Is it just me or is the NBA not as fun to watch this season

[Smook A.]

While there have been several memorable moments so far such as Mitchell scoring 71, Luka with the 60/20/11 triple double, and LeBron playing at an elite level in year 20, this season still doesn't feel as exciting to me. Seeing players score 50 doesn't give me the same "WOW" feeling as it did in the past seasons because it feels like someone scores 50 every other day. Even 40+ point games would get me excited because they weren't even as close to as common as they are today.

I think what really makes the NBA not as exciting is seeing the insane amount of high-level scorers we have today. There are currently 5 players averaging 30+ ppg, and if you want to round up LeBron's average of 29.8 ppg and KD's 29.7 ppg, there are 7 30-ppg scorers. Now here's where it gets really crazy. There are 43 (!!) players currently averaging 20 ppg or more. Forty-****ing-three. Years ago it used to be exciting to have a 20+ ppg scorer on your team. Now it's just a regular thing.

I understand that the NBA has a lot more talented players now and that the pace is faster as well. NBA players today are better shooters, better athletes, and have more tools in this age to improve their game & health through advanced technology and improved treatment options. That being said, the excitement of seeing a high scoring game or a player going off for 40+ or 50+ points isn't the same anymore. I mean just a few weeks back you had OKC scoring 150 WITHOUT their best player, SGA. That's an all-star game level of scoring.

[Axe]

Because defense and refs, i guess.

[HoopologyPhD]

NBA died with Kobe, RIP.

[Smook A.]

Because defense and refs, i guess.

Speaking of refs, just yesterday I was watching the overtime of the Celtics and Warriors game and near the end, the refs called a foul on Al Horford for allegedly touching Andrew Wiggins' shooting arm while he went up for the 3 point shot. The replay blatantly showed that Horford didn't even touch Wiggins. What's ridiculous to me is that the Celtics challenged the call and it STILL wasn't overturned.

Strongly starting to believe that one of the requirements to become an NBA ref is that you have to at least be partially blind.

[NBAGOAT]

Yes a 50 pt game isn’t as big a deal but a lot of the top teams are pretty fun to watch. Idk how anyone doesn’t like walking jokic. Ja has an impressive dunk almost every game jaren is blocking everything. Bostons offense was better than it was last year and they’re one of the deepest teams I’ve seen in awhile

[AlternativeAcc.]

I haven't watched a regular season game in probably 5 years :lol

That's how deep my understanding is.. I can read articles and look at box scores and still outperform everybody else when it comes to accurate analysis. It's called being a master.

[Smook A.]

Yes a 50 pt game isn’t as big a deal but a lot of the top teams are pretty fun to watch. Idk how anyone doesn’t like walking jokic. Ja has an impressive dunk almost every game jaren is blocking everything. Bostons offense was better than it was last year and they’re one of the deepest teams I’ve seen in awhile

I like watching Jokic. There's several players and teams that are fun to watch, but those video game numbers from players still don't feel as exciting as they once did simply because of how frequently they happen

[NBAGOAT]

I like watching Jokic. There's several players and teams that are fun to watch, but those video game numbers from players still don't feel as exciting as they once did simply because of how frequently they happen

I would say just move up your standards. 50 pt game is now a 60 pt game. Like Mitchell’s 71 point game still impressed me.

[StrongLurk]

There is just too much offense...there was already a ton of offense just five years ago, and yet that looks modest compared to now.

We might as well take 10-15% off everyone's stats just to normalize the output compared to a decade ago.

[Smook A.]

I would say just move up your standards. 50 pt game is now a 60 pt game. Like Mitchell’s 71 point game still impressed me.

No doubt that was very impressive, but 50 point games today just feel like the new 40.

[Patrick Chewing]

It's definitely game flow for me that makes this product unwatchable. It's like watching a long rally in tennis. It's so much better to have continuous play. Like Soccer and Hockey. The action is non-stop. But with the amount of whistles up, the product is stale and there is not enough "action" on the court as there used to be. There is way too much game stoppage.

[StrongLurk]

It's definitely game flow for me that makes this product unwatchable. It's like watching a long rally in tennis. It's so much better to have continuous play. Like Soccer and Hockey. The action is non-stop. But with the amount of whistles up, the product is stale and there is not enough "action" on the court as there used to be. There is way too much game stoppage.

The game is very free flowing now though...less free throws than ever usually. Idk maybe there are too many commercials or play reviews and that is what you are noticing?

[Axe]

The game is very free flowing now though...less free throws than ever usually. Idk maybe there are too many commercials or play reviews and that is what you are noticing?
Poopsie likes it if the game is closer to stationary. Something more similar bt.

[Spurs m8]

Yeah hopeful the playoffs improves it, which it has the last few years.

But the reg season is getting worse and worse...I'm not even checking scores anymore, let alone box scores or watching it.

Its just fvcking boring, even the bigger match ups...not interesting.

Sucks to say all this, but it is what it is.

Also might partly be to me having a busier life at the moment...nba is low priority

[FultzNationRISE]

Stars dont play enough.

Rules are too soft.

There are also just too many games, at a time when there are more entertainment options than ever. 1 game out of 82 means basically nothing is on the line.

They also need to flex schedule national TV games more. The Suns are in a national broadcast every other night and theyre below .500 missing their stars for like two months now. Same with the Warriors when Curry was injured. And I dont really wanna see the same teams play anyway, Id rather see a variety.

And no Im not buying league pass cuz I dont need access to EVERY Magic, Hornets and Pistons game, I just want a little more variety in the national games.

[Spurs m8]

Stars dont play enough.

Rules are too soft.

There are also just too many games, at a time when there are more entertainment options than ever. 1 game out of 82 means basically nothing is on the line.

They also need to flex schedule national TV games more. The Suns are in a national broadcast every other night and theyre below .500 missing their stars for like two months now. Same with the Warriors when Curry was injured. And I dont really wanna see the same teams play anyway, Id rather see a variety.

And no Im not buying league pass cuz I dont need access to EVERY Magic, Hornets and Pistons game, I just want a little more variety in the national games.

Good post

[1987_Lakers]

Although the superstars are there. There are not alot of elite teams in this league, that for sure takes out some of the fun for me. Warriors are past their prime, Suns are done. And this league is better when LeBron is playing for a contender.

[ArbitraryWater]

I find it quite entertaining tbh.

The title race is wide open.

[SouBeachTalents]

Stars dont play enough.

Rules are too soft.

There are also just too many games, at a time when there are more entertainment options than ever. 1 game out of 82 means basically nothing is on the line.

They also need to flex schedule national TV games more. The Suns are in a national broadcast every other night and theyre below .500 missing their stars for like two months now. Same with the Warriors when Curry was injured. And I dont really wanna see the same teams play anyway, Id rather see a variety.

And no Im not buying league pass cuz I dont need access to EVERY Magic, Hornets and Pistons game, I just want a little more variety in the national games.
This is a great post. If a superstar is sitting out the game, I honestly lose all incentive to watch it. And the rules have obviously been WAY too offensively friendly for like 5-6 years now.

The biggest issue though, besides the rules favoring the offense too heavily, is one that will unfortunately never be fixed. 82 games is simply too many and it dilutes the product. As you said, one game out of 82 has virtually nothing at stake. What would've always been the best solution is making the season 58 games. You play every team twice, and each regular season game holds more importance.

And while it might be tricky due to how many nights they play, the league would absolutely benefit from flex scheduling like the NFL does. Too many times a star player gets injured and the team is a shell of itself, yet they occupy a dozen slots in primetime, making those games unwatchable.

One other issue you didn't mention is one that's frankly always been an issue with the sport. The last 2 minutes of an NBA game take an obscenely long time. I remember the end of a Suns/Clippers playoff game two years ago literally took 30-40 minutes. No other sport has such a drastic change of pace at the end of a game, and it's honestly brutal to sit through.

[Full Court]

I'm not a big fan of the lack of defense and the three-point spamfest, but I'm still enjoying watching bball this season. The sport is bigger than those things.

[imdaman99]

The only team I really watch and pay attention to are the Knicks. They are having a solid bounceback year but I know they are frauds :lol I guess it'll be building blocks once they get knocked out in the 1st round because at least Brunson has fight in him... I don't see it with Randle and RJ. These guys are not hungry enough, time and time again I see them beat out for rebounds when they absolutely need stops and a rebound.

Anyways, no one cares about the Knicks so I'll stop bitching about them. I have no fun watching westbrook play nowadays, he's been neutered... prob for the best :lol

I'll tell you I watched that Luka 60-20-10 game... I'm sorry he is not fun at all to watch. Extremely skilled but when he doesn't have the ball he just hangs out 40 feet away from the basket.

[Phoenix]

Even something like the shotclock resetting to 14 instead of 24 after an off. rebound gives the teams/players more chances to put up numbers. Just as people say the league is more skilled overall now, I would also argue the skill ceiling increased 20 years ago from like the 80s/90s but that didn't show in the early 2000's numbers, because the rules kept things in check. What's happening now are the 2005 perimeter rule changes on steroids, AAU culture, the onslaught of the 3>2 league-wide adoption, and other little tucks and nips like the shotclock thing I mentioned above. Being a 20ppg scorer doesn't mean shit anymore, there's over 40 of them this year. That's like 10% of the league. Scoring 30 is a breeze. 40 is a single drop of sweat. 50? Maybe two drops.

And Fultz covered alot of the other issues. Too many stars out, lack of variety in national broadcasts, and too many games. Does anyone really give a **** about any of last night's games? In the middle of January when there's like....4 months left in the season?! Speaking of stars, who's the next Lebron/Kobe that will garner crazed fanbases? Zion is fun to watch, but I don't think he's carrying the league down the line, same for Ja. When I say carry, I mean keep the spotlight/popularity at a certain baseline. I'm not seeing anyone 'currently' in that light.

[Manny98]

Nah I'm having fun but I do wish the season was shortened by at least 10 games

[bison]

I’ve been enjoying this season. The parity in the league makes for an intriguing year and as always I like the different narratives each team brings to the table.

The thing about soft defenses and high scoring is this: I don’t even notice it to be honest. Personally I prefer 90s style basketball but I’ve been watching the NBA continuously for almost 30 years now that the changes that have occurred in the game over that course of time happen so gradually that I’ve been acclimatized to it every season. It’s not like I stopped watching basketball in 1998, fell into a 25 year coma and then woke up to a drastically different sport. So it’s fine, I’m used to this style of play and am able to enjoy it for what it is.

Also I don’t get calling yourself a basketball fan and wanting LESS games played. These injuries aren’t due to conditioning. These guys have world class training staffs so it’s not the length of the season that should be re-examined but maybe the style of play or the possibility that resting players actually contributes to their fragility rather than playing every night to keep their bodies continually in that adrenaline mode. I like the 82 game season because it means every single night there’s a wide selection of games and matchups I can check out. The off-season is painfully boring and I don’t need it to be longer. I don’t watch any other sports. It’s even gone to the point where I’ve begun watching WNBA games for a few seasons now as it fills the summer gap when there’s no NBA