Golden age?

[CardiacAndre7]

I'm biased because it was MY golden age, but I think pretty much all sports were better in the 80s and 90s, and really almost all aspects of existence, too. I have zero frame of reference to decades before, but I am eternally grateful I grew up in the era that I did.

I think that’s what people are getting lost in. That’s when you fell in love with the sport and that’s when the emotional attachment grew.

 

[boog204]

I think that’s what people are getting lost in. That’s when you fell in love with the sport and that’s when the emotional attachment grew.

Of course... I mean if I hear the intro song to "This Week in Baseball" I get emotional. When CBB brought back to the NBA theme song from the 80s I got all the feels.

That being said, I did like the style of baseball of the 80s and 90s moreso than today. Basketball players are more overall talented athletically today, but I personally preferred the 80s/early 90s style more.

 

[gars44]

Quality is up, personality is down.

True, but the problem with "personality" is the more you get of it the less you like it.

 

[superjohn]

Even if they were, that doesn’t equate to better basketball.

They're not though...yet people repeat it all the time and then there's the whole "exercise science" "science based training" nonsense. The way the game is played and reffed is completely different but the players simply aren't bigger, stronger, faster, don't jump higher.

The average player height and weight now is 6'7 215 lbs. These are the average height and weight in the 90's and 2000's...

 

[superjohn]

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Of course... I mean if I hear the intro song to "This Week in Baseball" I get emotional. When CBB brought back to the NBA theme song from the 80s I got all the feels.

That being said, I did like the style of baseball of the 80s and 90s moreso than today. Basketball players are more overall talented athletically today, but I personally preferred the 80s/early 90s style more.

Sure, I can’t disagree with that. I wasn’t insinuating in my posts that today is the golden age in ball, I understand the 80’s and 90’s had some great rivalries and players, and today’s game isn’t for everyone. (I think the Cavs-Warriors was pretty sweet also)

But to your other point, I think people arguing the skill and talent depth today isn’t the best are just flat wrong.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Maybe I’ll be wrong about this down the line but I don’t think ANY sport is currently in its golden era except women’s basketball. The sport has never been more popular with as many rivalries and player drama. Fan interest is waaay up both TV-wise and at the ticket office.

 

[gars44]

I think that’s what people are getting lost in. That’s when you fell in love with the sport and that’s when the emotional attachment grew.

so true. What's better than Bird/Magic? Celtics/Lakers? Throw in some Chicago Bulls. Knicks. Has nothing to do with anything else but when did you fall in love with it . . .

 

[HW611]

I think that’s what people are getting lost in. That’s when you fell in love with the sport and that’s when the emotional attachment grew.

But when you look at the All American lists today and compare them to the eras being talked about, would you say the All American lists today are better?

Even if we look at say, 2009.

Blake Griffin was averaging 23 PPG and 14 rebounds while making highlight reels every night.

Steph was averaging 28 as one of the best shows in college hoops.

Tyler Hansborough was averaging a little over 20 and 8 (he had a better junior year).

James Harden was averaging almost 21… the only player who didn’t score at least 20 a game was Blair.

The POY award was between a freshman who averaged 19 and 7 and a 6th year senior who averaged 19 and 10.

I’m not sure what measure is being used to say the 2025 year was better than that 2009 year.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

View attachment 112792View attachment 112793

Again, you’re really stuck on this. Maybe players aren’t bigger, I know PGs specifically ARE bigger, but whatever, have that one. Stronger yeah probably not, but brute force isn’t emphasized in this league like it was back then. Plenty of guys in that era were on rosters mainly for strength and enforcement, those guys would be playing in Europe now.

Players are 100% faster and quicker and more skilled though. The top end athletes are probably the same numbers wise, for example David Thompson and Keon Johnson have the same record max vert. But, the depth of athleticism is higher. There are more tier 1 God-Level athletes than there were, and there are less below average athletes.

 

[Waquoit]

I prefer when the average NBA score was 80-76 not 125-120

I think one's memory sometimes forgets how bad things were in the past. Those scores came from Rileyball. Those were terrible games to watch.

 

[superjohn]

Again, you’re really stuck on this. Maybe players aren’t bigger, I know PGs specifically ARE bigger, but whatever, have that one. Stronger yeah probably not, but brute force isn’t emphasized in this league like it was back then. Plenty of guys in that era were on rosters mainly for strength and enforcement, those guys would be playing in Europe now.

Players are 100% faster and quicker and more skilled though. The top end athletes are probably the same numbers wise, for example David Thompson and Keon Johnson have the same record max vert. But, the depth of athleticism is higher. There are more tier 1 God-Level athletes than there were, and there are less below average athletes.

I'm stuck on it because it's untrue and it gets repeated over and over.

Back up that players are 100% faster and quicker.

 

[Waquoit]

Michael Cooper had a personal library of 150 games of Larry Bird tape. He took those videos on a family trip to Italy once and sat in his hotel room watching them nonstop because Bird had gotten the best of him the last time they played.

There's no one in the NBA right now who's even close to doing something like that.

Maybe not but if you are trying to say that players in the past worked harder at their game than they do now, I completely disagree. Cooper was an outlier, everybody works overtime today.

 

[Waquoit]

I'm stuck on it because it's untrue and it gets repeated over and over.

Back up that players are 100% faster and quicker.

So what? Players today are much more skilled now than ever. Skill trumps athleticism.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

But when you look at the All American lists today and compare them to the eras being talked about, would you say the All American lists today are better?

Even if we look at say, 2009.

Blake Griffin was averaging 23 PPG and 14 rebounds while making highlight reels every night.

Steph was averaging 28 as one of the best shows in college hoops.

Tyler Hansborough was averaging a little over 20 and 8 (he had a better junior year).

James Harden was averaging almost 21… the only player who didn’t score at least 20 a game was Blair.

The POY award was between a freshman who averaged 19 and 7 and a 6th year senior who averaged 19 and 10.

I’m not sure what measure is being used to say the 2025 year was better than that 2009 year.

I didn’t say anything about College ball. In fact, my argument was that the last 20 years were the golden era.

Either way, numbers are like that because teams often had 1 star. Teams are deeper now and numbers are spread out.

 

[superjohn]

These guys were lost without science based training...

 

[CardiacAndre7]

These guys were lost without science based training...View attachment 112794View attachment 112795

You love your era. It’s commendable. You hate this era, that’s a little bit of a shame but whatever.

 

[superjohn]

You love your era. It’s commendable. You hate this era, that’s a little bit of a shame but whatever.

You love this era and think you're an expert on an era you weren't even around for.

I don't hate this era at all, I watch games nightly.

 

[Waquoit]

These guys were lost without science based training...

Steroids have a scientific basis.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

You love this era and think you're an expert on an era you weren't even around for.

I don't hate this era at all, I watch games nightly.

I don’t consider myself an expert at all. You constantly whine about everything in this era, watching nightly doesn’t change the fact that you don’t have 1 good thing to say about it. Other than being a Jokic fan.

 

[HW611]

I didn’t say anything about College ball. In fact, my argument was that the last 20 years were the golden era.

Either way, numbers are like that because teams often had 1 star. Teams are deeper now and numbers are spread out.

Oh the NBA game is deeper than ever. My conclusion is that role players are better than ever, even the worse teams have at least one star worth watching, and the foreigners are out of this world.

Only thing missing is top level American players. We’ve fallen off there.

I can’t agree that this era of cbb is a golden era either. Post COVID might be the worst era in terms of high level quality of talent. I can’t agree with players back in those days putting up numbers because they had one star. JJ Reddick was putting up 26 a game at Duke. Tyler Hansborough did what he did next to 5*s at North Carolina.

Players were just that good of scorers. There’s so many guys from that era that looked unguardable because of their skill or, in cases like a Blake Griffin or Rose, athleticism we’ve never seen before. Only person I can think of from this era like that was Edey. And it was because he was 7’4, not because of skill or crazy athleticism.

 

[superjohn]

Steroids have a scientific basis.

Yes, they are synthetic derivatives of testosterone.

What do you mean by this?

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Oh the NBA game is deeper than ever. My conclusion is that role players are better than ever, even the worse teams have at least one star worth watching, and the foreigners are out of this world.

Only thing missing is top level American players. We’ve fallen off there.

I can’t agree that this era of cbb is a golden era either. Post COVID might be the worst era in terms of high level quality of talent. I can’t agree with players back in those days putting up numbers because they had one star. JJ Reddick was putting up 26 a game at Duke. Tyler Hansborough did what he did next to 5*s at North Carolina.

Players were just that good of scorers. There’s so many guys from that era that looked unguardable because of their skill or, in cases like a Blake Griffin or Rose, athleticism we’ve never seen before. Only person I can think of from this era like that was Edey. And it was because he was 7’4, not because of skill or crazy athleticism.

I dunno. I think you switch Redick/Hansborough with elite guys from now and the numbers are pretty similar.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Should put a bow on this thread maybe. Golden era is what you make of it.

 

[superjohn]

I don’t consider myself an expert at all. You constantly whine about everything in this era, watching nightly doesn’t change the fact that you don’t have 1 good thing to say about it. Other than being a Jokic fan.

I have tons of good things to say about it. Curry is one of the best players ever and the best shooter ever. Lebron is the second best player ever. I love so many of the players who play today and I like the spacing and three point shooting but the pendulum has swung too far the other way in play style, just like it swung too far the other way in the 90's.