I really want to like the NBA...

[Marsh01]

And there is the rub. If I had a choice...I would rather that College Hoops was better than the NBA (and for that to happen kids would have to stay 4 years). But since it isn't that way, I guess on some level I have forced myself to really get into the NBA.

But then again...we're the guys who are watching Zags/St. Mary's or Cal/USC...so what do we know.

44cuse

My whole thing with the NBA vs college isnt about talent level or anything to do with that. Obviously the talent level in the NBA is far superior and the game is better as far as how it is played. Cant debate that. I just love the passion and excitement that college hoops offers as opposed to the canned, music blaring, hip hop more of a production than a game that the NBA offers. I love when fans rush the court. I love when a TCU beats Kansas. I love it when I can watch 5-10 game a night from different conferences. I love projecting NCAA teams in or out, breaking down schedules, who needs a win to get in, how can we improve our seed, etc. To me its more than just the game itself. Maybe I am in the minority.

The NBA playoffs are very exciting and I will watch a little when they get to the playoffs but the season is too long and there shouldnt be basketball in June. Christ by then I already have in 40 rounds of golf.

 

[Millhouse]

...but this all-star game "production" is making it really difficult.

Too much hip-hop, too much rapping, too much focus on "entertainers" of questionable ability -- rather than on basketball.

I realize it's probably a generational thing, but back in the day when I loved the NBA (and had season Knicks tickets), it appealed to all ages because it was about .... BASKETBALL Today, not so much.

the all star game is all about that stuff, I skip that but the rest of the season is great. the people who are into the all star game love it so much, it's hard for me to be upset about especially considering i don't care about all star games in the first place

 

[Alsacs]

Its pretty simple in the NBA players play for the name on the back of the jersey, and in college basketball they play for the name on the front of the jersey. The NBA has a higher quality of play, but the game is skewered to the more talented team winning every game 48 minutes, 24 second shot clock, longer 3 pt line, no defensive 3 seconds versus the college game which is tailored to the underdog having a good chance 40 minutes of game, 35 second shot clock, short 3 pt line, you can play any defense you want.
While I love Syracuse college basketball most teams have become defensive teams that don't teach offense well, and use the shot clock to shorten the game. I can't watch the NBA because when push comes to shove you know who is going to win. LeBron James is a remarkable athlete who always gets coddled by the refs and gets all the calls in his favor. When watching the NBA the team who has the bigger star will always gets the calls because David Stern has decided to market the individual athlete over the team while in college basketball its all about the team and the NFL which is so popular the team matters more than the star. I can't watch regular season NBA games because the teams 90% of the team don't care and while the game is better played than college basketball its just not interesting. If the season was shorter than 82 games maybe I would care, but I don't. When Syracuse loses a regular season game I get really upset for a couple of hours because each game matters, but when the Celtics(my NBA team) lose I honestly don't care until the playoffs.

 

[Marsh01]

Its pretty simple in the NBA players play for the name on the back of the jersey, and in college basketball they play for the name on the front of the jersey. The NBA has a higher quality of play, but the game is skewered to the more talented team winning every game 48 minutes, 24 second shot clock, longer 3 pt line, no defensive 3 seconds versus the college game which is tailored to the underdog having a good chance 40 minutes of game, 35 second shot clock, short 3 pt line, you can play any defense you want.
While I love Syracuse college basketball most teams have become defensive teams that don't teach offense well, and use the shot clock to shorten the game. I can't watch the NBA because when push comes to shove you know who is going to win. LeBron James is a remarkable athlete who always gets coddled by the refs and gets all the calls in his favor. When watching the NBA the team who has the bigger star will always gets the calls because David Stern has decided to market the individual athlete over the team while in college basketball its all about the team and the NFL which is so popular the team matters more than the star. I can't watch regular season NBA games because the teams 90% of the team don't care and while the game is better played than college basketball its just not interesting. If the season was shorter than 82 games maybe I would care, but I don't. When Syracuse loses a regular season game I get really upset for a couple of hours because each game matters, but when the Celtics(my NBA team) lose I honestly don't care until the playoffs.

Wow pretty much spot on to how I feel.

 

[CiceroCuse]

I dont really think you can compare the college game with the NBA. Obviosly there is a lot more talent in the NBA and the quality of the college game has been hurt by the one and done rule, but for pure emotion and excitement, the college game wins hands down IMO.

 

[Knicks411]

I didn't watch much of the game last night, but wasn't there like a 45 minute concert before the game as well? I thought it was an 8:00 tip but it didn't go off til closer to quarter to 9, if I'm not mistaken. That would've been pretty annoying if I was really into the all star game (which I assume no one is, but still)

 

[longislandcuse]

I didn't watch much of the game last night, but wasn't there like a 45 minute concert before the game as well? I thought it was an 8:00 tip but it didn't go off til closer to quarter to 9, if I'm not mistaken. That would've been pretty annoying if I was really into the all star game (which I assume no one is, but still)

It was a crazy long intro mixed into a Ne-Yo concert. I thought it was decent even though Ne-Yo sounded pretty off. Alicia Keys did her 5,000th sporting event performance at halftime. I think some people have a skewed perception of the NBA and hip hop. Just because the tattoos are visible and not covered up by pads doesnt mean the league is "hip hop". Just because we see them talk trash and argue with officials because they arent hidden behind a helmet doesnt make the league "hip hop". I hear just as much hip hop at football games as I do at NBA games. Just because courtside seats are shown on tv and event producers want to show us that Lil Wayne, Drake and 2 Chainz are at the game doesnt mean they dont go to football games, its just that football doesnt have seats 5 feet from the action on the field.

 

[Gabjon]

I never understand how people can say there is no defense in the NBA or that the NBA is all one on one. I love watching the NBA because its played on a completely different level of strategy and basketball IQ than college. Next time you watch an NBA game don't just watch the ball, watch the entire floor. The spacing and ball movement on offense is unbelievable. When guys do just go iso more often than not its a guy with a ridiculous amount of skill and footwork creating a shot out of nothing. Same thing on defense, watch the 4 guys playing off the ball and every one of them is almost always in perfect position on the rotation. I used to really like watching college and would watch almost any game, but to put it bluntly the quality of play lately just isn't very good. There are very few guys who can consistently make shots or create and finish, and with the 35 second shot clock the games get shortened all the time. Teams just kill clock half minute at a time, NBA there are always more possessions for the team behind to come back and doesn't let a team just sit on the ball. To each his own and everybody enjoys different things about the game but personally I love the NBA because its just such a better product of basketball in term of skill level, scheme, athleticism, it's great. The only clear advantage I'll give college is the atolmosphere of your typical game compared to an NBA game. College crowds make it a more enjoyable experience which I thinks helps make it a better game to watch for someone watching.

I wish more people here would watch the NBA it would greatly improve the overall knowledge of the game here. (hopefully) Since they made zone defenses legal the NBA has been wonderful to watch! There are only 11 guys average 20pt+ and that is because the ball is moving like never before. (lowest number in the history of the year)

 

[CusefanATL]

The players are SO GOOD that it looks like they arent trying.

The difference between NBA and College is bigger than NFL:college.

 

[Ward]

Its pretty simple in the NBA players play for the name on the back of the jersey, and in college basketball they play for the name on the front of the jersey. The NBA has a higher quality of play, but the game is skewered to the more talented team winning every game 48 minutes, 24 second shot clock, longer 3 pt line, no defensive 3 seconds versus the college game which is tailored to the underdog having a good chance 40 minutes of game, 35 second shot clock, short 3 pt line, you can play any defense you want.
While I love Syracuse college basketball most teams have become defensive teams that don't teach offense well, and use the shot clock to shorten the game. I can't watch the NBA because when push comes to shove you know who is going to win. LeBron James is a remarkable athlete who always gets coddled by the refs and gets all the calls in his favor. When watching the NBA the team who has the bigger star will always gets the calls because David Stern has decided to market the individual athlete over the team while in college basketball its all about the team and the NFL which is so popular the team matters more than the star. I can't watch regular season NBA games because the teams 90% of the team don't care and while the game is better played than college basketball its just not interesting. If the season was shorter than 82 games maybe I would care, but I don't. When Syracuse loses a regular season game I get really upset for a couple of hours because each game matters, but when the Celtics(my NBA team) lose I honestly don't care until the playoffs.

There is a lot of validity to your post here. I'm not sure I buy the "Star player X gets all the calls so you know his team will win" argument because don't many people have those same exact arguments about how a Duke or Kansas gets every call in a close game, especially at home? College players definitely have a more passion driven approach to the game because for many of them theyre invested in that school and that community and they only get 30-40 times a year to play. NBA guys cant have that approach or theyd never make it out alive. College players don't have to worry about being traded or cut. NBA guys cant get too invested in a team in most cases because its a business and they'll probably be a part of another organization at some point. They also cant allow themselves to get too upset or worked up about every single game because they'd never survive a season. If a team makes it to the finals, they would have played an 82 game regular season and then a potentially 25-28 game post season. They'll have played almost as many games in one year as some guys do their entire college career.

In terms of the underdog pulling off an upset, that happens all the time in the NBA it just isn't seen as a big deal because theres so many games. I agree that the season needs to be shortened and not have a regular season drag out. You'd preserve players better and have a better product if guys are more invested in each game rather than the good veteran teams trying to save themselves for the playoffs. Regarding the shot clock, personally, I'd rather just see two teams go at it head to head and force a team to make plays if they want to win. I get real annoyed when I'm watching a college game and like I said a team acts almost cowardly and just tries to hope the clock runs out rather than have the mindset of I'm going to go out and make a play and win this game. The NBA is full of alpha dogs who want to make plays and want to man up and get stops at the end. Again its not that theres a right or wrong answer, many of the things you said are true. I'm just pointing out the reasoning behind a lot of the differneces in my opinion as opposed to just the lazy and cliché arguments that the NBA is full of selfish uncompetitive players(players which fans thought were great competitors when theyre in college yet when they go to the NBA apparently they lose it all). Having said that those differences are definitely there and it really is two different products. One built on emotion and atmosphere, the other built on high level play, just personal preference.

 

[Marsh01]

It was a crazy long intro mixed into a Ne-Yo concert. I thought it was decent even though Ne-Yo sounded pretty off. Alicia Keys did her 5,000th sporting event performance at halftime. I think some people have a skewed perception of the NBA and hip hop. Just because the tattoos are visible and not covered up by pads doesnt mean the league is "hip hop". Just because we see them talk trash and argue with officials because they arent hidden behind a helmet doesnt make the league "hip hop". I hear just as much hip hop at football games as I do at NBA games. Just because courtside seats are shown on tv and event producers want to show us that Lil Wayne, Drake and 2 Chainz are at the game doesnt mean they dont go to football games, its just that football doesnt have seats 5 feet from the action on the field.

Am I the only one who had to google Ne-Yo?

 

[Gabjon]

Am I the only one who had to google Ne-Yo?

Hopefully! ..lol!

 

[44cuse]

You just changed your comment.

Sent using my Commodore 64

Whatever. You said you watch 10 minutes of the NBA (my point) and followed that up with saying you'll watch Carmelo. But, then you say you dint like the NBA for being too individual.

So you don't watch much NBA basketball and what you do watch is generally one of the highest volume shooters/individuals in the game.

That's the whole point.

44cuse

 

[44cuse]

My whole thing with the NBA vs college isnt about talent level or anything to do with that. Obviously the talent level in the NBA is far superior and the game is better as far as how it is played. Cant debate that. I just love the passion and excitement that college hoops offers as opposed to the canned, music blaring, hip hop more of a production than a game that the NBA offers. I love when fans rush the court. I love when a TCU beats Kansas. I love it when I can watch 5-10 game a night from different conferences. I love projecting NCAA teams in or out, breaking down schedules, who needs a win to get in, how can we improve our seed, etc. To me its more than just the game itself. Maybe I am in the minority.

The NBA playoffs are very exciting and I will watch a little when they get to the playoffs but the season is too long and there shouldnt be basketball in June. Christ by then I already have in 40 rounds of golf.

No doubt about any of that. Season definitely too long and shouldn't go to June. And the packaging, I tune it out.

But th basketball itself is very good (which I know you aren't disagreeing with).

44cuse

 

[Cheriehoop]

I guess being a simple person - when I watch the Hip-Hop and Basketball marriage - I laugh and figure the reason is simple too. I figure it's jocks wanting to be rock stars and rock stars wishing they were jocks. They think they have everything in common because they are celebrities which is its own special unique and limited membered category. Like most things that are "in" it isn't as much about individualism
as I think it has to do with being "relevant, cool and belonging".

 

[Cuse44]

I wish more people here would watch the NBA it would greatly improve the overall knowledge of the game here. (hopefully) Since they made zone defenses legal the NBA has been wonderful to watch! There are only 11 guys average 20pt+ and that is because the ball is moving like never before. (lowest number in the history of the year)

You can't play a TRUE zone though with the defensive 3 second rule. If I have a quality big I can FORCE defenders away from him or open up driving lanes. To me the NBA is like the American League in baseball, little to no strategy. The rules simply dictate that in the NBA. It would be a much better game without the defensive 3 second rule.

 

[rrlbees]

Whatever. You said you watch 10 minutes of the NBA (my point) and followed that up with saying you'll watch Carmelo. But, then you say you dint like the NBA for being too individual.

So you don't watch much NBA basketball and what you do watch is generally one of the highest volume shooters/individuals in the game.

That's the whole point.

44cuse

Yea whatever. Reading comprehension must go to hell from watching to much NBA..

You took a shot at people about the college vs NBA argument. Then you changed it to a Dirk argument.

You're all over the board. And people do have a right not to Klem the NBA. Deal with it.

Sent using my Commodore 64

 

[shandeezy7]

Yea whatever. Reading comprehension must go to hell from watching to much NBA..

You took a shot at people about the college vs NBA argument. Then you changed it to a Dirk argument.

You're all over the board. And people do have a right not to Klem the NBA. Deal with it.

Sent using my Commodore 64

People certainly have a right to dislike the NBA. The thing that irks me though is when people make statements about the NBA game that just are not true. Not saying you did it, but I hear things all the time like teams don't play defense, everyone just stands around on offense, guys don't care about winning, blah blah blah. Most of it is nonsense. Sure the NBA has it's faults, but not anymore than college basketball.

 

[skurey]

For those who don't like the NBA I urge you to watch some TNT games during the week. Usually they have two good (and relevant) teams playing because most people don't want to watch the Raptors vs the Bucks. Add Chuck on the pre-game and halftime shows and it's a very entertaining few hours.

 

[Cuseman78]

You couldn't pay me to watch a whole NBA game. Couldn't pay me.

Unbelievably boring.

 

[moqui]

I can't watch more than 10 minutes of an NBA game unless its watching Melo roll. The NBA has always had great players with great skills and flash. But it used to be more cerebral and a team game. Now it's only flash.

Sent using my Commodore 64

Chris Paul and Lebron James and the San Antonio Spurs are all playing highly cerebral basketball.

I love college ball - it is by far my favorite sport - but I love pro ball, too, and we are in an amazing era. Lebron is one of the very best to ever play the game; Chris Paul is one of the best point guards ever, and Greg Popovich is one of the best coaches ever, and they are all at their peak right now. If we get an NBA Final of Miami vs. either the Clips or the Spurs, it should be awesome (I'll leave the Thunder out because with Westbrook they can be a little bit closer to the NBA caricature you describe)

 

[moqui]

Don't put all the blame on the NBA. Pro leagues across the globe are creating opportunity's for guys who don't make the NBA. They are the safety net which makes kids going pro a no lose situation.

great point

 

[longislandcuse]

People certainly have a right to dislike the NBA. The thing that irks me though is when people make statements about the NBA game that just are not true. Not saying you did it, but I hear things all the time like teams don't play defense, everyone just stands around on offense, guys don't care about winning, blah blah blah. Most of it is nonsense. Sure the NBA has it's faults, but not anymore than college basketball.

It seems people who dont like the NBA take it to another level, like the NBA kicked their dog or something. I think baseball is as boring as watching paint dry, but I dont run around making unfair statement about the game or the players who play it.

 

[moqui]

Don't even try this argument here. It's failed for years. No one wants to hear it even though you are 100% right.

Remember, this is Syracuse board. Which is completely fine. But this board...and the 5 iterations before it going all the way back to the AOL board...are college sports fans. Not pro sports fans. It's a very limited perspective.

44cuse

I think this board would have more NBA fans if this school managed to produce more NBA players . . .

 

[tbonezone]

NBA no thanks. haven't watched a game since jordan retired.(first time).