Yeah it is nostalgic! Because the vast majority of players in today’s games lack basic fundamental defensive skills! So many of today’s players get beat back door cuts on a regular basis. Why? Because they lack the fundamental of positioning their body so they can see their man and the ball. Harden gets beat on back door cuts 5-6 times a game. So does Cryie. Nobody knows how to cut off a player’s strong hand. Nobody has realized yet that no matter where Harden goes on the court he is always coming back left! Yet nobody forces him right. And the players that DO play defense are handcuffed by the league because the league wants to see high scoring games! I will never forget a couple of years ago when the Rockets were playing the Dubs! Patrick Beverly got all up in Durant’s jersey in a playoff game, frustrated the hell out of Durant who only scored 11 points. The very next game it was like Silver called the refs and said “we can’t have our stars being shown up” and what happens? Beverly gets hits with three quick foul calls in the first quarter essentially taking him out of the game defensively. And the three point shot has gotten out of control as well! Two years I watch the Jazz and Nuggets play a game. With 1:30 left in the game the Jazz had the ball down one point 97-96. In that last 1:30 the Jazz (who never loss possession of the ball) took FOUR 3 point shots. Never once attempted to attack the rim or the paint to draw a foul. Their last play (still only down one point) with five seconds remaining was an out bounds play specially designed for Mitchell to take a corner three! RIDICULOUS! Yessssssss to me the game is boring and predictable.
I'm gonna stop you at the back door part, because there's too much to address here lol
Of course it's easier to get beat on a back door cut when the guy cutting can also shoot a 26 foot jumper or you might have to close out on another shooter. The nature of the game is different. Go and watch the offensive prowess of guys in the 90s. Look at the spots on the court people shot from. The speed, the pace. It's much harder to play defense now. We gotta just acknowledge that.
Imagine prime Lebron is previous eras where you either had to commit to fully double teaming him or give single coverage. You weren't able to hedge your bets and play zone, or have a defender half way between Lebron and their defensive assignment. He would pick that league apart, too.
For those who remember the rule changes clearly - first they instituted zone and it became
harder for players to score. They complained about it. So then they got rid of the handcheck in hopes of making it a little easier.
The 3-point era is partially a reaction to 10-15 years of teams being able to play zone D. Sooner or later, the players reacted to zone/no more illegal defense. Combine that with the obvious mathematical advantages of shooting a shot wroth 50% more points but than you make only 25% less of the time.
In his sixth year Allen Iverson played 43.7 minutes per game. Per game! Other stars logged high minutes, too, just less extreme. I have a hard time believe that even with better nutrition and medical care, guys nowadays could play that many minutes. It's circumstantial evidence - but I think that's due to the rigors of today's game. Like I said before, it's also why short players are a thing of the past. I don't know if we'll see another 5'8"-5'9" IT, let alone a 5'4" to 5'5" player.
Ben Simmons is great at everything but shooting, and he's a 6'10" PG. A 6'10 PG with great vision, good handle. Strong. Great D. He would dominate the 90s, but today it's a huge hole in his game. A 6'10" PG still needs to shoot.
Tell me again that it's not harder to play NBA basketball nowadays, please.
