Why 90s basketball was more exciting

[90sgoat]

if you really think any of those players besides Hakeem would be superstars today. Dude really said Divac, Peja, Smits, etc would be "absolute superstars" today.

Doncic, Giannis, Embiid, Jokic. Those 4 in today's league you can say are superstars, in the 90's Hakeem was the only one, and he went to college in America if you want to nitpick.

Drazen Petrovic died, but he was supposed to be the first true euro superstar.

I didn't watch him play, but he scored 21ppg in 1993 on 45% from 3.

I think it's safe to say he'd be a star today.

Divac would definitely be a star. Remember what he did on those Kings as an old man. Jokic-lite.

Peja was a 6-10 sniper from 3, definitely a star today.

Sabonis, of course a star.

I mean all these players were great. Doncic, Embiid and Jokic are better, but the rest isn't.

[1987_Lakers]

We saw Petrovic's peak. Believe he died at 29 or 30, never a superstar. Sabonis was All-star caliber, nowhere close to a superstar in the NBA. Peja peaked in the 2000s not the 90s but far from superstar, also a horrific defender.

Try again.

[AirBonner]

Robinson was a choke artist. Didn’t do shit till a modern player like Duncan carried him to the title. Weak era.

[HoopsNY]

The NBA became watered down by the time expansion teams came into play. This was heavily discussed by the media during that time, it was no secret really. It boils down to nostalgia, everything seems better when were a kid.

Fans who believe the game was more exciting then, like myself, don't only say that about 1988-96. They believe the game was more exciting in 2000, 2005, 2010, and right up to about 2014. The game has fundamentally changed since then. So fans now really need to stop claiming "90s fans are living off of nostalgia."

In addition, the expansion argument has been dealt with time and time again, yet you and other Bran fans continue to mention it like it's some mantra. 97 bulls made an entire thread about it, yet no one has had a suitable response. I believe Kblaze had one as well.

The Euro argument has also been responded, once again, no response.

[HoopsNY]

We saw Petrovic's peak. Believe he died at 29 or 30, never a superstar. Sabonis was All-star caliber, nowhere close to a superstar in the NBA. Peja peaked in the 2000s not the 90s but far from superstar, also a horrific defender.

Try again.

Petrovic wasn't a superstar because he only became a starter after 4 seasons of playing on the bench. He strung together 2 seasons at ages 27 and 28. There's no reason to think that a guy like Petrovic wouldn't be lighting up today's game.

Peja peaked in the early 2000s, the greatest defensive era, arguably, ever. He was 4th in MVP voting in 2003-04, and he was a "horrific defender," but guys like Harden and Luka are defensive gods apparently.

[HoopsNY]

If he thinks its easier in the NBA, can you imagine how easy it would be to score in the mid 90's NBA with the short 3 point line?

Doncic, Embiid, Jokic, would all be 40% 3 point shooters. Jokic would be a nightmare for Shaq, we all know Shaq hated going up against centers who could shoot.

Giannis would fit right in, might be better than any player MJ went up against during his 2nd 3 peat to be honest. And he doesn't have to worry about zone defenses because they were illegal, zones are the only way to limit him.

Embiid never shot 40% from 3. He shot 38% this season, but prior to this year, career-wise, he was a 32% shooter. It's called the evolution of the game. Where there is emphasis, players will train.

I've repeatedly shown, through numerous posts, how NBA players, the most talented players in the world, can and will adjust given the style of play and rule changes. The 3 is no different and we saw it from the inception of the 3 point line right until today.

It's why Rondo can start his career shooting 26% but then become a 36% shooter from the distance. It's why Embiid can shoot 32% for four seasons and now shoot 38%.

[TheCorporation]

The NBA became watered down by the time expansion teams came into play. This was heavily discussed by the media during that time, it was no secret really. It boils down to nostalgia, everything seems better when were a kid.

[CountDracula]

The stars of today would get bullied by past greats. The work ethic off the court is not there! It would basically be men vs boys!

[Axe]

Softest and lightest era of all-time

[3ball]

I was watching that thread with Reggie Miller making plays and I was thinking:

How can anyone not tell that this is just way more exciting to watch?

Then I thought, why is that, what is it about the game that is just so instantly recognisable as more important?

The reason is because each move mattered a lot more.

With the current game today, focused on 3 point shots and way higher scores, the difference in skill is not as obvious.

Shooting 3s and shooting a lot of them, has a way higher variance, so you need many more shots, to tell who is good or bad.

This is like playing poker with tight vs loose.

If you play a loose game, it might seem more exciting on the surface, but it is also hard to tell if you're good or just some rando getting lucky.

Where as if you play tight like Phil Hellmuth, you know this guy has to be good, because he is winning all these rings, while barely playing any hands.

This is the simple mathematical fact when scores are 80-70 instead of 130-120. There are way less shots and makes. Each score is more important, thus each move to get a score is more important, thus defense is way more important.

So yeah, modern NBA is not exciting, because it is sort of like "everyone gets a prize" mentality, while in the 90s, you had one shot, do not miss your chance to glow, this opportunity comes one in a lifetime yo.

Thanks for coming to my Tedtalk.

Yes, the threes and high scores dilute the value of each play and it's more monotonous

Furthermore, the chemistry and quality of basketball for today's short-term, mercenary collusions can't touch the long-term organic chemistry and team identities developed in prior eras..

So it was better quality basketball and a more competitive environment with deep-seeded rivalries, aka superior basketball

[CountDracula]

“I must break him(Anthony Davis)!” -Shawn Kemp

[Axe]

it wasnt better

[scuzzy]