NBA

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I’m there with you. Today’s players are fantastic but I think the game misses having real post players and the tension of those 90s playoff series.
Those Knicks/Bulls series were so good back in the day.

A lot more European players these days too (and Euro super stars) like Jokic and Doncic for example.
Back then it was much harder for European players to go to NBA and succeed.

I remember as a kid supporting Bulls because Jordan of course but also because of my countryman (Toni Kukoc). And those series between Bulls and Utah Jazz (Malone and Stockton) were amazing. Also Heat and Knicks in the 90s.

On the other note, NBA done great job in Europe, quite popular but also in term of recruitment, NFL on other hand completely botched it with all that NFL Europe attempts. I know they trying to push it with London events, not sure does it work in UK itself, but here on the continent, it got zero traction.

 

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A lot more European players these days too (and Euro super stars) like Jokic and Doncic for example.
Back then it was much harder for European players to go to NBA and succeed.

I remember as a kid supporting Bulls because Jordan of course but also because of my countryman (Toni Kukoc). And those series between Bulls and Utah Jazz (Malone and Stockton) were amazing. Also Heat and Knicks in the 90s.

On the other note, NBA done great job in Europe, quite popular but also in term of recruitment, NFL on other hand completely botched it with all that NFL Europe attempts. I know they trying to push it with London events, not sure does it work in UK itself, but here on the continent, it got zero traction.

Definitely.
On a side note, I got to see Drazen Petrovic play live a couple times when he was on the Nets. What a player he was and would have been

 

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Definitely.
On a side note, I got to see Drazen Petrovic play live a couple times when he was on the Nets. What a player he was and would have been

Yeah he was/is legend here, not just here, but also symbol of entire former Yugoslavia before collapse, the unifying factor you could say, the one that everyone loved no matter ethnicity or religion here. He is mythologized here, especially after he was killed so young in that car accident.

Unfortunately our basketball gone down the drain after him, Serbia though continued to carry the torch (and Slovenes now with Doncic).
If Yugoslavia still exist it would have quite a basketball team he, he

 

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Yeah he was/is legend here, not just here, but also symbol of entire former Yugoslavia before collapse, the unifying factor you could say, the one that everyone loved no matter ethnicity or religion here. He is mythologized here, especially after he was killed so young in that car accident.

Unfortunately our basketball gone down the drain after him, Serbia though continued to carry the torch (and Slovenes now with Doncic).
If Yugoslavia still exist it would have quite a basketball team he, he

There was an ESPN documentary, Once Brothers, about that time and the relationship between Petrovic and Divac.
Really enjoyed watching it when it came out

 

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There was an ESPN documentary, Once Brothers, about that time and the relationship between Petrovic and Divac.
Really enjoyed watching it when it came out

Yeah it was popular here, basically collapse of one country viewed through eyes of few former friends.
Example of what nationalism could do, friends and co-worker become enemies, many such examples were happening, entire families were collapsing simply because someone was married to person of "wrong" nationality.

Basically same hate that you could see now between Russia and Ukraine (ex-USSR), that was Croatia and Serbia back then (ex-Yu), from "brothers" to sworn enemies.

 

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No real post players? Like the last few MVPs (and the runner ups) or are we moving the definition for some reason here?

I'm with @Rook about some things - a lot of scoring, a lot more dynamism and movement, less people just being physical bullies. Mad shouts about 3 point shots as well - teams lived and died by the mid-range jump shot back in the day, which is the same, but the few feet it's moved back just means more points. Someone did the analysis last year because of the same argument and it meant that instead of the average game during the season being 112-108 or something similar it was back to just under 100 either side.

Refs are atrocious though, I'll give you that.

Also as a side note - I'm so, so happy that GS are out - hopefully Draymond does one and goes to a non-GS team so people can see that he should be averaging a tech per game, the big tit.

Fair enough. I think it’s one of those things where you prefer the sport as it was when you first started watching.
The early to mid 90s were great imo. MJ, Hakeem, Barkley, Magic, Bird, Shaq, David Robinson, etc.

Think the league went really downhill in the late 90s/early 00s as there was a real dearth in talent—the Marbury, Steve Francis generation of players.

Agree with you about Draymond. Went to a Wiz/Warriors game last season and the guy is mental. He was cursing out fans and the refs the entirety of one of the commercial breaks.

 

[DualityNSNO]

Fair enough. I think it’s one of those things where you prefer the sport as it was when you first started watching.
The early to mid 90s were great imo. MJ, Hakeem, Barkley, Magic, Bird, Shaq, David Robinson, etc.

Think the league went really downhill in the late 90s/early 00s as there was a real dearth in talent—the Marbury, Steve Francis generation of players.

Agree with you about Draymond. Went to a Wiz/Warriors game last season and the guy is mental. He was cursing out fans and the refs the entirety of one of the commercial breaks.

Early 00s were dire tbh, but I think the sport recovered quite quickly - just stuck between eras, so to say, and a bit meh.

It makes sense about being more fond of when you started watching and all, too. I started in the above-mentioned dire era and my idol/favourite was Dirk but man the ball on show was hot [Poor language removed]. Felt like a wannabe version of now mixed with some bad boys/going to work teams and it was just... weird. lol

Draymond is such a lil bitch for being a "hard man" tbh - kicks, swearing, etc., and everyone gets a tech or ejected despite him being obvious about it haha. Schroder got a tech the other night because Draymond was holding the ball 1cm from his face, apparently for being rude lol This incident, the kicking, punching Jordan Poole at training because he wasn't listening to the coach and interrupting (even tho there's video and it's not what happened). And he gets protected despite all of that and will run NBA on TNT or whatever after he's retired.

 

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Early 00s were dire tbh, but I think the sport recovered quite quickly - just stuck between eras, so to say, and a bit meh.

It makes sense about being more fond of when you started watching and all, too. I started in the above-mentioned dire era and my idol/favourite was Dirk but man the ball on show was hot [Poor language removed]. Felt like a wannabe version of now mixed with some bad boys/going to work teams and it was just... weird. lol

Draymond is such a lil bitch for being a "hard man" tbh - kicks, swearing, etc., and everyone gets a tech or ejected despite him being obvious about it haha. Schroder got a tech the other night because Draymond was holding the ball 1cm from his face, apparently for being rude lol This incident, the kicking, punching Jordan Poole at training because he wasn't listening to the coach and interrupting (even tho there's video and it's not what happened). And he gets protected despite all of that and will run NBA on TNT or whatever after he's retired.

I gotcha!
Dirk is the man.
I actually went to grad school with a girl who went to high school with Dirk.

At one point, the teacher was giving him a bit of a hard time for not completing an assignment. His response: “Das ist mir scheissegal. Werd’ ich Millionaer in ein paar Monate.”

Basically “I don’t give a s***. In a few months I’ll be a millionaire.”

 

[DualityNSNO]

I gotcha!
Dirk is the man.
I actually went to grad school with a girl who went to high school with Dirk.

At one point, the teacher was giving him a bit of a hard time for not completing an assignment. His response: “Das ist mir scheissegal. Werd’ ich Millionaer in ein paar Monate.”

Basically “I don’t give a s***. In a few months I’ll be a millionaire.”

Somehow that sounds very much like him hahaha

When I grew up a bit and, you know, Youtube and that was picking up and I could actually understand English better, I'd watch highlights/interviews and happened upon one with some (then-)current players like KG saying Dirk was one of the best trash talkers, and it always struck me as weird cuz he looks so quiet, but he was apparently a silent killer lol

 

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Somehow that sounds very much like him hahaha

When I grew up a bit and, you know, Youtube and that was picking up and I could actually understand English better, I'd watch highlights/interviews and happened upon one with some (then-)current players like KG saying Dirk was one of the best trash talkers, and it always struck me as weird cuz he looks so quiet, but he was apparently a silent killer lol

Yeah, totally believe that. I mean, if KG is saying you’re one of the best trash talkers that’s high praise!

 

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Spurs win the lottery.
Unreal how lucky they have been—picking first in the drafts with David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Victor Wembanyama

 

[Rook]

Jokic on pace for a 36pt 48 reb 12 ast game

 

[Rook]

Spurs win the lottery.
Unreal how lucky they have been—picking first in the drafts with David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Victor Wembanyama

This current Spurs team is terrible, they might win the lottery next year too.

They also have 12, 1st round picks from 2024-28

 

[Rook]

Lakers would be up by 10 against any other team in the league tonight. Denver is just balling out.

 

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Watching Jokic play, everything he do look so effortless, like you barely notice and he already rack up triple double.
Like it doesn't even look he chasing and forcing shots or anything, everything he do looks so easy for him