OT: Which pro playoffs are the best?

[RuffRuff]

Name the best overall athlete in the nba today and see if we can find someone to top him. Or 50 people to top him. I'd argue that the nba has the least physicall or athletic players of the big sports. And it's not even close. No one in the nba even needs to sprint and all they do is shoot a basketball in a non-contact sport. please. It's clear you've never watched soccer. Haaland is 6'5" and can run like the wind. Your boys can't run for 5 minutes without puking.

Ask yourself this - why wouldn’t the best athletes choose to play the sport where they make the most money with least risk of physical injury (basketball)? Antonio Gates, etc. Because it’s really, really hard.

 

[jleves]

Ask yourself this - why wouldn’t the best athletes choose to play the sport where they make the most money with least risk of physical injury (basketball)? Antonio Gates, etc. Because it’s really, really hard.

If you are going to make any major league, you have to be elite in a given sport by the time you are in high school. For 99.99%, you can't change at that point and be elite at something else. If you grew up skating and playing hockey, you're not changing to bball in high school cause it's safer - and if you did, you're not going to be elite.

Bottom line - anyone who makes it to the bigs in any sport is an elite athlete in some aspect of the sport. If that's running and jumping, running fast, skating fast, taking a hit, swinging a bat, throwing a pitch or taking a slap shot, they are great at something most humans can't do.

 

[superjohn]

Name the best overall athlete in the nba today and see if we can find someone to top him. Or 50 people to top him. I'd argue that the nba has the least physicall or athletic players of the big sports. And it's not even close. No one in the nba even needs to sprint and all they do is shoot a basketball in a non-contact sport. please. It's clear you've never watched soccer. Haaland is 6'5" and can run like the wind. Your boys can't run for 5 minutes without puking.

NBA players are freak athletes and built differently from the rest of us.

NHL players typically look like normal strong guys. In a fight you take them over the NBA guys but in terms of running, jumping, body control etc. being freakishly athletic it's NBA players all day.

 

[Kolumbo]

NBA players are freak athletes and built differently from the rest of us.

NHL players typically look like normal strong guys. In a fight you take them over the NBA guys but in terms of running, jumping, body control etc. being freakishly athletic it's NBA players all day.

Many of them are freak athletes but not necessarily better athletes. It's all how you define athleticism. I'll argue that Victor Rosa is a better athlete than Donovan Clingan. Michael Jordan is probably the greatest nba athlete of all time, incredible, no question. He's no Jim Brown or Bo Jackson

 

[Kolumbo]

Ask yourself this - why wouldn’t the best athletes choose to play the sport where they make the most money with least risk of physical injury (basketball)? Antonio Gates, etc. Because it’s really, really hard.

this argument makes no sense. Every pro sport is extremely difficult. shooting a basketball into a hoop is difficult, sure, but it is a very particular skill. Rip Hamilton is a great athlete and succeeded in the nba. He'd have no shot at any other pro sport. That's where bigger, faster, stronger comes into play. I'm sure there are quite a few nfl players who could succeed at basketball doing what Rodman did. maybe they just hate basketball.

 

[navery12]

Ask yourself this - why wouldn’t the best athletes choose to play the sport where they make the most money with least risk of physical injury (basketball)? Antonio Gates, etc. Because it’s really, really hard.

Because the list of athletes who can just choose which sport they want to go pro in is .0001% of athletes. This is such a weird way to frame the question

 

[HCCForever]

Here is an AI response comparing NHL to NBA. It’s not as hilarious as RuffRuff states.

There's no consensus on which league has "better" athletes because they require different physical attributes and skills; however, the NBA is often considered to have more versatile, all-around athletes, while NHL athletes are seen as possessing higher levels of toughness, endurance, and explosive power due to the demands of ice skating, physical contact, and continuous play. Ultimately, the choice depends on which specific athletic traits you prioritize, as both groups are highly specialized and conditioned for their respective sports.

NBA Athletes Are Often Highlighted For:

• Versatility:
  Their skills are seen as more transferable to other sports, with incredible athleticism combined with speed and shooting ability.
• Endurance:
  Players maintain high levels of speed and agility for extended periods on the court, running several miles per game.
• Coordination:
  They demonstrate a mastery of skills like dribbling and shooting, requiring exceptional hand-eye coordination.

NHL Athletes Are Often Highlighted For:

• Toughness & Durability:
  The sport involves high levels of physical contact, leading to athletes who are accustomed to playing through injuries and demanding physical challenges.
  
  
• Explosive Power:
  They generate significant speed and power on the ice while skating and battling for the puck, with skill and strength required in unison.
  
  
• Endurance on Skates:
  Skating for long stretches while managing the physical demands of the sport and the added complexity of wearing skates contributes to exceptional conditioning.
  

Why It's Hard to Compare:

• Different Skill Sets:
  The unique requirements of skating versus running on a court make direct comparison difficult.
  
  
• Specialization:
  Professional athletes, by definition, reach the pinnacle of athleticism in their chosen sport, and comparing across different sports is inherently subjective.
  
  
• Defining "Better":
  Athleticism itself is multifaceted, and different sports emphasize different aspects, such as strength, speed, agility, endurance, and hand-eye coordination

 

[RuffRuff]

Here is an AI response comparing NHL to NBA. It’s not as hilarious as RuffRuff states.

There's no consensus on which league has "better" athletes because they require different physical attributes and skills; however, the NBA is often considered to have more versatile, all-around athletes, while NHL athletes are seen as possessing higher levels of toughness, endurance, and explosive power due to the demands of ice skating, physical contact, and continuous play. Ultimately, the choice depends on which specific athletic traits you prioritize, as both groups are highly specialized and conditioned for their respective sports.

NBA Athletes Are Often Highlighted For:

• Versatility:
  Their skills are seen as more transferable to other sports, with incredible athleticism combined with speed and shooting ability.
• Endurance:
  Players maintain high levels of speed and agility for extended periods on the court, running several miles per game.
• Coordination:
  They demonstrate a mastery of skills like dribbling and shooting, requiring exceptional hand-eye coordination.

NHL Athletes Are Often Highlighted For:

• Toughness & Durability:
  The sport involves high levels of physical contact, leading to athletes who are accustomed to playing through injuries and demanding physical challenges.
  
  
• Explosive Power:
  They generate significant speed and power on the ice while skating and battling for the puck, with skill and strength required in unison.
  
  
• Endurance on Skates:
  Skating for long stretches while managing the physical demands of the sport and the added complexity of wearing skates contributes to exceptional conditioning.

Why It's Hard to Compare:

• Different Skill Sets:
  The unique requirements of skating versus running on a court make direct comparison difficult.
  
  
• Specialization:
  Professional athletes, by definition, reach the pinnacle of athleticism in their chosen sport, and comparing across different sports is inherently subjective.
  
  
• Defining "Better":
  Athleticism itself is multifaceted, and different sports emphasize different aspects, such as strength, speed, agility, endurance, and hand-eye coordination

It doesn’t contextualize the size of the NBA athlete, which is the most impressive part. Have you ever been on the floor with basketball players? They’re doing this at a size that is not normal, top .001%, which to me is a major part of what differentiates them.

 

[Flipside]

Regarding best athletes, this seems like a great place to drop this gem ... the ability to perform at the highest level, whilst chewing other stuffs

 

[HCCForever]

NBA players are freak athletes and built differently from the rest of us.

NHL players typically look like normal strong guys. In a fight you take them over the NBA guys but in terms of running, jumping, body control etc. being freakishly athletic it's NBA players all day.

I agree with most of this until the last sentence. NHL players have pretty good body control as well. And some of the greats like Bird and Magic weren’t great jumpers. Michael had exceptional hand-eye coordination but couldn’t hit a baseball in the minors. Of course hitting a baseball is probably the hardest thing to do in sports.

Sounds like we need a reboot of Superstars to see who has best all-around athletes. One year Peter Revson of autoracing fame won the competition.

 

[HCCForever]

Regarding best athletes, this seems like a great place to drop this gem ... the ability to perform at the highest level, whilst chewing other stuffs

There is a picture out there of Len Dawson of the Chiefs smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer during halftime of Superbowl. Times have changed

 

[Flipside]

There is a picture out there of Len Dawson of the Chiefs smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer during halftime of Superbowl. Times have changed

 

[superjohn]

I agree with most of this until the last sentence. NHL players have pretty good body control as well. And some of the greats like Bird and Magic weren’t great jumpers. Michael had exceptional hand-eye coordination but couldn’t hit a baseball in the minors. Of course hitting a baseball is probably the hardest thing to do in sports.

Sounds like we need a reboot of Superstars to see who has best all-around athletes. One year Peter Revson of autoracing fame won the competition.

As for baseball Jordan was playing the sport after not playing it since he was a junior in high school. He wasn't allowed to play single A ball so immediately had to play double A ball and learn on the fly against tough competition without taking the earlier steps. His manager Terry Francona thinks he would have been a major league player if he stuck with baseball.

 

[HCCForever]

It doesn’t contextualize the size of the NBA athlete, which is the most impressive part. Have you ever been on the floor with basketball players? They’re doing this at a size that is not normal, top .001%, which to me is a major part of what differentiates them.

I was next to Emeka for NC in Houston and he towered over my 5’7” frame. NBA players need height or crazy hops and speed like Spud and Bogues.

 

[RuffRuff]

I was next to Emeka for NC in Houston and he towered over my 5’7” frame. NBA players need height or crazy hops and speed like Spud and Bogues.

The Spuds have become a total rarity these days. I’m 6’4” and have been floor level at many college hoops games and the athlete is another level. Meanwhile a soccer player would look pedestrian on the street.

A hockey player has gone from an average of 5’7” during the early days to 6’1” today. Size matters and is part of the factor of “impressive athlete”. It’s not just how fast you run.

 

[superjohn]

The Spuds have become a total rarity these days. I’m 6’4” and have been floor level at many college hoops games and the athlete is another level. Meanwhile a soccer player would look pedestrian on the street.

A hockey player has gone from an average of 5’7” during the early days to 6’1” today. Size matters and is part of the factor of “impressive athlete”. It’s not just how fast you run.

NHL players were never 5'7 on average and the average height in the NHL has been 6'0 or taller since 1978. The average height in the NBA has been 6'6 or more since 1974.

 

[RuffRuff]

NHL players were never 5'7 on average and the average height in the NHL has been 6'0 or taller since 1978. The average height in the NBA has been 6'6 or more since 1974.

More accurate growth chart

 

[superjohn]

View attachment 112093
More accurate growth chart

I'm aware...you can see the average height for NHL players every season, same for average height of NBA players every season.

NHL Player Size From 1917-18 to 2014-15: A Brief Look

As any person interested in hockey stats should do, I’ve been gradually building my own personal database of player information that I can use when Y3K robs my future post-human self of cloud…

hockey-graphs.com

 

[shizzle787]

Globally: Champions League
US overall: NCAA tournament (win or go home)
US professional: NFL playoffs (win or go home)

 

[Spaceman213J]

Baseball is my favorite pro sport to follow, but the NFL has the best playoff system.

The original 64 team NCAA tourney was the best postseason for any sport pro or not. Though, with NIL, one can argue that the NCAA is a professional league now.

 

[bjc42]

Globally: Champions League
US overall: NCAA tournament (win or go home)
US professional: NFL playoffs (win or go home)

The world cup and the euro cup are up there with the champions league for sure.

 

[jake14mw]

Urgency and importance of each game is the key to great playoffs. As far as the NBA goes, I kind of like the play in thing, but there are just too many teams that make the playoffs. Having all rounds after the play-in 7 game series is dumb. Each game lacks importance. It also takes way too long, over 2 months for just playoffs. Most of the same thoughts on hockey. Think of how much better game 7s are than game 2. Baseball is much better IMO, with fewer teams making the playoffs, wildcards only 3 games, division series only 5 games, much better. The whole playoffs is done in 1 month. NFL is king with the win or go home setup. Every game is life or death, and the whole thing wraps up in a month.

 

[RuffRuff]

Urgency and importance of each game is the key to great playoffs. As far as the NBA goes, I kind of like the play in thing, but there are just too many teams that make the playoffs. Having all rounds after the play-in 7 game series is dumb. Each game lacks importance. It also takes way too long, over 2 months for just playoffs. Most of the same thoughts on hockey. Think of how much better game 7s are than game 2. Baseball is much better IMO, with fewer teams making the playoffs, wildcards only 3 games, division series only 5 games, much better. The whole playoffs is done in 1 month. NFL is king with the win or go home setup. Every game is life or death, and the whole thing wraps up in a month.

100% with you on this. Urgency is what makes sports, juice. It’s why MLB needs to fix its regular season creatively. The nba playoffs are too much - when over half league gets into playoffs it’s stupid. 2 months of playoffs are ridiculous.

This is what makes March Madness special.

 

[alphasigko]

NBA - way too long
NHL - same, boring TV sport
NFL - pretty cool, week apart, one game format, winter
MLB - feel like there is a disconnect in how the regular season flows into the playoffs - needs a reformatting. Makes no sense that a 162 game season leads to a 3 game WC.
World Cup - pretty cool

Agree on NBA and NHL too long

NFL - IMO this is the best but they should hold SB the weekend after the Conference Championships rather than waiting 2 weeks

Agree on MLB

World Cup - Even MORE boring than either NBA or NHL. Cross Country running while kicking a ball.