The fans complaining about it, especially the bickering between so-called "oldheads" and "youngbloods" over reductive narratives pumped out on social media.
Too many 3’s, refs being soft, Silver being commissioner, and players not caring. I said back in 2019, the NBA will go into decline because of their product. No one listened to me.
That the offense is allowed so much freedom but the defense is handicapped. Let the defense handcheck and be physical and it would balance things out so much and make the refs stop being soft
The fact that some people are STILL acting like there isn’t a problem, is insane. I’m not surprised with JJ having that take. He’s always had a smug attitude when it comes to HIS generation that he defends tooth and nail.
From where I grow up, there is a famous phrase, those people are the type that won't admit they will die and will only shed tear of fear when they saw their own coffin right in front of them.
JJ is not the commissioner though. If the NBA ratings are crashing, whether it’s politics, the way the game is now, all of the subscriptions you need to buy, or some scandal, it very likely can be traced back to Adam Silver and to a lesser extent Joe Dumars.
My biggest complaint is the complete denial by many that rules and analytics aren't the biggest cause for 3 chucking. Remove freedom of movement, weak techs, allow more contact/hand check.
@@trollking4058 Defenders used to be able to touch with one hand, deny straight paths to basket (screen), I've seen that called a blocking foul, defenders stay back and allow kick outs, swing 3s that wouldn't exist in previous eras without that space created from the new rules.
It's really this simple. More aggressive perimeter defense would force teams to go inside the paint. This would then make bruising rim protectors more valuable again, and would in turn make teams take more midrange jumpers to avoid that. Just like that, you would have a more dynamic game of basketball.
Too many 3s, not enough defense, out of control refs, most players only play 3/4 of their teams games... Theres a lot of problems with the league today.
@@chrisuncleahmad789the balance was there and players actually had passion and competed, and teams had different identities of playstyle. thats the difference..
@@younglove3362 You're over here spamming multiple comments, the 3 pointer ruined the league, you're a casual who doesn't watch basketball, idk why you're talking
They made it a superstar league, but the said superstars don't even play so many games and don't even play hard when they do play. One of the things that baffled me was "playoff mode", basically admitting they weren't playing hard in regular season.
because nowadays they don't give credit to regular season plays... Back in the days, the likes of Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Ewing, Miller, etc etc were still considered top tier all time greats. But nowadays they are all overlooked because of 'they don't have a ring'. So people don't give a shit about Regular seasons anymore. Why bother, nobody cares anyways.
@michaelchennan They were considered great because they were great. Plain and simple. But we don't go around saying one of them is the greatest of all time because, well, they simply aren't. As for regular season, those guys loved to compete. They loved to play and wanted destroy their opponents. MJ even had a "love of the game" clause in his contract. One of Hakeem's teammate said Hakeem always looked forward to playing against other best centers because he wanted to beat them. Also, what are they really playing for in the first place? It's an entertainment business and their job is to entertain fans. But now players don't care about fans and they don't have that competitive fire. That's the biggest issue here.
3 pointers and horrible defense aside, we NEED more rivalries. Everyone is too buddy-buddy with each other, there isn't anymore intense matchups like Magic vs Bird or Pistons vs Bulls or Knicks vs Heat. Seriously what's the biggest rivarly in the NBA right now?
Yall are ignoring the biggest problem. Its the fact that they are forcing gambling down our throats every 5 seconds and its unwatchable unless you love participating in gambling addiction.
@@TheSands83 a lot of people. Just because you don't doesn't mean other people don't, especially those with kids who want to watch games without gambling being forced down our throats the whole time
My guess is that the gambling money will actually keep the NBA afloat while viewership is tanking by offsetting the losses from advertisers, TV deals etc. This will delay the reckoning with Silver's failed leadership
A healthy Giannis can do wonders. Of course it doesn't help that the Celtics are stacked from top to bottom. But if the Bucks are healthy come playoffs time I can see them upsetting some teams.
There are a ton of problems, but the biggest problem by far is the players. As a group, they don't have the fire and passion for the game, or the competitiveness that players in the past had. Watching them play is like watching a pickup game or a scrimmage, and people notice it and feel it when they watch.
I remember when players of the 60s/70s used to say the same about the players from the 80s/90s, saying that the money coming in made them lose passion for the game and that the rules made the game a lot softer than it was in the 60s/70s.
Imagine if the nba allowed the defense the same amount of freedom as the offense. I can tolerate the 3s, travels, carries, etc., if the defense can be physical and handcheck
When Luka was asked if Hand checking should be allowed he said they already do that. Honestly with the skill level of the nba today I doubt simply being able to put you hand on the attackers hips is going to change a lot unless you go as far as to actually stiff arm the guy. 🤷🏾♂️
@prod.youngsensai that's the beauty of it, It'll balance things, u add sum physicality to that hand checking and it makes it more difficult, the great scorers will still figure it out but it won't always feel like it's a guaranteed bucket, which it feels like currently. If u give the defense the freedom to defend without constant fear of a soft foul then the results will be way more stops then we currently see. the 2024 playoffs is my example. Good scoring with good defense made for great entertainment
I am sure the most important reason for NBA downfall is the fact they aren't promoting and encouraging true rivalries with intensity. They are trying to promote having plaers with great numbers, but that won't click in general audience's hearts. People can't relate to numbers, but they can relate to having an opponent they won't bare loaing to, they can relate to having emotions of excitement on winning and being sad and frustrated when losing. NBA is doing everything to kill the intensity and the rivalries between teams and players.
People believes what they see with their own eyes, it's called eye testing, numbers can be misleading, like how someone can describe how beautiful a woman is, but most people will still hold their doubt until they seen the person face to face.
My dad stopped watching the NBA because he couldn't watch local games. That's the short of it. I believe one big issue is that they make it hard to watch. Not everyone wants to subscribe to multiple minor streams to watch a local unimportant game, where the top players don't play, and there's more running around than a soccer match.
Constant carry and travel violations, shit refs, foul baiting is rampant and a consumer hostile environment with how difficult and expensive it is to watch games.
Foul baiting has become an MVP worthy endeavor. Embiid winning MVP was laughable, taking 16 free throws a game Anyone could be a superstar if anytime someone touches you it's a foul. Sga probably gonna win MVP this year being a foul grifter too.
The game has become stale. Everyone just jacks up 3s and there is basically 0 defense. That coupled with no real star power and you have a dying league
@@chrisuncleahmad789 because they went too much in the opposite direction of too many 3s. When the warriors first got to the top, it was the perfect balance of 3s accross the league, with one team taking advantage of the shot. But now, everyone and their mother is jacking up 3s and it's too much
@@younglove3362 Is it lowering the skill when they miss 7 threes in a row and keep shooting? Its not about skill its about entertainment. I was watching a game live and they literally had 10 threes back and forth and only made one. Tha tis more common when they didnt even try to run a play.
@ they definitely do call fouls on the lakers, but not as much because if AD isn’t guarding, then nobody is. When ad ain’t on the floor they easily let opponents shoot, which is why it’s less.
The real reason ratings are down is because coaches don't have to wear suits anymore... We miss seeing a dude in suit yelling at sweating, heavy breathing pawns to "work harder!" ...Something about that just made the league so much more relateable to me. I miss seeing it. Just kidding. I think its the 3 spamming (teams therefore have less distinct identity). Have a great day Jonny! Blessings to you and yours!
Lol. That was a change I was definitely in favor of. Yeah, we got used to see them in suits, but it’s still kinda weird how every coach looked like he got straight out of court 😂
@@GibranCamus-kr2dc sure bc of endorsements and that’s cool and all. But the product itself is not enjoyable. At least to me. I’m sure some people enjoy the 3 point shooting revolution but it’s just not for me which is why I don’t watch as much.
@BasketballGod2003 this is a damn lie, and Kobe was not the main attraction for the last 4 years he was in the league. Even after he retired viewership was up for years. The very first year there was noticeable decline in the numbers was 2021. stop the cap.
The few games that you highlighted is one of the reasons the NBA is dying. Most of those games are blow out, and what's fun about watching blow out games? The reason there are so many blow out games is because of the variance of the 3 pointers, you miss 3 of those in a row and your opponents make theirs? It's a double digit game already. Not only that, watching players shoot 3 pointers on back to back to back possessions are boring, it's a shooting contest, not a competition. One of the biggest reason the NBA has fallen off is also because of the lack of story lines, and the lack of story lines can also be attributed to the soft reffing. Taunting makes the game fun, and it develops rivalries, but the refs blow their whistle every time a player look at another player the wrong way, or showed any emotions out on the court. This isn't just the refs, but also from the players. Players today get fans removed from the venue for trashtalking, really bro? Back to the lack of story line topic, the NBA doesn't sell their product, the NBA media doesn't promote anything but Lebron, Steph, Lakers and the Warriors. The Celtics won the NBA championship last season, it felt like nobody cared. The Nuggets won, the Bucks won, nobody seems to care. They only cared when the Warriors won because Steph did it again without Durant and tied Lebron in rings and 1 away from Magic. They only cared when Lakers won so Lebron is 1 ring away from Kobe and 2 from MJ. Where's the story line of KAT going back to Minnesota? That game should be a fairly hyped game but I hear nothing about it. The lack of story lines during NBA season is also one of the biggest reason why the fans stopped caring about the regular season. Story lines can make regular season games exciting and have the fans look forward to some games, but because there's literally no story lines in the NBA, most people view the regular season games as just another game that people don't really have to watch, and this ties back to players not allowed to taunt each other or show emotions without getting a quick soft tech, and they are not allowed to develop rivalries. P.S. and even if there are rivalries, like the Embiid vs Jokic MVP race, Embiid still choose to sit out when the 76ers faced the Nuggets. Load management ruined the NBA.
Another point is that the lasting effect of superteams kind of ruined the league. Now we have teams like the nuggets and twolves actively getting worse to keep mediocre players just to make the salary cap work. This was to prevent superteams but now it's making non superteams worse
Great video, Jonny! You're right that everyone has their own opinion about what is causing the decline in ratings. It could be a mixture of the reasons that people listed. From the large number of three point shots to the refs to the costs (both for attending the game and to pay for cable and streaming options), I think there is a lot to address. I saw the NBA Cup Final. I was rooting for the Bucks as I preferred them a bit more, so I enjoyed it. I'm interested to see what trades will be made, especially given the Warriors' struggles (and, as a Kings fan, I'd like to see some trades happen also). I'm also interested in seeing who wins the MVP this year. There are multiple great contenders for MVP and it's intriguing. Great recap again. I'm looking forward to your video about the problems in the NBA. Have a great Sunday! :)
Being a Bucks fan, winning the nba cup is obviously nothing close to winning the Larry; but it definetly is a huge morale booster for our team and fans alike considering our terrible start to the season. The only true concern I still have for this team is the lack of size/athleticism and inability to beat contender caliber teams at an effective level. With some trade deadline moves, this nba cup champions can surely become nba champion contenders
Thank you Jonny! My biggest complaints other than the 3 point line is the defensive 3 second violation inside the paint and Adam Sliver being a lousy commissioner and don’t understand why the owners extended his contract to 2029 😠
They extended his contract because he brings in money through the TV deals. The actual on court entertainment is an afterthought for them, it seems. The NBA is drifting towards a new 1970s.
@ I agree, the tv deals to them it’s all about money that they don’t care about their own product or even care about fans complaints. Another example of corporate greed.
@@cadecrusader Absolutely. The TV deals do not favour fans because it fragments their ability to watch the games. As they already have their pretty much guaranteed contracts, like Ben Simmons or Zion, the NBA doesn't care.
Funny how most of us old school NBA fans have been saying this for a long time almost a decade I've been saying the NBA is getting worse and worse. The game is basically unwatchable now for me. The only times I can play an entire game on the TV without turning it off is when I turn it on during a BBQ I'm hosting, and it just stays on so people can glance over every once in a while...
I stopped having interest when the NBA decided to shove Lebron vs Curry down my throat 4 years in a row in the finals. It just felt like the uniqueness & personality of the NBA died after 2014.
@@pskidmore1986 I suppose the main thing is the fact that the League feels compelled to incentivize the players (Prize $ and Vegas) to try harder and compete is ridiculous! It's an acknowledgement of failure of the NBA product. Hard working people just wanna come home and relax to a hard fought battle between two teams with maximum effort. This segues into Load Management, flopping, etc. To top it all off they award a trophy presentation at the end? The majority of teams don't even qualify for the tournament early in the process. This way they can continue to go through the motions chucking up 3 pointers during the regular season. The cup is just a blip on the map vs the significant problems of the NBA
personally i'd stop giving out random short term guaranteed contracts willy nilly to any "star" that shows "potential". get some results and then earn your payday (aiming this at zion, but not limited to just him tho)
I did something I never thought I would unless I lost my job. I cancelled my league pass. I simply don’t enjoy the product anymore. Here’s why: 1. Players don’t have pride in themselves or their teams. 2. Lack of competition. 3. 3 pt contests instead of games. 4. No defense and no hustle 5. Too many techs for BS reasons. 6. Obvious referee bias in certain games. In short, it’s not just one thing, there are many issues and the league doesn’t have any answers.
NBA is in the same situation as Baseball was before the rule changes. The game was previously unwatchable because the games were super long, teams would go through 9 pitchers in a game [constantly switching them in and out so the other team couldn't adjust to the other teams pitchers], and there used to be a defensive play called The Shift which was a great defensive play but made the game unwatchable as home runs almost didn't happen at all when the shift was in play. MLB realized this made for a terrible TV product so they banned The Shift, made the bases slightly bigger to encourage more stolen bases, introduced a rule where pitchers must go through atleast 3 batters before being switched out so you don't see ridiculous games where teams go through 9 pitchers, and added a pitch clock which not only sped the game up but shaved off a half hour of game time.
I struggle watching for 2 reasons. The many price increases for LP each year and the drastic dip in production values. Getting rid of great broadcasters that I grew up watching just put me off
only reason NBA/ESPN media started acknowledging this is because now they can play the "Lebron/Steph/Durant are getting old" card. yeah, the 3 guys who colluded to form superteams and turned the game into a 3-point contest getting old is the reason ratings are down 🙄 the only time LeMedia will acknowledge anything is if they can somehow turn it into an excuse to glaze 'the king'.
The NBA cup is a joke. Last year one of the two teams in the finals couldn't even make the playoffs. This year the "champions" look like a fringe playoff team that has almost no hope of making it out of the weak conference. There are so few games played in the cup that it basically just comes down to dumb luck of who is hot that night. Nobody is ever going to take this seriously as a display of which team is better.
The NBA ratings will stop dropping when 7 footers stop shooting 3 pointers and get into the lane and impose their will on the other team; players need to start flying into the 3rd row of courtside seats going after the ball to show they really want it; all of the players want to get along off the court which affects rivalries and intensity on the court, and that started with the banana boat ride
When a cup game has such good defense that both teams score under 100 points and the second (IMO) best team in the league scores 81 points, I'm in, and i think anyone who appreciates defense and players playing with intensity should like the cup too. Please don't overlook all the good the cup brings just because it's not what youre used to.
I'm not a Timberwolves fan per se, but I watch some of their game due to Rudy Gobert, as I'm french and I like the guy. And though I understood why the FO of Minnesota made the trade, I knew from the beginning that it will be very hard for the Wolves to make it work as the default of Randle are exactly the worst for Minnesota. But what made me even more regret this trade is the fact that KAT and the fans of Minnesota built a great relationship, he genuinely loved to be there, and his history with the franchise and the city made me wanting him to spend all his career with the Wolves. As for the issues with the league itself, they are multiple, from the 3 point fest to the horrible officiating, the flopping, and many other things. I myself watch, for the first time in my life (and I'm watching NBA since the late 80's), more Euroleague games than NBA games. The Nuggets is the only team that I still watch on a regular basis, when there was usually 4-5 teams by seasons.
I think your next video should be about Cade Cunningham being a potential All Star candidate. He’s been performing at a high level these past few games
As I was watching the Cup Finals I couldn't help thinking how frustrating it is to watch a team go just ice cold and still keep trying and missing 3pter after 3pter (even if I can see the point from the coach's standpoint). I suggested on another video from another channel an idea on how to try to fix the 3pter issue, but I'd like to hear Jonny's take on it, even if it has to wait for the 250k subscribers video: What if, whenever your team scores a 3pter, your next converted field goal will count as 2 even if it is from 3pt range. Once you've scored under this limitations you'll be able to score normally from 3 again, repeating the process.
All of a sudden tons of people speaking up who previously haven't said anything (despite this going on for years) has my spider sense tingling. Maybe some big changes are in the works and this sudden media blitz is laying the groundwork. I wouldn't hold my breath though.
I blame a large chunk of it on LeBron and his actions. I admit there are many other problems, but LeBron clearly influenced many of them. He caused permanent damage to the NBA that is irreparable. He made sure the NBA will never be fixed
I think there are 2 reasons for this:- 1. People are more interested in how legacies are affected after the game( and playoff series) and stats not what happens in the game, basically how the game goes 2. TH-camrs/media provide everything today from what happened in trade markets, Every interesting details about some interesting games,so maybe viewers just watch a 10 min vid than a full game
I love watching guys jog up and down the court, not hustle on defense, run the same 5 out dribble drag, ball screen, chuck 3s, whine about calls, not sprint back on defense, not play hard in the all-star game, hang up a banner for winning regular season games, and take nights off while making more money than ever before.
NBA cup is one of the dumbest ideas ever, it brings hype for couple of weeks, and is easily forgetable once it ends. NBA playoffs will always be remembered, but no one will care who won NBA cup
I have unsubscribed from all official NBA channels after ASG last year. I kept a few OGs like yours. For me, a greater focus on defense and officiating could do a lot of the fixing. I just don't get this "more skilled than ever" narrative, like: yes, maybe shooting and athletic is better, but why can't we play according to the (or at least some) rules? Also, the commercial breaks (used to be called timeouts), especially towards the end, made whole games unwatchable for me. The whole effort thing is another story, but playing some D would be a start for me.
I'd say (with no intention of being prejudiced in any way), there is no transcendent young American talent people are running over to see play. Jokic, Wemby, Giannis, Shai, Luka, etc are all dominating the league but are all from different countries. Zion was supposed to be the next LeBron/MJ type figure but it just hasn't panned out, and LeBron/KD/Steph all just aren't the sure thing they used to be. America is naturally the most profitable market for all American sports, and if Americans aren't watching, the league suffers. All the international stars deserve 100% of the love and attention they get for how they're dominating the league but American viewers simply struggle to relate to them. This shouldn't be so much of a problem imo seeing as the US is such a diverse nation, but NBA media hubs have all collectively decided to disrespect these players every chance they get
@ Ant and Tatum are fantastic players but they simply aren’t on that “generational talent” level. Especially not with what Luka, Jokic, Wemby and Giannis are doing every night right next to them. I mentioned Zion specifically because his hype train was plain ridiculous. People were saying he’d take over the NBA since he was in middle school. One game in college he busted a Nike shoe mid game, and columnists were writing about how NIKE of all companies might be staring in the face of irrelevance if they fumbled getting Zion
I have a few things I can think of - The league in transitioning and actively experimenting - The hassle of watching games. I shouldnt need a subscription to 3 different sources to watch a game - Lack of player expression and by extension, lack of ref accountability - A byproduct of how we as people consume media
Bring back hand checking, move back the 3 point line, make 70 games the minimum to be eligible for awards, actually enforce it with fining players for flopping and if they reach a certain number of flops, suspend them for a game, give out fines for load managing where the fines go to the people who spent their hard earned money to see a certain player play only for him to be in street clothes, anything else? It's sad we even have to think about all this because none of this used to be necessary before. The past generations had way more pride.
For the life of me im still trying to understand how people wlll blame someone like lebron after he's carried the league for years. You tuned in to watch him win, or to watch him lose. Either you hated him or you loved him, but you WATCHED. Most people dont even have lebron in the top 10-12 players in the league, so shouldn't there be at least 10-12 players that you blame before you blame lebron ?? The same goes for KD, and Steph. there is noway a logical person can put blame on any of the old heads.
I love it how Durant, Booker and others come out and criticize change in All Star format. Dude, YOU made this happen. No one else. YOU, the stars of the league caused this. It wasn't Adam Silver creating a circus in last few All Star games, it was YOU, stars doing it. The rest of the season is down to Silver and kindergarten level of rules, but All Star game is players and no one else
I think the biggest reason why the ratings are down is because of the amount of football that is on TV these days. The NFL added a game to the season and now also has Thursday night games. Also, college football playoffs are now a thing. People only have so much time to dedicate to watching sports each week and most of your general public would rather watch any NFL game than an NBA game.
1. Rules are not allowing physical play, so you can't really play good defense, I would bring back handchecking for starters, and we'll probably see some better defense 2. Rules are too inconsistent. Guys are traveling constantly, and refs do not call it. I dont like gather step rule personally because somehow players get away with obvious traveling. 3. Flopping. This is especially the case with Embiid and LeBron 4. Guys take 10 3's per game. Sure if you're hot go for it, but if you shoot 0/6 for the night, dont chuck even more 3's, and especially annoys me when I see Wemby who's 7'5" shoot 10's per game. Brother go to the paint, you're taller than everyone, go on a drive, do something, dont just chuck 3's. It's good to be versatile and able to shoot, but settling for too many 3's is bad. 5. Lack of interest for the ASG. Those are the things that I really dislike in NBA. I think there needs to be a balance between offense and defense, not seeing the score in 140's every other night.
I seem to recall a similar time for the NBA where it was not looking good for the league - ratings, attendance, the quality of the product itself, all on a downward spiral. I wonder what happened that caused the NBA to become popular again... Could it be that players began taking competition and their commitment to winning seriously? I wonder what two players we could learn from right about now.
The NBA has done everything pretty much taking the competition out of the league, softening the rules, supporting LBJ, drive STATS, over paying players.
I have a friend who’s a Magic fan. He said he would rather have watched more games during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons than this season and last season.
It’s the style of play, officiating, and modern rules. When it’s too easy to score 120 points and average over 30, it’s not challenging or fun. Defenders need to be physical and have a chance. When players chuck threes like they’re Steph Curry, it’s boring. And when referees call a foul when somebody farts, it kills the tempo and is frustrating.
Bucks fan here. The Cup is not the NBA title exactly, but it is must see TV. And it was definitely fun to see my Bucks win it all, especially over a true contender.
The NBA definitely needs to nerf the 3 point shot by either extending it and/or removing the corner 3. I see some saying the courts need to expand to accommodate for how good shooters are now, but that means less seats for the big money makers. The defense is an issue, but some teams are excelling in it than others. Bring back hand checking and possibly allow the defenders to be more aggressive to players who are above the 3 point line. Maybe extend the 3 sec rule to 5.
I gotta say, I love these recaps, but the updated stats in the screen is really distracting - means I miss some things you say when I'm reading. But otherwise great job 👍👍
Hmmm... I hear what you're saying, but I'd feel bad to give you guys outdated info because we had to edit all this the night before. Any suggestions?? Maybe updated stats/notes in the pinned comment??
@@jonnyarnett Thanks for responding - I just watched your newest weekly recap and there wasn't anything distracting in that one so came back to check whether you'd replied! First time for me, thanks! I'm tuning in from the UK so I don't know what times you record, edit and publish your vids over there, and I don't have great suggestions, but I guess either somehow (re)recording your audio after the games have been played and publishing before the next day's games. Or, being less specific with the facts, like instead of saying "the Knicks are now 22 and 10" saying things like "the Knicks are competing for the second seed in the East" or something, not sure! Updated stats in the pinned comment could work too. Sorry to nit-pick, great fan of your channel mate! :)
The problem is most prime time games players don’t play they are either resting or overplaying an injury how I would fix this is get rid of Guaranteed contracts pay players based on games played once they Miss so many for example if Lebron Plays 40 games he would only get 57% of contract if the number is 70 games ( this would never happen but would love to see it)
I don't care about the NBA. I haven't been watching the NBA since 2014. The NBA forgot about their fans. The fans are starting to forget about the NBA..... Let the NBA fail!!!
Haven't watched an NBA final since 2019. I think it's a combination of things. The biggest for me was player load management (guys getting MVP's, despite playing 60-70 games, imo an MVP should be playing almost all the time). Remember the Raptors load managing Kawhli, and it paid off with a championship. Rise of super teams and flopping/light foul calls have got out of control (every sport is getting like that to an extent though). NFL and NHL I can understand with head injuries and concussions. 3pt I don't mind. Secret Base I think did a video on the history a while back, and it actually took a long time after the 3pt line was added before volume shooting caught on. Imo the biggest reason for the issues is the emphasis on players having to win championships for their legacies. So you see super teams and teams load managing star players so they don't have an injury happen in game 6 or 7 of the NBA finals. Imo, at least.
The 3 point revolution ruined the league, if Cleveland didn't get injured in 2015, the warriors era might have never risen up, and we might not have the same NBA we do right now, if you don't think the warriors ruined it, by the time KD joined, that was the end right there
I dont blame the Warriors. The league was already doing stupid shit like taking away defense and giving more freedom to the offense before the Warriors exploded. The issue isn't the Warriors, it's the other teams TRYING to copy the Warriors and their style. Instead of trying to win the chip their own way, so many teams believed that more 3s equals championships. I blame analytics more than the Warriors. Analytics have been an albatross on the league and forces everybody to play the same way.
@crater044 Because more 3's does equal more championships. This isn't the big man era and players can still get to the basket like they did in previous times. But if they could just shoot it, then why wouldn't they? Stop about players shooting 3's. First, it's not easy and 2nd, it's a dumb thing to argue about.
I think a factor in NBA viewership that nobody is talking about is that kids growing up right now have way more things to draw their attention than past generations. Why would a kid go spend time watching a game where you don't know who is going to play that night when they can play a video game, or scroll the internet. I think if you factor these new options with a league of players that aren't inspiring, captivating or intriguing, you have a recipe for decline. There was a mystique to Bird, Magic, Jordan, Kobe, AI, and the greats before them, now we know all their business, we hear them downplay past eras and then have to watch them load manage, cry, flop, and jack threes instead of trying to take a bigman on at the cup. Who wants to watch that when we can just play a video game or go outside and play pickleball!? Sounds silly but if you have better things to do than sit in front of a tv watching a bunch of nobodies having a freethrow contest for 3 hours, you're not going to watch. The fact that players like Ant-Man can sit their and trash the players that made the league what it is when he could probably walk down the street in LA amd nobody would know who he was is a real turn off to many.
Lou Will said it best: The creativity of the game is gone with how much analytics play a part in the game today. Everyone is playing the exact same. You have a special talent like ant man chucking up 3s instead of getting to the rim and or just being creative. I guess thats why i tend to gravitate towards Giannis and Joker's play styles. They aren't sitting here jacking up 10+ 3s a game. They are in the paint looking for the BEST shot for themselves or their teammates. If the 3 is open AND you can shoot, shoot the rock. But if you're open and you can't shoot... DON'T
We’ve been saying it for years but they call us oldheads. In a league where an average player can shoot 35%+ from three, there is no reason to shoot anything but shots at the rim or threes. Anyone that understands statistics can understand this.
One of the problems is the young up and coming stars are not developed enough to be true stars, the media is pushing and hyping them up to be stars, but the viewers can see these young players aren't it. Too many young players
The main thing that could hurt the future if the nba is a lack of American stars that where stars all their life really it’s just ant and Tatum but all the best players are foreign so no one knows about them untill the nba
The NBA needs just one coach to step up and say his team isn't going to play 2024 basketball anymore. Just one. No more insisting the three-point shot be the sole offensive strategy. No more 7-footers camped out at the three-point line. NO MORE FLOPPING! No more load management. Just one coach needs to look in the camera and say we're going to win with strong defense, we're going to fight the league every time some touch foul becomes a flagrant foul, we're going to pay for every player's fine for badmouthing the refs, and we're going to storm the court every time the other team cheap shots our players. That's all the league needs. One coach, completely backed by ownership, who will reject the softness of the modern game, who will cut players who feel playing 55 games in an 82 game season is fine, who benches players who use social media to vent instead of talking to him behind closed doors, and who is willing to make even star players ride the pine for their apathy, no matter how many millions they make. You get that one coach to go that far Old School, and that coach starts winning, and you'll watch the rest of the NBA play copycat, because that's what they do, that's why we're in this mess, because they all started copying the Warriors after watching Steph Curry and Klay Thompson light it up from downtown. You get a coach able to win with a post-up game and a no-shit-taking defense, and you'll see people want to watch again.
It seems unlikely that they fix carrys or travelling but ATLEAST allow hand checking and more contact off the ball The unreal offence of this era would look even better against good defence...
I only care about a few players in NBA but in the NFL I care bout my team regardless of who’s there and the rivalries are better as well. every game matters but it doesn’t feel that way till after the all star break. NBA has to do a better job of marketing teams again while making the games interesting all year.
I don't care for the cup at all tho that seems to be an unpopular opinion. As far as what I'd do to improve the league - change the three point line, Broussards idea is good, start from the bench. - bring back hand checking - eliminate 3 in the key on defense - unify streaming service - implement a 1v1 tournament in all star weekend - eliminate the all star game untill a healthy solution is met
I dont mind the nba cup because i think it can springboard the bucks into something bigger (possible finals appearance). It also gives them something go "play for" which in basketball is rare pre all star break. I actually caught some cup games because why not lol. It doesn't compare to an nba championship of course but at least it's something. Im a huge soccer/futbol fan and i love all the competitions they have throughout the season (they've gone overboard the past couple of seasons which has led to meaningless comps, but still). But soccer/futbol has had that in its DNA since the beginning So its hard go introduce something like the nba cup 75 years into the NBAs existence
Honestly just officiating the games closer to what we see in FIBA or the Olympics would make the game a lot more watchable. I don't even mean rule changes, just let the game be more physical and be more strict on things like travelling and moving screens. There's tons of other changes I'd like to see but I'll take bread crumbs at this point.
What is your biggest complaint with the modern NBA product?
Refs can’t put away there whistles
The fans complaining about it, especially the bickering between so-called "oldheads" and "youngbloods" over reductive narratives pumped out on social media.
Too many 3’s, refs being soft, Silver being commissioner, and players not caring. I said back in 2019, the NBA will go into decline because of their product. No one listened to me.
It is having to pay to watch games on streaming services that is hurting the NBA the most and the league needs to remove the three pointer.
That the offense is allowed so much freedom but the defense is handicapped. Let the defense handcheck and be physical and it would balance things out so much and make the refs stop being soft
The worst possible response to the ratings crisis is to do what Reddick did and dismiss it entirely and make excuses
The fact that some people are STILL acting like there isn’t a problem, is insane. I’m not surprised with JJ having that take. He’s always had a smug attitude when it comes to HIS generation that he defends tooth and nail.
From where I grow up, there is a famous phrase, those people are the type that won't admit they will die and will only shed tear of fear when they saw their own coffin right in front of them.
@@jonnyarnett
J.J Plumber has always been that way. He "defends" the era because he played in that era
JJ is not the commissioner though. If the NBA ratings are crashing, whether it’s politics, the way the game is now, all of the subscriptions you need to buy, or some scandal, it very likely can be traced back to Adam Silver and to a lesser extent Joe Dumars.
One wonders if JJ really believe what he says . I think he’s bought and says what he’s told . If not then he’s just crazy as F
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss David Stern
i hate how ungrateful the older fans were. not realising what they had until david was gone. and then suddenly realising "oh crap we had it good".
Facts. Never thought I’d see the day. 💯🙏🏾
Don't think too much would be different if he was still around tbh. I'm sure fines and suspensions would be bigger than they are right now though
David Stern really wouldn't be much better
@@IllMatic97you didn’t know about how stern D. Stern was
My biggest complaint is the complete denial by many that rules and analytics aren't the biggest cause for 3 chucking. Remove freedom of movement, weak techs, allow more contact/hand check.
For real, we built this current game state by the rules and enforcement of the rules. Call more moving screens, call travels, etc.
That wouldn't stop threes. That would stop dribble moves, but not threes.
@@trollking4058 Defenders used to be able to touch with one hand, deny straight paths to basket (screen), I've seen that called a blocking foul, defenders stay back and allow kick outs, swing 3s that wouldn't exist in previous eras without that space created from the new rules.
@@trollking4058It would stop many of the threes from being wide open though, which would discourage many from taking them.
It's really this simple. More aggressive perimeter defense would force teams to go inside the paint.
This would then make bruising rim protectors more valuable again, and would in turn make teams take more midrange jumpers to avoid that.
Just like that, you would have a more dynamic game of basketball.
Too many 3s, not enough defense, out of control refs, most players only play 3/4 of their teams games... Theres a lot of problems with the league today.
@@chrisuncleahmad789the balance was there and players actually had passion and competed, and teams had different identities of playstyle. thats the difference..
Those are the top 3 reasons. But then also the fact that nba contracts mean nothing, getting max contracts and then immediately asking for a trade.
The balance is still there. Y'all are just stuck in the past. You're just on the bandwagon on complaining about it.
@@younglove3362 You're over here spamming multiple comments, the 3 pointer ruined the league, you're a casual who doesn't watch basketball, idk why you're talking
@@chrisuncleahmad789
That's not what was being said kid. No one said "too few 3s" 😅
They made it a superstar league, but the said superstars don't even play so many games and don't even play hard when they do play.
One of the things that baffled me was "playoff mode", basically admitting they weren't playing hard in regular season.
because nowadays they don't give credit to regular season plays... Back in the days, the likes of Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Ewing, Miller, etc etc were still considered top tier all time greats. But nowadays they are all overlooked because of 'they don't have a ring'.
So people don't give a shit about Regular seasons anymore. Why bother, nobody cares anyways.
@michaelchennan They were considered great because they were great. Plain and simple. But we don't go around saying one of them is the greatest of all time because, well, they simply aren't.
As for regular season, those guys loved to compete. They loved to play and wanted destroy their opponents. MJ even had a "love of the game" clause in his contract. One of Hakeem's teammate said Hakeem always looked forward to playing against other best centers because he wanted to beat them. Also, what are they really playing for in the first place? It's an entertainment business and their job is to entertain fans. But now players don't care about fans and they don't have that competitive fire. That's the biggest issue here.
3 pointers and horrible defense aside, we NEED more rivalries. Everyone is too buddy-buddy with each other, there isn't anymore intense matchups like Magic vs Bird or Pistons vs Bulls or Knicks vs Heat. Seriously what's the biggest rivarly in the NBA right now?
The biggest rivalries in the league are Front Offices and washed superstars looking for that last big check 🤣
Lebron vs his hairline
Joel Embiid vs Playing #1 Rivalry
Preach the truth on the rivalries!!
The Bulls versus Detroit, Knicks versus the Pacers, Sacramento versus the Lakers, Lakers versus the Bad Boy Pistons.
Yall are ignoring the biggest problem. Its the fact that they are forcing gambling down our throats every 5 seconds and its unwatchable unless you love participating in gambling addiction.
Thats a problem but far from the biggest one
Who gives a shit about that?😂
@@TheSands83 a lot of people. Just because you don't doesn't mean other people don't, especially those with kids who want to watch games without gambling being forced down our throats the whole time
@ 😂 no one gives a shit.,join reality princess
My guess is that the gambling money will actually keep the NBA afloat while viewership is tanking by offsetting the losses from advertisers, TV deals etc. This will delay the reckoning with Silver's failed leadership
The NBA Cup is a pure joke of a concept
Bucks fan here: winning the cup was cool, but i dont feel any more confident about the postseason
I am a fellow Milwaukee fan. When we got rid of Jrue Holliday, that was a big mistake. I love Dame, but truth is truth.
It wasn’t cool. The cup is stupid and pointless.
A healthy Giannis can do wonders. Of course it doesn't help that the Celtics are stacked from top to bottom. But if the Bucks are healthy come playoffs time I can see them upsetting some teams.
You forgot doc rivers is the coach @@emiliovillacorta4276
There are a ton of problems, but the biggest problem by far is the players. As a group, they don't have the fire and passion for the game, or the competitiveness that players in the past had. Watching them play is like watching a pickup game or a scrimmage, and people notice it and feel it when they watch.
I would say this about most players, but there's 100% a substantial group of players who definitely still care and want to win
@DerethAC boomer spotted
@@romanoreginaldadrielle5585boomers don’t hang out on TH-cam. Good try zoomie.
He’s not wrong. Your generations nba sucks. Accept it.
I remember when players of the 60s/70s used to say the same about the players from the 80s/90s, saying that the money coming in made them lose passion for the game and that the rules made the game a lot softer than it was in the 60s/70s.
@@rogelioatempa1115I don’t recall that considering the nba was on life support in the 70s.
Bird and magic saved the league.
Imagine if the nba allowed the defense the same amount of freedom as the offense. I can tolerate the 3s, travels, carries, etc., if the defense can be physical and handcheck
When Luka was asked if Hand checking should be allowed he said they already do that. Honestly with the skill level of the nba today I doubt simply being able to put you hand on the attackers hips is going to change a lot unless you go as far as to actually stiff arm the guy. 🤷🏾♂️
@prod.youngsensai that's the beauty of it, It'll balance things, u add sum physicality to that hand checking and it makes it more difficult, the great scorers will still figure it out but it won't always feel like it's a guaranteed bucket, which it feels like currently. If u give the defense the freedom to defend without constant fear of a soft foul then the results will be way more stops then we currently see. the 2024 playoffs is my example. Good scoring with good defense made for great entertainment
I am sure the most important reason for NBA downfall is the fact they aren't promoting and encouraging true rivalries with intensity. They are trying to promote having plaers with great numbers, but that won't click in general audience's hearts. People can't relate to numbers, but they can relate to having an opponent they won't bare loaing to, they can relate to having emotions of excitement on winning and being sad and frustrated when losing. NBA is doing everything to kill the intensity and the rivalries between teams and players.
People believes what they see with their own eyes, it's called eye testing, numbers can be misleading, like how someone can describe how beautiful a woman is, but most people will still hold their doubt until they seen the person face to face.
There would be rivalries if refs allowed some emotions on the court
Yes
Players complaining about the state of the league is hilarious. They have more control over it than anyone else
My dad stopped watching the NBA because he couldn't watch local games. That's the short of it.
I believe one big issue is that they make it hard to watch. Not everyone wants to subscribe to multiple minor streams to watch a local unimportant game, where the top players don't play, and there's more running around than a soccer match.
There’s about a billion subscriptions you need to buy and it doesn’t help that you could just use StreamEast
Constant carry and travel violations, shit refs, foul baiting is rampant and a consumer hostile environment with how difficult and expensive it is to watch games.
Foul baiting has become an MVP worthy endeavor. Embiid winning MVP was laughable, taking 16 free throws a game Anyone could be a superstar if anytime someone touches you it's a foul. Sga probably gonna win MVP this year being a foul grifter too.
The game has become stale. Everyone just jacks up 3s and there is basically 0 defense. That coupled with no real star power and you have a dying league
Have you ever watched a game! There is so much defense.
@@chrisuncleahmad789 because they went too much in the opposite direction of too many 3s. When the warriors first got to the top, it was the perfect balance of 3s accross the league, with one team taking advantage of the shot. But now, everyone and their mother is jacking up 3s and it's too much
@MrE
So you want players to lower their skills down and not shoot as many threes? Yeah, that sounds logical 🙄.
@@younglove3362 Is it lowering the skill when they miss 7 threes in a row and keep shooting? Its not about skill its about entertainment. I was watching a game live and they literally had 10 threes back and forth and only made one. Tha tis more common when they didnt even try to run a play.
This is half the problem though Mrs silver caters to internet casuals so the league and everything surrounding the league is goofy
As someone who used to watch every game I can barely get through a game everyone is foul hunting and it seems like a exhibition until the end
Considering players are harder to Guard that's actually a slick tactic. But players of the past did the same.
bro exactly like I was watching lakers vs grizzlies and like everything was called a foul. So annoying.
@@HishamElite They either call EVERYTHING a foul or WORSE, they call EVERYTHING a foul for one team, while calling 0 fouls on the other team(LeLakers)
@ they definitely do call fouls on the lakers, but not as much because if AD isn’t guarding, then nobody is. When ad ain’t on the floor they easily let opponents shoot, which is why it’s less.
The real reason ratings are down is because coaches don't have to wear suits anymore... We miss seeing a dude in suit yelling at sweating, heavy breathing pawns to "work harder!" ...Something about that just made the league so much more relateable to me. I miss seeing it.
Just kidding. I think its the 3 spamming (teams therefore have less distinct identity). Have a great day Jonny! Blessings to you and yours!
Lol. That was a change I was definitely in favor of. Yeah, we got used to see them in suits, but it’s still kinda weird how every coach looked like he got straight out of court 😂
Literally very little to nobody cares about that.
Greatest intro in TH-cam
The Kobe part is amazing 👌🏽
When Kobe retired the NBA fell off a cliff.
And has reached an all-time high in revenue
@@GibranCamus-kr2dc ever heard of inflation buddy? xD i mean you can't actuall ybe that dumb,right?
@@GibranCamus-kr2dc sure bc of endorsements and that’s cool and all. But the product itself is not enjoyable. At least to me. I’m sure some people enjoy the 3 point shooting revolution but it’s just not for me which is why I don’t watch as much.
@@BasketballGod2003They broke record attendance two years in the row. Hell ASG made 400 million 😂😂😂😂
@BasketballGod2003 this is a damn lie, and Kobe was not the main attraction for the last 4 years he was in the league. Even after he retired viewership was up for years. The very first year there was noticeable decline in the numbers was 2021. stop the cap.
The few games that you highlighted is one of the reasons the NBA is dying. Most of those games are blow out, and what's fun about watching blow out games? The reason there are so many blow out games is because of the variance of the 3 pointers, you miss 3 of those in a row and your opponents make theirs? It's a double digit game already. Not only that, watching players shoot 3 pointers on back to back to back possessions are boring, it's a shooting contest, not a competition.
One of the biggest reason the NBA has fallen off is also because of the lack of story lines, and the lack of story lines can also be attributed to the soft reffing. Taunting makes the game fun, and it develops rivalries, but the refs blow their whistle every time a player look at another player the wrong way, or showed any emotions out on the court. This isn't just the refs, but also from the players. Players today get fans removed from the venue for trashtalking, really bro?
Back to the lack of story line topic, the NBA doesn't sell their product, the NBA media doesn't promote anything but Lebron, Steph, Lakers and the Warriors. The Celtics won the NBA championship last season, it felt like nobody cared. The Nuggets won, the Bucks won, nobody seems to care. They only cared when the Warriors won because Steph did it again without Durant and tied Lebron in rings and 1 away from Magic. They only cared when Lakers won so Lebron is 1 ring away from Kobe and 2 from MJ. Where's the story line of KAT going back to Minnesota? That game should be a fairly hyped game but I hear nothing about it.
The lack of story lines during NBA season is also one of the biggest reason why the fans stopped caring about the regular season. Story lines can make regular season games exciting and have the fans look forward to some games, but because there's literally no story lines in the NBA, most people view the regular season games as just another game that people don't really have to watch, and this ties back to players not allowed to taunt each other or show emotions without getting a quick soft tech, and they are not allowed to develop rivalries.
P.S. and even if there are rivalries, like the Embiid vs Jokic MVP race, Embiid still choose to sit out when the 76ers faced the Nuggets. Load management ruined the NBA.
Another point is that the lasting effect of superteams kind of ruined the league. Now we have teams like the nuggets and twolves actively getting worse to keep mediocre players just to make the salary cap work. This was to prevent superteams but now it's making non superteams worse
Draymond with that Tony Snell special
Great video, Jonny! You're right that everyone has their own opinion about what is causing the decline in ratings. It could be a mixture of the reasons that people listed. From the large number of three point shots to the refs to the costs (both for attending the game and to pay for cable and streaming options), I think there is a lot to address.
I saw the NBA Cup Final. I was rooting for the Bucks as I preferred them a bit more, so I enjoyed it.
I'm interested to see what trades will be made, especially given the Warriors' struggles (and, as a Kings fan, I'd like to see some trades happen also).
I'm also interested in seeing who wins the MVP this year. There are multiple great contenders for MVP and it's intriguing.
Great recap again. I'm looking forward to your video about the problems in the NBA. Have a great Sunday! :)
Refs whistle more for their feelings getting hurt than actually enforcing the rules
Being a Bucks fan, winning the nba cup is obviously nothing close to winning the Larry; but it definetly is a huge morale booster for our team and fans alike considering our terrible start to the season. The only true concern I still have for this team is the lack of size/athleticism and inability to beat contender caliber teams at an effective level. With some trade deadline moves, this nba cup champions can surely become nba champion contenders
Agreed. Considering they started the season so terrible, they're doing good. They're still not gonna beat Cleveland, though. They got the East
I just don't like watching basketball. I just like watching basketball TH-camrs.
Wow, that's really interesting! Well I appreciate you being here.
Thank you Jonny! My biggest complaints other than the 3 point line is the defensive 3 second violation inside the paint and Adam Sliver being a lousy commissioner and don’t understand why the owners extended his contract to 2029 😠
They extended his contract because he brings in money through the TV deals. The actual on court entertainment is an afterthought for them, it seems.
The NBA is drifting towards a new 1970s.
@ I agree, the tv deals to them it’s all about money that they don’t care about their own product or even care about fans complaints. Another example of corporate greed.
@@cadecrusader Absolutely. The TV deals do not favour fans because it fragments their ability to watch the games. As they already have their pretty much guaranteed contracts, like Ben Simmons or Zion, the NBA doesn't care.
@ I agree as well and it’s a shame
The NBA is like horse racing and boxing. It is a past time like baseball. I went to a game this season (Hawks @ Wizards), the building was 40% empty.
Well it was the wizards.
You went to a JV game.
Funny how most of us old school NBA fans have been saying this for a long time almost a decade I've been saying the NBA is getting worse and worse. The game is basically unwatchable now for me. The only times I can play an entire game on the TV without turning it off is when I turn it on during a BBQ I'm hosting, and it just stays on so people can glance over every once in a while...
I stopped having interest when the NBA decided to shove Lebron vs Curry down my throat 4 years in a row in the finals.
It just felt like the uniqueness & personality of the NBA died after 2014.
It's more than not liking the cup. It's the fact there even is a cup. It's insulting on so many levels
Can you explain how it's insulting on so many levels please?
@@pskidmore1986 I suppose the main thing is the fact that the League feels compelled to incentivize the players (Prize $ and Vegas) to try harder and compete is ridiculous! It's an acknowledgement of failure of the NBA product. Hard working people just wanna come home and relax to a hard fought battle between two teams with maximum effort. This segues into Load Management, flopping, etc. To top it all off they award a trophy presentation at the end? The majority of teams don't even qualify for the tournament early in the process. This way they can continue to go through the motions chucking up 3 pointers during the regular season. The cup is just a blip on the map vs the significant problems of the NBA
For me the nba cup is irrelevant, the ring is the only important championship
personally i'd stop giving out random short term guaranteed contracts willy nilly to any "star" that shows "potential". get some results and then earn your payday (aiming this at zion, but not limited to just him tho)
Ben Simmons is on that list too.
I did something I never thought I would unless I lost my job. I cancelled my league pass. I simply don’t enjoy the product anymore. Here’s why:
1. Players don’t have pride in themselves or their teams.
2. Lack of competition.
3. 3 pt contests instead of games.
4. No defense and no hustle
5. Too many techs for BS reasons.
6. Obvious referee bias in certain games.
In short, it’s not just one thing, there are many issues and the league doesn’t have any answers.
NBA is in the same situation as Baseball was before the rule changes. The game was previously unwatchable because the games were super long, teams would go through 9 pitchers in a game [constantly switching them in and out so the other team couldn't adjust to the other teams pitchers], and there used to be a defensive play called The Shift which was a great defensive play but made the game unwatchable as home runs almost didn't happen at all when the shift was in play. MLB realized this made for a terrible TV product so they banned The Shift, made the bases slightly bigger to encourage more stolen bases, introduced a rule where pitchers must go through atleast 3 batters before being switched out so you don't see ridiculous games where teams go through 9 pitchers, and added a pitch clock which not only sped the game up but shaved off a half hour of game time.
As a life-long Lakers fan. We won the first tournament. I didn’t care at all about it then, don’t care about it now.
I don't care about it, and I'm a Milwaukee fan.
You forgot one group of fans - the coping “ratings are down because of streaming” crowd 🙄
Play stupid games.
Win stupid prizes.
Generally everyone says the same. No defence, flopping, to much 3, bad judging. There is no mistery that needs to be solved 😂
I struggle watching for 2 reasons. The many price increases for LP each year and the drastic dip in production values. Getting rid of great broadcasters that I grew up watching just put me off
only reason NBA/ESPN media started acknowledging this is because now they can play the "Lebron/Steph/Durant are getting old" card.
yeah, the 3 guys who colluded to form superteams and turned the game into a 3-point contest getting old is the reason ratings are down 🙄
the only time LeMedia will acknowledge anything is if they can somehow turn it into an excuse to glaze 'the king'.
The NBA cup is a joke. Last year one of the two teams in the finals couldn't even make the playoffs. This year the "champions" look like a fringe playoff team that has almost no hope of making it out of the weak conference. There are so few games played in the cup that it basically just comes down to dumb luck of who is hot that night. Nobody is ever going to take this seriously as a display of which team is better.
I'm a Milwaukee fan, and I agree with you.
The NBA ratings will stop dropping when 7 footers stop shooting 3 pointers and get into the lane and impose their will on the other team; players need to start flying into the 3rd row of courtside seats going after the ball to show they really want it; all of the players want to get along off the court which affects rivalries and intensity on the court, and that started with the banana boat ride
When a cup game has such good defense that both teams score under 100 points and the second (IMO) best team in the league scores 81 points, I'm in, and i think anyone who appreciates defense and players playing with intensity should like the cup too. Please don't overlook all the good the cup brings just because it's not what youre used to.
I'm not a Timberwolves fan per se, but I watch some of their game due to Rudy Gobert, as I'm french and I like the guy. And though I understood why the FO of Minnesota made the trade, I knew from the beginning that it will be very hard for the Wolves to make it work as the default of Randle are exactly the worst for Minnesota.
But what made me even more regret this trade is the fact that KAT and the fans of Minnesota built a great relationship, he genuinely loved to be there, and his history with the franchise and the city made me wanting him to spend all his career with the Wolves.
As for the issues with the league itself, they are multiple, from the 3 point fest to the horrible officiating, the flopping, and many other things. I myself watch, for the first time in my life (and I'm watching NBA since the late 80's), more Euroleague games than NBA games. The Nuggets is the only team that I still watch on a regular basis, when there was usually 4-5 teams by seasons.
Rudy Gobert is ass fr. I'm sorry. Kat is no different and Edwards is overrated fr.
I think your next video should be about Cade Cunningham being a potential All Star candidate. He’s been performing at a high level these past few games
As I was watching the Cup Finals I couldn't help thinking how frustrating it is to watch a team go just ice cold and still keep trying and missing 3pter after 3pter (even if I can see the point from the coach's standpoint).
I suggested on another video from another channel an idea on how to try to fix the 3pter issue, but I'd like to hear Jonny's take on it, even if it has to wait for the 250k subscribers video: What if, whenever your team scores a 3pter, your next converted field goal will count as 2 even if it is from 3pt range. Once you've scored under this limitations you'll be able to score normally from 3 again, repeating the process.
All of a sudden tons of people speaking up who previously haven't said anything (despite this going on for years) has my spider sense tingling. Maybe some big changes are in the works and this sudden media blitz is laying the groundwork. I wouldn't hold my breath though.
You're giving them to much credit.
I blame a large chunk of it on LeBron and his actions. I admit there are many other problems, but LeBron clearly influenced many of them. He caused permanent damage to the NBA that is irreparable. He made sure the NBA will never be fixed
How did he cause damage to it exactly?
@@Numba_854 letravel,leflop,diddy party,he is the face of nba right now right?
I think there are 2 reasons for this:-
1. People are more interested in how legacies are affected after the game( and playoff series) and stats not what happens in the game, basically how the
game goes
2. TH-camrs/media provide everything today from what happened in trade markets,
Every interesting details about some interesting games,so maybe viewers just watch a 10 min vid than a full game
Also only people who watch full games are youtubers and viewers before 2020 or like 2018
I love watching guys jog up and down the court, not hustle on defense, run the same 5 out dribble drag, ball screen, chuck 3s, whine about calls, not sprint back on defense, not play hard in the all-star game, hang up a banner for winning regular season games, and take nights off while making more money than ever before.
NBA cup is one of the dumbest ideas ever, it brings hype for couple of weeks, and is easily forgetable once it ends. NBA playoffs will always be remembered, but no one will care who won NBA cup
I have unsubscribed from all official NBA channels after ASG last year. I kept a few OGs like yours. For me, a greater focus on defense and officiating could do a lot of the fixing. I just don't get this "more skilled than ever" narrative, like: yes, maybe shooting and athletic is better, but why can't we play according to the (or at least some) rules? Also, the commercial breaks (used to be called timeouts), especially towards the end, made whole games unwatchable for me. The whole effort thing is another story, but playing some D would be a start for me.
oh...and the NBA app is complete dog💩
I'd say (with no intention of being prejudiced in any way), there is no transcendent young American talent people are running over to see play. Jokic, Wemby, Giannis, Shai, Luka, etc are all dominating the league but are all from different countries. Zion was supposed to be the next LeBron/MJ type figure but it just hasn't panned out, and LeBron/KD/Steph all just aren't the sure thing they used to be. America is naturally the most profitable market for all American sports, and if Americans aren't watching, the league suffers. All the international stars deserve 100% of the love and attention they get for how they're dominating the league but American viewers simply struggle to relate to them. This shouldn't be so much of a problem imo seeing as the US is such a diverse nation, but NBA media hubs have all collectively decided to disrespect these players every chance they get
I agree with what u said. If Ant could back up his talents with Tatum's, then there'd be a hyped American player.
@ Ant and Tatum are fantastic players but they simply aren’t on that “generational talent” level. Especially not with what Luka, Jokic, Wemby and Giannis are doing every night right next to them. I mentioned Zion specifically because his hype train was plain ridiculous. People were saying he’d take over the NBA since he was in middle school. One game in college he busted a Nike shoe mid game, and columnists were writing about how NIKE of all companies might be staring in the face of irrelevance if they fumbled getting Zion
I have a few things I can think of
- The league in transitioning and actively experimenting
- The hassle of watching games. I shouldnt need a subscription to 3 different sources to watch a game
- Lack of player expression and by extension, lack of ref accountability
- A byproduct of how we as people consume media
The most successful era was the 80's and 90's , just bring back the same rules, maybe put the 3 points line 3 feet further out
Gone woke, go broke!
Bring back hand checking, move back the 3 point line, make 70 games the minimum to be eligible for awards, actually enforce it with fining players for flopping and if they reach a certain number of flops, suspend them for a game, give out fines for load managing where the fines go to the people who spent their hard earned money to see a certain player play only for him to be in street clothes, anything else? It's sad we even have to think about all this because none of this used to be necessary before. The past generations had way more pride.
For the life of me im still trying to understand how people wlll blame someone like lebron after he's carried the league for years. You tuned in to watch him win, or to watch him lose. Either you hated him or you loved him, but you WATCHED. Most people dont even have lebron in the top 10-12 players in the league, so shouldn't there be at least 10-12 players that you blame before you blame lebron ?? The same goes for KD, and Steph. there is noway a logical person can put blame on any of the old heads.
I love it how Durant, Booker and others come out and criticize change in All Star format. Dude, YOU made this happen. No one else. YOU, the stars of the league caused this. It wasn't Adam Silver creating a circus in last few All Star games, it was YOU, stars doing it. The rest of the season is down to Silver and kindergarten level of rules, but All Star game is players and no one else
I think the biggest reason why the ratings are down is because of the amount of football that is on TV these days. The NFL added a game to the season and now also has Thursday night games. Also, college football playoffs are now a thing. People only have so much time to dedicate to watching sports each week and most of your general public would rather watch any NFL game than an NBA game.
1. Rules are not allowing physical play, so you can't really play good defense, I would bring back handchecking for starters, and we'll probably see some better defense
2. Rules are too inconsistent. Guys are traveling constantly, and refs do not call it. I dont like gather step rule personally because somehow players get away with obvious traveling.
3. Flopping. This is especially the case with Embiid and LeBron
4. Guys take 10 3's per game. Sure if you're hot go for it, but if you shoot 0/6 for the night, dont chuck even more 3's, and especially annoys me when I see Wemby who's 7'5" shoot 10's per game. Brother go to the paint, you're taller than everyone, go on a drive, do something, dont just chuck 3's. It's good to be versatile and able to shoot, but settling for too many 3's is bad.
5. Lack of interest for the ASG.
Those are the things that I really dislike in NBA. I think there needs to be a balance between offense and defense, not seeing the score in 140's every other night.
dude , they cant play defense when everyone can pull up from 30
I seem to recall a similar time for the NBA where it was not looking good for the league - ratings, attendance, the quality of the product itself, all on a downward spiral. I wonder what happened that caused the NBA to become popular again... Could it be that players began taking competition and their commitment to winning seriously? I wonder what two players we could learn from right about now.
Have a great morning!!😊😊😊
The NBA has done everything pretty much taking the competition out of the league, softening the rules, supporting LBJ, drive STATS, over paying players.
watching the nba is EXPENSIVE af i can’t follow any team nor watch my favorite team because i would need 80$ worth of subscriptions per month no cap
Let's go back to 90 rules.. when every team had its identity, rough basketball and real rivalry.. non cupcakes
The 2000s was better
I have a friend who’s a Magic fan. He said he would rather have watched more games during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons than this season and last season.
The 3 pointer
Is the least of their problems.
yall always say this, it has nothing to do with the amount of 3s trust me lmao
@justinhuynh9982
Complaints about shooting too many 3's on the dumbest thing. That's like telling someone that can shoot to stop shooting.
@@younglove3362 i agree bro
Hoisting 3s all game gets old….. fast. Why the hell are role players shooting more 3s than Jesus Shuttlesworth ever did? The game is trash now.
It’s the style of play, officiating, and modern rules. When it’s too easy to score 120 points and average over 30, it’s not challenging or fun. Defenders need to be physical and have a chance. When players chuck threes like they’re Steph Curry, it’s boring. And when referees call a foul when somebody farts, it kills the tempo and is frustrating.
I will never understand why Kat was traded right after they made it to the wcf 🤦♂️
25 ft 3 pt arc extended at the foul line. 2 free throws for fouls beyond the arc. 5 fouls for starters, 4 fouls for non-starters
Bucks fan here. The Cup is not the NBA title exactly, but it is must see TV. And it was definitely fun to see my Bucks win it all, especially over a true contender.
Implement a 5 second violation instead of 3 seconds and a 3 second offensive violation outside the 3 point line
The NBA definitely needs to nerf the 3 point shot by either extending it and/or removing the corner 3. I see some saying the courts need to expand to accommodate for how good shooters are now, but that means less seats for the big money makers. The defense is an issue, but some teams are excelling in it than others. Bring back hand checking and possibly allow the defenders to be more aggressive to players who are above the 3 point line. Maybe extend the 3 sec rule to 5.
I gotta say, I love these recaps, but the updated stats in the screen is really distracting - means I miss some things you say when I'm reading. But otherwise great job 👍👍
Hmmm... I hear what you're saying, but I'd feel bad to give you guys outdated info because we had to edit all this the night before. Any suggestions?? Maybe updated stats/notes in the pinned comment??
@@jonnyarnett Thanks for responding - I just watched your newest weekly recap and there wasn't anything distracting in that one so came back to check whether you'd replied! First time for me, thanks!
I'm tuning in from the UK so I don't know what times you record, edit and publish your vids over there, and I don't have great suggestions, but I guess either somehow (re)recording your audio after the games have been played and publishing before the next day's games. Or, being less specific with the facts, like instead of saying "the Knicks are now 22 and 10" saying things like "the Knicks are competing for the second seed in the East" or something, not sure! Updated stats in the pinned comment could work too.
Sorry to nit-pick, great fan of your channel mate! :)
The problem is most prime time games players don’t play they are either resting or overplaying an injury how I would fix this is get rid of Guaranteed contracts pay players based on games played once they Miss so many for example if Lebron Plays 40 games he would only get 57% of contract if the number is 70 games ( this would never happen but would love to see it)
this is the first time in years that i’m not even watching any games
I don't care about the NBA. I haven't been watching the NBA since 2014. The NBA forgot about their fans. The fans are starting to forget about the NBA..... Let the NBA fail!!!
Haven't watched an NBA final since 2019. I think it's a combination of things. The biggest for me was player load management (guys getting MVP's, despite playing 60-70 games, imo an MVP should be playing almost all the time). Remember the Raptors load managing Kawhli, and it paid off with a championship. Rise of super teams and flopping/light foul calls have got out of control (every sport is getting like that to an extent though). NFL and NHL I can understand with head injuries and concussions.
3pt I don't mind. Secret Base I think did a video on the history a while back, and it actually took a long time after the 3pt line was added before volume shooting caught on.
Imo the biggest reason for the issues is the emphasis on players having to win championships for their legacies. So you see super teams and teams load managing star players so they don't have an injury happen in game 6 or 7 of the NBA finals. Imo, at least.
Im afraid soon they'll add the Gimmick of Dunks being4 points. This will completely eliminate the midrange
Just bring back hand checking and everything will be fine.
Mat Ishbia is now my favourite owner. What a legend.
The 3 point revolution ruined the league, if Cleveland didn't get injured in 2015, the warriors era might have never risen up, and we might not have the same NBA we do right now, if you don't think the warriors ruined it, by the time KD joined, that was the end right there
Lmao 🤣 🙄 🤣
I dont blame the Warriors. The league was already doing stupid shit like taking away defense and giving more freedom to the offense before the Warriors exploded.
The issue isn't the Warriors, it's the other teams TRYING to copy the Warriors and their style. Instead of trying to win the chip their own way, so many teams believed that more 3s equals championships.
I blame analytics more than the Warriors. Analytics have been an albatross on the league and forces everybody to play the same way.
@@crater044 nah, you can definitely blame the Warriors in a lot of ways.
@crater044
Because more 3's does equal more championships. This isn't the big man era and players can still get to the basket like they did in previous times. But if they could just shoot it, then why wouldn't they? Stop about players shooting 3's. First, it's not easy and 2nd, it's a dumb thing to argue about.
Sorry for this crazy suggestion - turn the 3 point line into 1 point line??? This would bring back the mid range and post game.
I think a factor in NBA viewership that nobody is talking about is that kids growing up right now have way more things to draw their attention than past generations. Why would a kid go spend time watching a game where you don't know who is going to play that night when they can play a video game, or scroll the internet.
I think if you factor these new options with a league of players that aren't inspiring, captivating or intriguing, you have a recipe for decline.
There was a mystique to Bird, Magic, Jordan, Kobe, AI, and the greats before them, now we know all their business, we hear them downplay past eras and then have to watch them load manage, cry, flop, and jack threes instead of trying to take a bigman on at the cup.
Who wants to watch that when we can just play a video game or go outside and play pickleball!? Sounds silly but if you have better things to do than sit in front of a tv watching a bunch of nobodies having a freethrow contest for 3 hours, you're not going to watch. The fact that players like Ant-Man can sit their and trash the players that made the league what it is when he could probably walk down the street in LA amd nobody would know who he was is a real turn off to many.
The NBA cup is stupid. When players start acting and playing like men again instead of 13 year old girls I’ll start watching.
Lou Will said it best:
The creativity of the game is gone with how much analytics play a part in the game today. Everyone is playing the exact same. You have a special talent like ant man chucking up 3s instead of getting to the rim and or just being creative.
I guess thats why i tend to gravitate towards Giannis and Joker's play styles. They aren't sitting here jacking up 10+ 3s a game. They are in the paint looking for the BEST shot for themselves or their teammates. If the 3 is open AND you can shoot, shoot the rock. But if you're open and you can't shoot... DON'T
We’ve been saying it for years but they call us oldheads. In a league where an average player can shoot 35%+ from three, there is no reason to shoot anything but shots at the rim or threes. Anyone that understands statistics can understand this.
1989 NBA - Poetry play and toughness 2024 NBA - Three pointers and wokeness.
One of the problems is the young up and coming stars are not developed enough to be true stars, the media is pushing and hyping them up to be stars, but the viewers can see these young players aren't it. Too many young players
The main thing that could hurt the future if the nba is a lack of American stars that where stars all their life really it’s just ant and Tatum but all the best players are foreign so no one knows about them untill the nba
The NBA needs just one coach to step up and say his team isn't going to play 2024 basketball anymore. Just one. No more insisting the three-point shot be the sole offensive strategy. No more 7-footers camped out at the three-point line. NO MORE FLOPPING! No more load management. Just one coach needs to look in the camera and say we're going to win with strong defense, we're going to fight the league every time some touch foul becomes a flagrant foul, we're going to pay for every player's fine for badmouthing the refs, and we're going to storm the court every time the other team cheap shots our players. That's all the league needs. One coach, completely backed by ownership, who will reject the softness of the modern game, who will cut players who feel playing 55 games in an 82 game season is fine, who benches players who use social media to vent instead of talking to him behind closed doors, and who is willing to make even star players ride the pine for their apathy, no matter how many millions they make. You get that one coach to go that far Old School, and that coach starts winning, and you'll watch the rest of the NBA play copycat, because that's what they do, that's why we're in this mess, because they all started copying the Warriors after watching Steph Curry and Klay Thompson light it up from downtown. You get a coach able to win with a post-up game and a no-shit-taking defense, and you'll see people want to watch again.
It seems unlikely that they fix carrys or travelling but ATLEAST allow hand checking and more contact off the ball
The unreal offence of this era would look even better against good defence...
I only care about a few players in NBA but in the NFL I care bout my team regardless of who’s there and the rivalries are better as well. every game matters but it doesn’t feel that way till after the all star break. NBA has to do a better job of marketing teams again while making the games interesting all year.
I don't care for the cup at all tho that seems to be an unpopular opinion. As far as what I'd do to improve the league
- change the three point line, Broussards idea is good, start from the bench.
- bring back hand checking
- eliminate 3 in the key on defense
- unify streaming service
- implement a 1v1 tournament in all star weekend
- eliminate the all star game untill a healthy solution is met
I dont mind the nba cup because i think it can springboard the bucks into something bigger (possible finals appearance). It also gives them something go "play for" which in basketball is rare pre all star break. I actually caught some cup games because why not lol. It doesn't compare to an nba championship of course but at least it's something.
Im a huge soccer/futbol fan and i love all the competitions they have throughout the season (they've gone overboard the past couple of seasons which has led to meaningless comps, but still). But soccer/futbol has had that in its DNA since the beginning
So its hard go introduce something like the nba cup 75 years into the NBAs existence
Honestly just officiating the games closer to what we see in FIBA or the Olympics would make the game a lot more watchable. I don't even mean rule changes, just let the game be more physical and be more strict on things like travelling and moving screens. There's tons of other changes I'd like to see but I'll take bread crumbs at this point.