Why do people care about basketball?

[MartinGibson86]

Best athletes in the world, bar none. Incredibly deep talent pool and monumental incentive toward reaching pro status.

Literally every human being who is capable of playing in the NBA, IS playing in the NBA. The same can't be said for other sports/professions.

Just imagine if 6'8, 260lb, 7.5 ft wingspan, 40+ inch vertical, barely +4.00 40 time Lebron took up fighting at 15 or so.

Tim Sylvia became the UFC champ after not being able to jump rope when he walked in to MFS.

Travis Browne, who was lauded for his movement skills, took up fighting at 26, after his low level college basketball career ended and probably would've gotten a title shot had he won the first Werdum fight. Then he got with Ronda and, ya know...

 

[Garnett Silk]

It's a sport where the common man can't play. Not even the above average common man. 6'3" is small in this sport. The average man is like 6'8"! It seems that it doesn't even take skill. It just takes inches. Why care about a sport that only depends on being freakishly tall?

What a shit thread....

 

[superpunch]

Best athletes in the world, bar none. Incredibly deep talent pool and monumental incentive toward reaching pro status.

Literally every human being who is capable of playing in the NBA, IS playing in the NBA. The same can't be said for other sports/professions.

Just imagine if 6'8, 260lb, 7.5 ft wingspan, 40+ inch vertical, barely +4.00 40 time Lebron took up fighting at 15 or so.

Tim Sylvia became the UFC champ after not being able to jump rope when he walked in to MFS.

Travis Browne, who was lauded for his movement skills, took up fighting at 26, after his low level college basketball career ended and probably would've gotten a title shot had he won the first Werdum fight. Then he got with Ronda and, ya know...

You are so wrong. Fedor wasn't the tallest guy on the block or even in his house. But he was the baddest man on the planet; same with Michael Tyson.

 

[MartinGibson86]

You are so wrong. Fedor wasn't the tallest guy on the block or even in his house. But he was the baddest man on the planet; same with Michael Tyson.

How did this turn into a Fedor thread lol? And who's Michael Tyson.

What the fuck point were you trying to make?

Lebron with similar training in his life murders Fedor.

 

[ModernMatt]

It's precisely because it's a game the common man cannot play that makes it so enjoyable. Nobody wants to watch construction worker level athletes. Thats what MMA is for.

"Construction Worker Level Athletes", hahaha, going to start using that

 

[quantiqus]

It's precisely because it's a game the common man cannot play that makes it so enjoyable. Nobody wants to watch construction worker level athletes. Thats what MMA is for.

That's why you have 10 000 posts on a MMA forum?

 

[IndyCovaHart]

I basically watch nothing but MMA these days but Jordan era early 90s NBA was a sight to behold.

That 1992 All-Star game with Magic’s return was the stuff of legend.

 

[Plutoburn]

The amount of contact in regular season nba games is what all-star games back in the 90s had.

I haven't seen an all-star game for a long time, when I watch it last year, it felt like a globetrotter vs globetrotter game, straight up circus performance with no D.

This lack of intensity makes the modern game felt watered down. But I am aware that I am looking at the game through the lenses of someone whose fondest basketball memories were of the 90s bulls.

 

[IndyCovaHart]

It’s seems every motherfucking sport has become more pussified with time.

Hockey, b-ball, football you name it.

 

[ModernMatt]

What is difficult in a 7ft guy dunking a ball, there'd be something wrong if he couldn't!
I hate the sport, it's gay. Too many points have to be scored before the end.
One reason european football is good is just one goal is difficult to score. If games ended in huge numbers of goals being scored by both teams it would be boring and no one would watch it.
Basketball is the American version of Netball.

by your logic, Ice Hockey is the best sport to watch then. no insane scores, difficult to score, only one insane tall guy in Chara. Little to no one faking injuries, and if they do get hurt they get stitched up and go right back out there and play.
With all that being said, I'm still going to watch the World Cup next summer, and the NBA Playoffs, and the NFL Playoffs and of course the Toronto Maple Leafs throughout this season. I may not follow the other leagues closely, but I watch sports highlights every morning and know the basics of whats happening in the other leagues.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Why do black people care about basketball?

Because all the best players, and the overwhelming majority of the teams, are black.

Why don't white people care about basketball?

Same answer.

 

[ModernMatt]

The amount of contact in regular season nba games is what all-star games back in the 90s had.

I haven't seen an all-star game for a long time, when I watch it last year, it felt like a globetrotter vs globetrotter game, straight up circus performance with no D.

This lack of intensity makes the modern game felt watered down. But I am aware that I am looking at the game through the lenses of someone whose fondest basketball memories were of the 90s bulls.

I do agree that the All-Star games should be competitive throughout the game and not just the last 5 mins of the 4th quarter. Only thing I watch during the All-Star weekend is the 3 point contest and the dunk contest...although I'm most likely skipping the dunk contest this year.

The All-Star game could be like Team USA vs Team USA at the Olympics, but like you said, its just globetrotters vs globetrotters now.

 

[rj144]

Couldn't agree more. The frivolous point scoring is part of what puts me off about basketball these days. There's largely no point to watch until the fourth quarter, and even then only if the score is fairly close.



It's exciting because points are scarce. That's what's great about soccer (and hockey, American football, and play-off baseball), plus those scores you used to describe hockey is pretty much the same in soccer. Those 0-0, 1-0 games or draws aren't as common as a game with 3-4 goals. Another facet that I feel like people overlook is the build-up leading to chances and the close calls. It totally adds to the tension.



I think his point was that in those other sports, skill is paramount, whereas in basketball a lot of times it's secondary largely due to the setup of the game. In soccer, for instance, you can be a top-tier player whether you're 5' 6" like Messi, or 6' 5" 200+lbs like Ibrahimovic. In the end, if you have the requisite skills, your size won't hold you back. If someone had LeBron James' skills but is only 5' 7", good luck to him going pro. Plus there have been quite a few "Tall-and-that's-all" players in basketball.

You seem to not even know basketball. Do you know about Isiah Thomas?

 

[orangecuse]

Do you ever go outside or to a gym? Did you have friends as a kid and ever go to a park? The common does and can play. Obviously nowhere near the NBA or even college level but that's apart of it's appeal. But plenty of common people play it all the time ever since they were kids. Takes a bunch of skill no matter how tall or much of an athlete you are. Obviously when you are playing against a bunch of freakish athletes it takes even more skill.

 

[bubbleboyjones]

I think his point was that in those other sports, skill is paramount, whereas in basketball a lot of times it's secondary largely due to the setup of the game. In soccer, for instance, you can be a top-tier player whether you're 5' 6" like Messi, or 6' 5" 200+lbs like Ibrahimovic. In the end, if you have the requisite skills, your size won't hold you back. If someone had LeBron James' skills but is only 5' 7", good luck to him going pro. Plus there have been quite a few "Tall-and-that's-all" players in basketball.

Basketball is sort of equivalent to MMA or Boxing without weight classes. Just like in Basketball, Boxing/MMA has skill as secondary largely due to the setup of the sport. Thats why there's weight classes and why Mighty Mouse would have mighty issues competing in an open weight format.

 

[rj144]

The amount of contact in regular season nba games is what all-star games back in the 90s had.

I haven't seen an all-star game for a long time, when I watch it last year, it felt like a globetrotter vs globetrotter game, straight up circus performance with no D.

This lack of intensity makes the modern game felt watered down. But I am aware that I am looking at the game through the lenses of someone whose fondest basketball memories were of the 90s bulls.

The All Star games have always been that way... well since the 80s at least.

 

[bad seed]

I basically watch nothing but MMA these days but Jordan era early 90s NBA was a sight to behold.

That 1992 All-Star game with Magic’s return was the stuff of legend.

the level of play is much better today- both in skill and physical talent.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

Basketball is great. I agree that when, in a sport, scoring is as common as it is in basketball, it is discounted and less exciting. But what makes sports exciting is the prospect that they might score. In basketball, it is too common so you know they probably will. In soccer, it’s too uncommon so you know they probably won’t. So they’re almost mirror images of each other in that respect.

Basketball would be a lot better if they actually called traveling. Everyone seems to get three steps now instead of two.

 

[WandySaku2]

You seem to not even know basketball. Do you know about Isiah Thomas?

I actually do know about basketball and know who Isaiah Thomas is, as well as Allen Iverson, Spud Webb, Mugsy Bogues, Nate Robinson, among other sub-6ft tall players that played in the league, but we both know they are few and far between. My point was that skillwise you'd have to be exceptional at that height to even get a look, but if you're 6' 6 then you can get in the league with considerably less talent. In soccer and baseball, if you can ball, you can ball, and the lack of size largely can't be used as a reason for not making it pro.

 

[CrimsonFan]

Ball sports are boring.

Soccer and tennis are okay though, I guess.

A bad MMA fight is terribly boring too.

Sometimes we will watch entire cards of bad fights just to see 10 minutes of a good fight