First off, what a game. If you didn't see it, you missed out. One clutch play after another down the stretch, ultimately came down to the Warriors getting the ball last. Also, thought Markieff was the best big man on the court.
As I was sitting there, it struck me how much things have change, especially since I have been thinking about Auriemma's comments the other day. The NBA games I watched this year, especially post-All Star break, have been by an large excellent. Players seem to be playing hard, and the game is being played well. Not just streetball. High levels of offensive sophistication that are fun to watch.
I, for a very long time, have been in the "NBA is a worse brand of basketball than college" camp. Watching during the post-Jordan era, before Lebron's draft class started a serious resurgence in the league, I felt the NBA, by and large, was really tough to watch. Good players, but not a lot of high quality basketball. Excessively physical, too many free throws, and a general disregard for the rules from officials. Coaches responded to this by throwing out offensive sophistication in favor of Isolation basketball.
I don't see that anymore. Games are called fairly by officials. The game is physical, but not to the point that players can't play. On the flip side, guys aren't bailed out for just forcing themselves into the lane and throwing it at the rim. It is well-officiated, well-coached, and well-played.
On the flip side, college basketball is, right now, everything I didn't like about the NBA 10-15 years ago. We have undergone a major shift, and there is absolutely no arguing that it has coincided with the OAD rule. College basketball needs to get proactive and start realizing that they are going to start really losing viewership if they continue down this road.
The OAD rule hasn't just put kids in college that should have been in the NBA from day 1. It has helped to warp the mindset of kids who would have normally been 3 year kids, turning them into 1 year guys. KO and Xavier would have never been OAD 10 years ago. Jojo would have. Wiggs never would have been in college. There is a cultural shift and it is making college ball a lot harder to watch.
I honestly don't know how you fix it. Coaches are under a lot of pressure to win, and so they are going to do what they need to to keep their jobs. The change won't come from the coaches until the people legislating rules put into effect policies that will help shift the culture to one that is more entertaining. 2 big problems right now- lack of continuity in programs, and officiating. The officiating could be systematically fixed over the next few years. They just need to look at how NBA guys are calling games and do likewise. They could consider some of the NBA rule changes that open up the court and speed up play as well.
Everyone has a continuity idea, and the reality is the until the NBA decides to make a change, it won't matter. College ball needs to get proactive and try to form a better partnership with the NBA. They need to lobby and show benefit to the NBA for adopting a baseball-like rule (probably 2 years instead of 3). Right now, the college game is as bad as I have ever seen it. I genuinely think I enjoyed last nights regular season NBA game more than I have enjoyed a single game of this year's college post-season.
As I was sitting there, it struck me how much things have change, especially since I have been thinking about Auriemma's comments the other day. The NBA games I watched this year, especially post-All Star break, have been by an large excellent. Players seem to be playing hard, and the game is being played well. Not just streetball. High levels of offensive sophistication that are fun to watch.
I, for a very long time, have been in the "NBA is a worse brand of basketball than college" camp. Watching during the post-Jordan era, before Lebron's draft class started a serious resurgence in the league, I felt the NBA, by and large, was really tough to watch. Good players, but not a lot of high quality basketball. Excessively physical, too many free throws, and a general disregard for the rules from officials. Coaches responded to this by throwing out offensive sophistication in favor of Isolation basketball.
I don't see that anymore. Games are called fairly by officials. The game is physical, but not to the point that players can't play. On the flip side, guys aren't bailed out for just forcing themselves into the lane and throwing it at the rim. It is well-officiated, well-coached, and well-played.
On the flip side, college basketball is, right now, everything I didn't like about the NBA 10-15 years ago. We have undergone a major shift, and there is absolutely no arguing that it has coincided with the OAD rule. College basketball needs to get proactive and start realizing that they are going to start really losing viewership if they continue down this road.
The OAD rule hasn't just put kids in college that should have been in the NBA from day 1. It has helped to warp the mindset of kids who would have normally been 3 year kids, turning them into 1 year guys. KO and Xavier would have never been OAD 10 years ago. Jojo would have. Wiggs never would have been in college. There is a cultural shift and it is making college ball a lot harder to watch.
I honestly don't know how you fix it. Coaches are under a lot of pressure to win, and so they are going to do what they need to to keep their jobs. The change won't come from the coaches until the people legislating rules put into effect policies that will help shift the culture to one that is more entertaining. 2 big problems right now- lack of continuity in programs, and officiating. The officiating could be systematically fixed over the next few years. They just need to look at how NBA guys are calling games and do likewise. They could consider some of the NBA rule changes that open up the court and speed up play as well.
Everyone has a continuity idea, and the reality is the until the NBA decides to make a change, it won't matter. College ball needs to get proactive and try to form a better partnership with the NBA. They need to lobby and show benefit to the NBA for adopting a baseball-like rule (probably 2 years instead of 3). Right now, the college game is as bad as I have ever seen it. I genuinely think I enjoyed last nights regular season NBA game more than I have enjoyed a single game of this year's college post-season.
