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Parity in the NBA a Problem?

AGGAMEMNON66 said:
Still technically a Super Team tho.
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Yeah but i don't think KG and Allen are bitches for being dealt. Allen proved to be a bitch later on by bolting to Miami but Boston gave up a lot(which time proved to be not much because Minny botched most of what they got and Ray Allen was acquired from Seattle for Jeff Green) to put the group together. KG and Allen might've gone to different teams if they were free agents and Pierce would have likely stayed put.

Players can be bitches in free agency(Durcant, LeBald) but the biggest bitch move is a player trying to "dictate" where he goes when he is still under contract and not allowing his team to get the most for him. Dwight Howard being an example.

KG didnt handcuff Minny. He gave them over 10 years and their best years were behind then and while he asked to be traded he wasn't actively sabotaging their ability to get the best deal. Ray Allen had some time left on his deal and was traded freely by the Sonics.

Not bitches..maybe a super team but a fairly built one with true competitors. Not a guy like Durcant who was on a team that COULD win the title but didn't because its stars(Durcant and Westbrick, but let's blame the other guys for a 3-1 series lead meltdown) didn't rise to the ocassion . Most competitors would be inspired to push that team to the next level. Durcant says "well, a team that is one win away from the finals isn't REALLY a contender. What if I go to an established contender and there's no doubt?..and I still get alll the credit even though they were likely to win without me"
 
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This discussion is only 1 year old though. It's about the next, let's say, 5 years because of Durant's move. There have always been just a couple of teams who are seen as legit possibilities for champs, but now that's shifted to "who doesn't get swept/makes it competitive in the playoffs as a whole for upcoming years".

It's a mistake many analysts make citing past playoffs. At least it was competitive. Of course rosters can change but to match GS's 4 all-stars some GM's would have to make turrible trades/lose their star free agents.
 
Well, you almost had two complete conference sweeps in the playoffs. Pretty much says it all.

The NBA is a joke.
 
Expansion is a big part of the problem and it shows up the most in the NBA
 
silus_2000 said:
Lebron helped create a team from scratch. Durant joined the only 73-win team in NBA history.
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I mean, I don't think it really matters. LeBron joined with the 2nd best player in the NBA and another top 15 player

But that's beside the point. The entire NBA community was livid and making all kinds of proclamations. Saying shit like Juice would never again win MVP and all his rings in Miami would be invalid lol
 
faustian said:
I mean, I don't think it really matters. LeBron joined with the 2nd best player in the NBA and another top 15 player

But that's beside the point. The entire NBA community was livid and making all kinds of proclamations. Saying shit like Juice would never again win MVP and all his rings in Miami would be invalid lol
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Joining a team that already proved it doesn't need you to win is different from being the core component of a brand new team. Just facts.
 
silus_2000 said:
Joining a team that already proved it doesn't need you to win is different from being the core component of a brand new team. Just facts.
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You are missing the entire point
 
silus_2000 said:
His name won't be remembered for that. This is known.
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faustian said:
People said the same thing about LeBeta when he went to Miami
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See Silus, you missed the point completely. You said Durant's name won't be remembered for winning a title but for basically being a bitch. Faustian is correct that people said the exact same thing when Lebron went to the Heat. Guess what, no one cares anymore and no one holds that against Lebron. Lebron couldn't win in Cleveland and quit on his hometown team and ran to Miami. Slightly different scenarios but in both cases, at the time of the move, most media members and NBA greats admonished the moves by Lebron and KD but as time has shown with Lebron, in a few years, no one will care because KD did what he had to do to win NUMEROUS TITLES.

Look what the media was saying about Lebron in 2010, oh how quickly people forget:

""Just as he did in Game 5 against Boston, LeBron James quit on the Cleveland Cavaliers. This time, he quit on them for good... But in making 'The Decision,' James basically threw up his hands and said, 'I give up. I can't lead a team to the title by myself.' And this guy thinks he can be another Michael Jordan? He's not even in the same league as Kobe Bryant."

Here's another reporter on how Lebron's legacy is forever tarnished

"As a legacy guy, he needs to know: His decision to spurn the Cavaliers for more talent and hope in Miami forbids LeBron from ever being one of those all-time greats who persevered through coaching changes, roster changes and wrenching playoff losses to lift a trophy to the rafters for the team who drafted him."

Another one

"He has not won a championship. He’s not the best player in the NBA, and it’s not even close. James has won consecutive MVP trophies. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant has won consecutive NBA titles with the Lakers. LeBron is the supreme athlete. Kobe is the supreme winner. Kobe rules the playoffs, when the true emperors of sports emerge. LeBron rules the regular season, when exhausted, disinterested defenders shrug as the Counterfeit King rises for a dunk."

faustian said:
I mean, I don't think it really matters. LeBron joined with the 2nd best player in the NBA and another top 15 player

But that's beside the point. The entire NBA community was livid and making all kinds of proclamations. Saying shit like Juice would never again win MVP and all his rings in Miami would be invalid lol
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Faustin is right because here we stood, less than 7 years later and the very same people were comparing him to Jordan saying all he had to do was win one more and he's in the same conversation as Jordan. Sorry, people talk sour grapes now about KD, like they did Lebron but in a few years, no one will care.
 
GSPSAKU said:
See Silus, you missed the point completely. You said Durant's name won't be remembered for winning a title but for basically being a bitch. Faustian is correct that people said the exact same thing when Lebron went to the Heat. Guess what, no one cares anymore and no one holds that against Lebron. Lebron couldn't win in Cleveland and quit on his hometown team and ran to Miami. Slightly different scenarios but in both cases, at the time of the move, most media members and NBA greats admonished the moves by Lebron and KD but as time has shown with Lebron, in a few years, no one will care because KD did what he had to do to win NUMEROUS TITLES.

Look what the media was saying about Lebron in 2010, oh how quickly people forget:

""Just as he did in Game 5 against Boston, LeBron James quit on the Cleveland Cavaliers. This time, he quit on them for good... But in making 'The Decision,' James basically threw up his hands and said, 'I give up. I can't lead a team to the title by myself.' And this guy thinks he can be another Michael Jordan? He's not even in the same league as Kobe Bryant."

Here's another reporter on how Lebron's legacy is forever tarnished

"As a legacy guy, he needs to know: His decision to spurn the Cavaliers for more talent and hope in Miami forbids LeBron from ever being one of those all-time greats who persevered through coaching changes, roster changes and wrenching playoff losses to lift a trophy to the rafters for the team who drafted him."

Another one

"He has not won a championship. He’s not the best player in the NBA, and it’s not even close. James has won consecutive MVP trophies. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant has won consecutive NBA titles with the Lakers. LeBron is the supreme athlete. Kobe is the supreme winner. Kobe rules the playoffs, when the true emperors of sports emerge. LeBron rules the regular season, when exhausted, disinterested defenders shrug as the Counterfeit King rises for a dunk."


Faustin is right because here we stood, less than 7 years later and the very same people were comparing him to Jordan saying all he had to do was win one more and he's in the same conversation as Jordan. Sorry, people talk sour grapes now about KD, like they did Lebron but in a few years, no one will care.
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LeBron redeemed himself by his actions. The bitterness of Cleveland fans did not go away because of "time". Everyone in Cleveland will tell you the same. Actually, everyone in the country will tell you that. He helped bring the first championship of any sport in half a century. But you magically forgot to even mention it.

Also, you're still equating two completely different scenarios. It's easy to do that when you want to conveniently ignore the distinctions.
 
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I'm not saying that the next 5 NBA Finals series will all be Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, if all of those series consist of the same two clubs, I will definitely return to this thread.

Fuck, there have already been three different NBA Finals series that all consist of the same two clubs (Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers).

And everyone says that the Bundesliga is not competitive.
 
Post-Jordan fact: Since 1999, the NBA Finals either had Shaq, Duncan, Kobe or Lebron.
 
GSPSAKU said:
This has been a hot topic amongst basketball circles and not just between fans but also analysts and even NBA players. Many have stated, especially since Durant left the Thunder to play with the Warriors, that this will ruin the NBA; having the same team in the finals and and winning it is bad for the NBA.

On paper, this definitely sounds like a bad idea but once you look at the NBA's history, this is definitely not the case.

- From 1980-1989, between those 10 years, there were only 4 teams that won an NBA title during that decade. The Lakers won the championship 5 times, the Celtics won it 3 times and the 76ers and Pistons won it each once.

From '80-'89, JUST 5 DIFFERENT teams played in the NBA finals with the Rockets being the only team to make it to the Finals and never win it.

- From 1990-1999, there were also only 4 teams that won an NBA title during that decade. The Bulls won 6 (arguably should've won 8), the Rockets won 2 times, Pistons once, and Spurs once.

From '90-'99, ONLY 9 DIFFERENT TEAMS played in the NBA Finals.

- From 2000-2009, there were 5 teams that won an NBA title during that decade, which is one more than the 80s and 90s respectively. The Lakers won it 4 times, the Spurs 3 times, and the Heat, Celtics and Pistons each won it once.

From '00-'09, there were 11 DIFFERENT TEAMS that played in the NBA Finals.

- From 2010-2017, there are already 6 teams that have won a title in 8 years alone. Only the Warriors and Heat have won the title twice while the Cavs, Spurs, Mavs, and Lakers each won it once.

From '10-'17, there were 8 DIFFERENT TEAMS that have played in the NBA Finals.

So in all actuality, there is actually more parity in the 2000s and 2010s than the 80s and the 90s. Parity has not been decreasing but actually increasing.

The NBA has always been about Superteams and dynasties. The Lakers won 4 titles in the 80s and the Celtics won it 3 times. The Bulls won it 6 times in the 90s and the next closest is the Rockets that won it 2 times. The Lakers won it 4 times in the 2000s and the Spurs won it 3. In the 2010s thus far, the Heat and Warriors have won it twice and there are only two Finals left in this decade. EVEN IF the Warriors win it in '18 and '19, they will only have won it 4 times in the decade which will be the same as the Lakers in the 80s and the Lakers in the 2000s.

Realistically, over the past 3 decades, 1 NBA TEAM HAS WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP A MINUMUM OF 4 TIMES in the 80s, 90s and 00s. This false narrative of the NBA no longer having parity due to Durant's move is completely BS. The NBA has always been dominated by 3-4 teams each decade with one team winning 4 titles each decade.
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Thank You, very impressive. Always refreshing to see an argument backed up with actual data.
 
Just want to say I'm still butthurt they blocked the lakers from getting cp3 and used parity as one of their excuses
 
I agree with what your saying, but tbh. What Kevin Durant did was reeeeealllly weak.
 
The real underlying problem with parity has existed for over a decade, and it isn't about the suck at the top so much as it is the debilitating imbalance between the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.

Dynasties, and their rivalries, aren't new. This imbalance between Conferences is. Never before has there endured such a discrepancy for such an extended period.
 
Pwent said:
Just want to say I'm still butthurt they blocked the lakers from getting cp3 and used parity as one of their excuses
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I laughed at the time, because I thought it was an absurd trade, and of course I fucking HATE the Lakers, but in retrospect, yeah, that's complete bullshit.

Although it's not quite as bullshit as Lebron saying, "I don't believe in Super Teams" just because the Warriors rawdogged him with Durant. Every time we get drunk my friends and I make sure to talk shit about Lebron for that. This tradition will probably continue for at least 2-3 years before we forget.
 
Madmick said:
The real underlying problem with parity has existed for over a decade, and it isn't about the suck at the top so much as it is the debilitating imbalance between the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.

Dynasties, and their rivalries, aren't new. This imbalance between Conferences is. Never before has there endured such a discrepancy for such an extended period.
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That's because theres a bunch of shitty cities in the least. Who wants to play in shitty cities like Milwaukee, Orcando or Toronto
 
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