessions and a lot of tough shots.
3:25 in.. I feel empowered and vindicated. Thx internet!
This is why I’ll never disrespect Kobe. If you actually watched during this time you’d know he’s T7 of all time
Idk why people still compare eras, lets accept the fact that the game is evolving. Its better than ever. Not just the players but also the trainings, coaching, and systems. All thanks to the former players too that passed down their knowledge and wisdom to the players of the present. We must give respect to the former and appreciate the present. Without the past pioneering the moves and plays, we wont have the luxury of skills adapted by the players now.
The game is supposed to evolve, not devolve
This is the "skill level" that we're told about today's players: skipping step-backs, 5 stride "gather steps", carrying on carrying on carrying, shooting wide open threes, and ability to convert layups in empty paint created by moving screens and "pace and space" 5 wide-out offensive schemes and aided by a 3 second defensive rule.
Luka, Jokic and Giannis have all said that it’s easier getting a bucket in the NBA than in Europe because of the rules to help offensive players. The game has become ridiculous. (LOOK UP: "Europe is WAY HARDER than the NBA" - Giannis and Luka EXPOSE Modern Basketball")
dead ball era was from D gettin more aggro and people still being not that good at O. teams today everyone can pretty much hit a jumper HUGE difference from the 2000s
In every area of the world having experience is viewed as wisdom. Except when it comes to being a NBA fan. It's the only situation where I see ignorant young fans saying the older fans who've seen 10-30 more years of basketball but somehow they're idiots and the young fans who've seen maybe 10 years of ball know everything. It's incredibly idiotic.
And no Lebron did not have to score in a league where it was harder. The D3 rule was put in place as he entered the league and hand checking was removed his 2nd year. He's had an easier path to scoring than any other all time great. Stop saying he's dominating when he's allowed to carry the ball, travel, and shove defenders out of the way all while "taking breaks on the court" while on the defensive end. Go watch Thinking Basketball's video titled "How the NBA continues to make scoring easier" and think about how much easier it'd be for guys like Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Bird, etc to score if they were allowed to carry the ball and travel.
the league average offensive rating and scoring were still in the toilet for around a decade. If you think the only 2 things that made scoring harder were D3 and hand checking. Then man. I have news for you
Also, this entire video was literally on how the uptick in scoring isn’t because “the nba is weak” it’s literally because offenses found a way to maximize scoring based on the current set of rules
Bro most top 75 players came from the 80s and 90s. How you gonna say 90s was weak? Lol
Also, the "watered down"? How? Only 2 teams were added in the 90s . The other 4 was in the 80s that became contenders right away.
90s wasn't just Jordan and Hakeem.
Glenn rice, Clyde , Stockton, penny, Orlando Shaq, pre injury Chris Webber
Comeon now lmfao
Other than that. Great video !
It’s because there’s a rule that once you made it to top 50, you can’t be removed from top 75
@@huntermogsdidn't they removed some for top 75? Otherwise why would you have 50s and 60s guys with 2020s guys?
Robinson, Malone (both) miller, Ewing, mutumbo, Rodman, there are so many good players from the 90s
@@yaelgarcia459 no they didn’t remove any, check the list
They added six teams in eight years, and this was before the big influx of European and African players. So the talent pool was definitely watered down by the late '90s.
I think it's more on the who's those players affect the game whether it's a rule thing or just the teams' set up.
Example here is Shaq the whole league adjusted because of him they rather get someone to at least slow him down instead of a very good offensive bigs from those of bigs like Malone, Hakeem, Ewing and other high scoring bigs
Rn the league adjusted to how the warriors play specifically steph who is someone of a smaller guy, fast pace, high volume shooting. So they went small, nowadays the bigs are mostly under 6'10 rarely we see 7 footers. But it is changing again to these freaks bigs that can cross the ball half court, initiate offense.
It's all about pace, the 3-point revolution made it so teams could get good looks faster, so they shot earlier on the shotclock, more shots in a game, more scoring.
Great vid. A lot of similar thoughts I've had in this whole argument
It wasn't really a talent difference at all post-ABA. There were extreme amounts of talent in every era from top to bottom, and there were less teams, so the talent pool was less watered down than today's league. I do agree that the ABA years were a low point for overall talent in the NBA because players were split between the two organizations, but outside of that, the talent was pretty similar overall. I would argue that the role players were superior overall during the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. Just because there are more shooting specialists in today's game doesn't mean they are more talented, or skilled. It's just that role players used to do more things at a high level than role players of today. On average, role players did more of everything accept 3-point shooting, and there still were a lot of excellent 3-point specialists from the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. Modern role players of today's game get more open looks, extreme spacing, less defensive resistance, moving screens, traveling, and they all have have access to the internet from the time they were old enough to speak so that they could learn their techniques, and refine their skillsets. All players of today have 3 or 4 shooters around them at all times. I don't think they are as good defensively, and I don't think role players of today are as good at creating opportunities for other players, passing the ball, or creating their own shots on average. The big difference was the rules, the style of play, the physicality which meant that certain skillsets were in demand for teams to be successful in each era.
Every era gets better with time. 2020's > 2010's > 2000's > 1990's > 1980's etc. But the best of the best would still be great. Kobe, T-mac, KG would still be great in any era
For anyone who’s pro this Era, missed out on true competition of the 80’s-90’s and even the 00’ where pride of winning meant something. Too much money is in sports right now, players complaining the season is too long. Management worried about their players getting injured. This applies to all sports btw.
Great video man
Oh yeah, darkest era where players fought with their teeth and nails to get it done and provide endless entertainment for the fans. Now we're in the era of pure light and sunshine where there are no fans, only ADHD boys who don't watch games because they're unwatchable and count inflated stats that don't mean anything. Just because you missed the train, doesn't mean it didn't exist.
And games WEREN’T unwatchable in the 2000s when basically defensive stats were inflated?
@@chrisuncleahmad666 It's not about stats brother. It's about the intensity of the game when it's physical. You could feel that tension even while watching it on TV. Now, it's like a beauty peagent. Where is the fun in that?
Yeah today's game is the least popular and darkest era for sure and the last ten years.
Once upon a time, the NBA called offensive fouls.
You cant discount the fact that players in the late 90s and early 2000s became too big and athletic that they had to change the rules to increase scoring. Going from the 80 to early 90s you saw a huge increase in the type of athlete as they became rapidly bigger and more athletic(to the pace i haven’t seen since).
It's like Tim Donahue and the refs shaved points for $$$.
Players perform better now because of the rule changes. Everything's a foul, players can carry and travel all they want. It's easier to stat pad in this era than any other.
It’s not Dickriding.. that one Man Michael Jordan when he retired.. the league changed so many rules already to try and emulate what he brought. They are trying to do it to this day
And still to this day no one can emulate his pure aura
The 2000s allowed the physical defense of the 90s until 04 hand checking was still allowed and i believe illegal offense was no longer a thing so you could double and throw zones at teams.
And it made games a chore to watch
The transition from the dead all era to the analytics era is probably the most top tier talent the nba had. IMO from about 2006ish to 2017ish is the golden age. All those talents from the 90s were still playing. The iso specialists still had roles on teams. Super teams were rhere but weren’t unbeatable and hogging all the talent. There were contenders and dynastic rivalries with teams and players. It wasn’t a sure thing on who would make it but you had an idea. The role players weren’t as bad as they were from the 90s or 2000s and were expected to do things that could actually translate as we move into newer eras. There was no ABA/NBA although that does make the 70s underrated imo. There was good rules in place. There were offensive superstars and also a lot of defensive specialists. There was a balance of 3 point shooting. And good teams always had good shooters. It was a balanced game.
It was wrestling disguised as basketball.
I stopped watching the NBA for years after that Spurs/Pistons snoozefest of a Finals
3:30 thats not the reason why. not fully. people literally dont shoot 2s as good back then as they do today not even close and its becasue of skill. people play INSANE D today its much harder to play D cuz O is through the roof
The 80s and early 90s was the best era of basketball. Tough physical play and defense too. Imagine that!! Who wants to watch a bunch of SOFT outside shooting every game? Not me. And based on NBA ratings not many others either
You can blame Steph because he changed the game.
I don't miss the days when it was all physicality without actual basketball ability. Toughness was seen as more important than talent. By the mid-2000s, there was NO outside shooting to the point where they HAD to make the rule changes.
Why do the Warriors always get credit for the 3 point revolution when it was Mike D'Antoni and Daryl Morey that were a few years before them??
One word can describe this video - WRONG. You my child, really don't know much about basketball...
Biggest thing is, if you’re 30 or so you grew up in the 2000’s era and that what you grew up with. So most of these guys are just biased because that how it was when they grew up and why they don’t like it now
I remember the NBA making a rule to limit the time that Charles Barkley could back someone down in the post. I think that rule didn't last that long because the league didn't want to limit Shaq.