The NBA today has more advantages over the “Golden Age” of the ’80s and ’90s.
Sports change constantly. Well, other than baseball. But, for the most part, they change.
Oftentimes changes are glaringly needed and the game improves, so with that logic shouldn’t sports constantly be improving?
I have argued with plenty of NBA fans about the notion that the days of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson through Michael Jordan’s playing days were far and away the best ever. The main argument to me is the watchability of the sport, or the entertainment factor, because that’s why we watch. When we’re not being heartbroken by our favorite team, aren’t we just waiting to be entertained by athletes doing things we could never dream of?
So, taking that point of view, let’s compare the eras.
First, the ball handling today is just [insert mind-blowing large number here] times better than it was in the past. Magic Johnson might be the greatest point guard of all time and John Stockton might be second, yet there are probably 15-20 point guards with handles that, at the very least, Stockton and Johnson would have to practice for a while before they got it down.
Now, add in the rest of the NBA players who couldn’t handle the ball like them, and yeah, it’s a nice-sized gap. Today’s players are just more creative with their moves and we all love when the flashy handles come out.
Second, the current players have embraced the three-point line. In Bird and Johnson’s days, 3-pointers were still pretty new, so you can’t blame them for not shooting them often. The ’90s players started to catch on, but today, it’s a whole different ball game. Threes are better than mid-to-long range field goals, which should’ve caught on a lot earlier because it’s an extra few back feet to add an extra point. Space and pace, ball movement with shooters, that’s what wins today, and it’s incredible to watch.
Who’s the most fun team to watch in the league? The Warriors. What do they mostly do? Shoot threes.
The last but most important part is athleticism. I love Jordan, but I’m willing to bet that every third wing player in the league has similar athletic abilities. It’s insane. It started with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady and has evolved into players like Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, LeBron James, John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan. They’re Everywhere. Bench warmers like Jeremy Evans can jump out of the gym, if only they could get on the floor.
Go watch a regular season game from the mid ’90s or ’80s and you’ll be finding an apparent lack of pull up Stephen Curry-esque 3’s, Clippers-type alley oops and Westbrook-type fast breaks.
Turn on an NBA game today, you’ll see it three times per quarter.
Jimmy Watkins is a freshman studying journalism and is a sports writer for The Post. Let him your thoughts on the current NBA on Twitter @JAjimbojr or through email jw331813@ohio.edu.
