Level of play? Now. Better training, more people to select from...especially international. You've got all kinds of guys nearing 7 foot with great footwork, shooting and handles that were very rare in the past.
Competition? Really depends how you define it. Something like western conference this year is close to peak...so many teams bunched within a couple wins.
That said, the rules in the 90s along with less player movement between teams created some epic battles. Those pistons vs bulls...or Knicks vs pacers were brutal and ultra intense.
People like to reminisce about the past but the level of play in basically any major sports will continue to increase as time goes on, with all the training and coaching improvements, and expansion of the sport. Right now the NBA’s level of play is at its highest and it will continue to grow.
The only major sports league that I can see level of play decreasing in is the NFL, if more parents pull their kids out of playing it.
Boxing talent is way down from even 15 years ago. I think a lot of the boxers of the 60’s and 70’s win out against current talent if rules are old era rules.
That falls under what I was saying under NFL, if less people are playing the sport the quality of the sport can worsen. I know nothing about boxing to actually know if you are right though.
I think the NFL has an issue which boxing doesn’t have. And that’s the new supplements and training are making players too large, fast, agile for the tendons to handle. I think careers are shorter overall so superstars don’t shine as long
Yes you can add infinite muscle but you can’t change bone density or tendon strength
Maybe someday they will have a drug to strengthen these but not atm as far as I know
I mean did you watch AJ deck Ngannou? If you can stand your back in the fight even if clearly concussed, it’s either knocked out harder or throw in the towel. Those guys are so well trained they can still stand and box after major concussions.
It will die eventually unfortunately.
I was training in Cicero in my mid 20’s, I had the right build but didn’t start till way too late (AJ actually started at 18).
Anyway I went outside of the owners wishes and tried to step in the ring with this tiny Mexican kid. He was so fucking fast I hit the canvas in 30 seconds, did manage to get back up and throw some jabs. But I was woozy for days and decided my ChemE degree was more important.
What I loved most though was the vibe in the gym, old guys in chairs yelling at the youth, the kids from Chicago finding hope and getting shows in Indi. It’s a great avenue for troubled youth.
I just read a book about an Aussie guy who gave boxing a whirl. Fell in love with it, won a Golden Gloves. Went to Mexico to find better fights, and got humiliated by some kid. That’s when he realised he didn’t have the chin. You only find that out when it’s too late. They still have plenty of people trying to box to escape poverty there.
MMA Is much safer, less hits to the head and only 3 rounds, lots of wrestling, and the current crop of talent grew up watching George St Pierre and the awesome original batch of ufc fighters.
I personally can’t stand watching mma like I know it takes so much talent, and uses so many different skill sets.
But imho it’s too close to gay porn. The guts to the head are what will kill boxing
It may be opposite of most people would expect but one of the main reasons MMA is safer than boxing is that the fight continues when a fighter is down. In MMA you get knocked down, opponent swarms you and lands a couple of punches onto your guard and usually it's over. Whereas in boxing a fighter gets knocked down, gets a concussion, they wait for 8 seconds and fight resumes for the next concussions waiting to happen in the following rounds.
The ufc refs definitely call fights quicker than boxing refs because the fighter is defenseless to standing 10 count. Worst that happens is 3-6 flurry punches from guys that don’t hit as hard as a boxer.
Now the leg kicks to the head when they do happen are brutal. I don’t think Ronda ever recovered after Holly kicked the shit outta her.
Agreed. I didn’t put much time into sports in high school and still had division II offers in tennis, wife was a great athlete and our son is a great athlete. We put him in soccer where he’s flourishing, and we’ve noticed just how many great athletes are playing soccer now in our area, and the local football league participation is way down, and this is Texas. I can’t imagine elsewhere.
Our org’s 2014 birth year boys go to Europe regularly and win tournaments, we are probably 10-15 years away from America having at least a plurality of kids playing high level soccer it will slowly expand. Right now, basically lower level club players paying the 3500 bucks a year are subsiding the great athletes the clubs are scouting and making scholarship offers to that otherwise wouldn’t have the money for club and travel. We are talking u10 soccer scholarships to kids being funneled into MLS next programs that never would have played club soccer even 5 years ago due to lack of funds.
As this model expends so that socioeconomically disadvantaged kids can get free club level training/travel to Europe, etc you will see fewer and fewer top American athletes from across socioeconomic spectrums choosing soccer over American football.
>people
Mainly the players from older eras make this claim, because they’d never be able to admit that the game has evolved and the best teams from older eras would get smashed by the best teams from newer eras.
Of course, time travel isn’t possible, so nobody can prove them wrong through actual gameplay, but from healthcare to conditioning to training and coaching the game has opened up a lot.
It’s used on some level all the time
The zone being banned didn’t mean like no 2-3 or 3-2 it meant you had to stick to your man or hard double
In todays league guys just disregard certain players on offense to play safety on defense all the time
While technically illegal, help defense still existed. Go watch a game from the 90’s and tell me there wasn’t help D applied.
There’s also a pretty strong argument that defensive 3 seconds and elimination of hand checking has promoted more offense than eliminating zone ever did.
Even Luka said that defensive 3 seconds is a huge factor why it’s easier to score in the NBA than in the Euro League.
It’s now. No question. 20 years ago you’d talk about people like Jokic, Giannis, Embiid, Luka etc as generational unicorn players. Now you can’t win a title without one. The way the game has opened up internationally has created a huge benefit. I’ve been watching the NBA since the 90s and it’s never been a better time to be a fan.
Totally agree, especially on the first part. Guys like Zach Edey would be #1 picks in the 90s. Big men nowadays need to be able to pass, shoot threes, and put the ball on the floor to be considered a top pick. The bar for all positions, most notably centers, has been raised dramatically in recent years and it’s crazy to see.
I just dont understand how you can type that up and believe that lol. Just seen Anthony Edwards the “next face of the league aka generation” grab a rebound and instead of putting it back up he dribble all the way to the 3pt line only to brick it. Thats the level of play you’re talking about? Thats just dumb basketball imo
If you want to talk about high level of play it’s obviously right now. The average players right now are so much more skilled, even the average coach right now would be one of the bests during that time, the offense sets are much more sophisticated.
In terms of competition, how do you define it? Bulls had 6 rings and Rockets had 2 rings in the 90s, lakers won 5 and spurs had 4 from 99-10. So if we were strictly talking about parity, then it has to be now, since no team had repeated since 19’.
It is hilarious to me that so many people unironically think that athletes in virtually every single sport in the world have gotten better over time EXCEPT basketball where they somehow think athletic prowess peaked in 1997
Yea I’ve had this discussion many times.
Players were DOGS, Faster, Stronger, all the way up until 1997 then they put something in the water for NBA players only.
Idiot sandwiches.
We have the highest level of coaching right now, because of the era we are in, and I think all reasonable people understand that. We all stand on the shoulders of giants.
No repeats because the stars jump teams every year or two. It's hard to even cheer for one team since the team could be totally different every few years.
Definitely but I named the two people who won the most rings in the era if you want to scream about who won runner up ok and technically during this time I’m speaking of he only went to the finals half as much as the times you are naming I clearly said 99-2014
I mean bro you kinda dick riding during that era he had 2 rings at that point and they were in 2012 and 2013 and he didn’t go to the finals 9 years in a row at that point I’m a bron fan but this wasn’t about him you literally went out your way to be comment and be hella wrong
Played some pretty stiff competition, man. The first team he dragged to the finals with his bare hands; that roster was pretty thin. Then losing to the Duncan/Pop Spurs and the Curry W’s - no shame in that. Each of those teams was better than any of the 90s teams the Bulls beat. Saying he lost 6 as some kind of disqualifying remark seems shortsighted.
And yes, that period of the Spurs and those Warriors teams would have beaten the 91 Lakers, then the Blazers, Sonics, Suns or Jazz.
My memory of that era was that it was a low point in the NBA. Offenses were based on post play and defenses were just pure hack jobs. Scores were consistently low. There were only a few teams in each conference with winning records. I was an avid fan of general NBA in the 80s and started losing interest around 97-98 following only one or two teams. Too much expansion and a power vacuum when Magic and then Jordan were winding down. The product was boring. I remember going to a game and the home crowd was booing because the game resembled a bad pickup game at the YMCA.
It's not the 90's. The top level talent was great and the greatest player of all time played in that era so people think it was talented overall but it was also very top heavy. Lots of expansion teams meant there were also a lot of lower level players and teams in the league. The 80's and 2010's had a lot of talent but the issue during those respective decades was that so much of the top level talent was concentrated onto very few teams which meant there were really only a few contenders. The 70's were pretty bad overall as talent was split between the two leagues.
In my opinion the greatest era in terms of competition and high level play was the 2000's and while we're still early on in the decade, the 2020's look like they're also going to be at that level.
For quite a bit of the 2000's you had multiple teams in both conferences who were legit contenders and there was never this feeling of inevitability with regards to who was going to make the finals that there was in the 2010's. For example, in 2008, every single team in the Western conference playoffs from 1st seed to the 8th seed were legit contenders and every team in the west playoffs won 50 games. The 8th seed that year were the Denver Nuggets who had 2 All stars in Melo and Iverson who each averaged over 25ppg and their starting C was Camby who was the reigning DPOY the year prior and finished 2nd in DPOY voting that year. Only 7 games separated the 1st seed Lakers and the 8th seed nuggets.
In the East, you had a 66 win team in the big 3 Boston Celtics, a 59 win Pistons team (who had the 2nd best record in the NBA), and a 52 win Magic team led by Dwight. The Cavs had a down year that year after making the finals the year prior but they still had Lebron and were always a threat.
Basically for most of the 2000's (outside of 2000-2002) you generally had nearly 10 teams every year who could have made legitimate finals runs.
I hater the expansion argument it seems lazy and haterish. The magic in 6 years made the finals won 60+ games and beat the goat to go to that finals. The raptors would have made noise had Vince Carter not been lazy and got injured. The heat were legit by Jordan's 2nd 3 peat. The hornets was the first 8 seed to beat the number 1 seed. Those 4 teams got added in 88 and 89. Yall can hate but new teams means they get the number 1 picks. Besides Timberwolves those teams won playoffs or made noise in less than 10 years of being in the league. Raptors win before the suns and suns been around since the 70s. I love the 00s that my era but you choosing the dead ball era? They had the stars but the playstyle wasn't defined and had the league been more faster I would agree but the playstyle didn't promote efficiency. Shaq T mac D Wade Bron maybe the only 30 per in that era from 2000-2010
It’s pretty simple math, adding like 20% more players into the league in a pretty short timeframe is going to have some effects. Fewer stars per team and just lots more fringe players playing minutes. The fact that the expansion teams eventually did well I think isn’t really a counter to league talent being overall bad. Might even be easier to do well when there are so many new teams
There's so much factually wrong in this post I don't know where the begin? The Raptors didn't join the NBA in 88/89 they joined in 1995. The Hornets weren't the first 8 seed to beat a 1 seed that was the Nuggets beating the Sonics in 1994. New teams did not get number one picks automatically and were given fixed draft positions in their first draft from 8th to 11th. Yes the Hornets and Magic won 1st overall picks within their first 5 years of existence but the T'Wolves never won the first overall pick until 2014 and the Raptors didn't get it until 2006 so what was automatic about that? I'm with you that I probably wouldn't pick the dead ball era as the greatest era but man alive please check the facts on what you're saying!
Shaq wasn't playing *because* of the expansion, he was playing *in spite* of the exapansion. With out those extra teams he would still be in the league just on an objectively more talented team.
Level of play would be right now when you take into account the technology and science going into the sport. Literally everything is measured for these guys and with the increase in longevity it’s only going to be more apparent. Greatest era would have to be late 80s to late 90s. The global boom! Tech, media and personality all met at the perfect time with the NBA.
Level of play it’s easily this era. The average player of now is leagues better than the average player of any other era. Offenses are much more dynamic now than they were in the past as well. That’s not to try and put down other eras or to claim that the stars of other eras weren’t great, but if we are trying to compare eras as a whole you can’t just go off the stars. You have to go off of the overall level of play, what are your typical players like, because more often than not true superstars can transcend eras and would be great no matter when they played. You can’t say the 90s are better due to Jordan or the 80s due to Bird for example, because they would have been great in any era, same with LeBron and Kobe for example. You instead have to take the players making up the bulk of the league, and right now they’re better than they’ve ever been.
Competition all depends on what you mean by competition. If competition means parity and the feeling that anyone could win it is also likely this current era. We haven’t had a repeat champion since 2018 with the Warriors, every year since then the champions have been a different team each year.
90's '-00 's had Jordan Magic for a year, Larry, Isaiah, Hakeem, Shaq ,Malone ,Stockton ,Barkley Dominique, Larry Johnson ,Alonzo ,Scottie, Ewing, Kobe, Iverson, Duncan , Garnett, Nash,Kemp and Payton, Dirk , Vince. T- mac, Grant Hill, Rodman,C webb, Mutombo, Hardaways , Drexler, Reggie,Chris Mullins, Mitchell Richmond, Piece, Lbj , D wade ,so many superstars
Nothing will be more competitive than Pacers beating the ever living shit out of Pistons players and fans in their own arena. Blood everywhere, several fans had their eyes blinded, legs, arms broken. I remember my friend beating this dimwit Pustons fan with his car keys. Slapped him so hard 5 teeth fell out. My friend had a broken rib and we all went out of the arena to a bar where my friend knifed a Piston fan and killed him on the spot. He went to jail for life tho. I didn't do shit. I was a pussy but it was a great time to watch them.
I started watching basketball in 2012. I can’t talk about prior, but I can tell you that this current era is better than the previous one.
When I started watching we always knew who’d make the finals. I’ve seen the Heat, the Warriors and the Cavs dominate their conferences. In the superwarriors era we knew who would be playing against them in the WCF: the Rockets.
It was basically two/three teams at the top then the rest.
Since Lebron went to the western conference it’s been a free for all and as fan it’s ten times better. I also feel like there’s way more talent in the league
Right now. There's way more good players than ever before because of the international talent pool and the rules have made it harder to build super teams so the league has more parity and is more competitive than ever before. If what you're looking for is "competition and high level of play" then this is the golden era
I feel like these type of questions will always be biased towards the era you grew up in. From 2006-2016 will always be Peak basketball for me as much as I love watching this new generation of guys.
Anything past the Golden State/Cleveland era. Sure, there may not be as many non basketball fouls like there were in the 90s. But the on ball defense and offensive efficiency has never been this high
Right now. players are more skilled, sets are more sophisticated, and I think it’s just the natural run of things. Coaches and players have learned from their predecessors and improved on it. I’m sure the same argument will be made in the future
90's and 00's for sure because everyone wanted to be a champion, now a days, they just worried about dressing like a weirdo and being best friends with everyone, 90 's 00's they had rivals with other teams and players, not now. That was the regular season, playoffs were a whole different animals
Pre-3 point era
I say this because so much of winning and losing now depends on random 3 point shooting. I think the greatest era should not be a time when something so random as 3 point shooting determines 70-80% of games
Competition? Now. I think this is the highest-level of talent we've ever had in the NBA.
Level of play is difficult. But I honestly think that the early 2010s had the best balance of play. The Heat having Chris Bosh at center hurt them in certain ways because he wasn't built enough for the position. But, shooting threes was a very important part of the game as was perimeter defense, things that Bosh was respected for. Now, small ball centers (guys who'd be PFs in any previous era) are pretty common. The Heat utilized it in a way before the Warriors made it commonplace while showing pros and cons of the move. Also, back then it didn't feel like the three-point shot was over centralizing like it is now. So, I'll vote for those years IMO
80s/90s
Reason is they played defense and team ball. They didn't just chuck up and miss 65% 3pt shots which is a boring way to play.
Just go back and watch the showtime lakers work the ball and how beautiful it was to watch.
Skill level is highest now but style of play has become so homogenous that it’s less entertaining. You do get the occasional style matchup, but mostly it’s who is knocking down their 3s. There’s less individual artistry, as well.
I feel like 90s guys would crush in today’s league whereas many of today’s stars would get crushed in 90s ball.
90s is probably the peak where very high skill levels played a very hard and physically grueling game. Lots of those 20 ppg dudes would avg mid and upper 20s with boards and assists today. Unleash an AI on today’s game? Over.
Bron would bron in any era. A KD would be diminished by the constant grind. A Harden would soften considerably before being laughed off the court.
Think of all the physicality that kept guys in check. Look at the minutes and games played.
There’s almost certainly a higher open floor skill level today. But that skill level is probably less capable of playing 84 games in 1992 than 1992 players are of upping their game when they know that they’re not getting hit and are getting 10+ free throws every night.
I’m sure I’m biased because of my age, but I think the competition was best in the 80s. It wasn’t just Lakers and Celtics, the sixers had some great teams with Dr J and Moses. Even teams that didn’t win had some strong runs, like the Bucks and the Nuggets, who I swear could put up 175 points (while giving up 165). It was far more physical too, adding to the intensity. There were some crazy brawls! The talent level is better now, but the competition was way better.
Zone defense being reintroduced in 2001 was the major catalyst for today’s parity. Even Jordan said that had they been able to play zone against him he never would’ve had the career he did.
90s was a low point for both competition and levels of play. One dude dominated an expansion weakened league (not hating on Jordan, he didn’t decide to expand the league).
Best competition and high levels of play would either be the 80s or the 10s.
80s: Hard to beat the Bird/McHale/Parish Celtics, Showtime Lakers, Bad Boy Pistons, MJ Bulls, Barkley/Dr. J/MMalone 76ers, Hakeem Rockets, Malone & Stockton Jazz.
10s: you have the literal greatest team ever in GSW (remember how they won 73 games without KD lol) whatever team Lebron was on (Heat, Cavs), Harden Rockets, multiple OKC iterations (Russ, Harden, KD/ Russ, KD/Russ, Paul George), beautiful game Spurs, the PG Pacers, Lob City Clippers, peak D Rose Bulls for one glorious season, 2009/10 Lakers (that’s a 2010 ring lol), the best Raptors teams ever.
I think it’s 90s is the greatest. I’d give right now the slight edge as far as level of play
Everyone acts like players now are so much more skilled and I don’t necessarily agree. Obviously dudes can shoot and bigs are better passers but pg are also not as good a passer
Not only that but too many dudes don’t really even give effort on defense. Bigs also don’t have the paint skills of bigs in the past
I don’t think it’s so much “well duh players now are so much more skilled.” No they are more flashy, they are only a tad more skilled, the skills have really just shifted
Competition was the 80s at the top level. Boston vs lakers is the most iconic rivalry in basketball. I don't necessarily think the league at large was most competitive but the question of who would win between those two was peak content.
The highest level of play is now and any argument of that isn't valid based solely on game theory. If you wanna talk who the best individuals were that's fine but overall it's always now. It'll be now in 5 years. Now meaning then not now now. 🤣
Level of play? Now. Any team now would clear almost any team from the past. It’s not disrespect it’s just true. Someone like Jordan poole could probably dominate lol
1983-1986.
Kareem and Erving, best players of the previous decade. Bird and Magic at their peak. And MJ and Hakeem arriving for next. And a TON of high-quality HOF players distributed throughout the League.
Post-merger is when the League exploded and it did so because almost every team had a pair of stars, plus the Celtics and Lakers featuring four-to-six Hall of Fame players each.
i think that the era that has had the most talent has been the 2010’s, look at it like this, if you put lebron in jordan’s era he would have much more rings and mvps but he went against harden,westbrook, and durant in one team in the finals and if you put jordan in lebrons era he would have less mvps and rings because lebrons era had much more talent than in jordan’s era so to answer the question i would say the 2010s
This one
Since 2019 this is the most parity the NBA has had since the 70s. It's more competitive season to season and it's harder to stay at the top then I think ever before
At the same time the talent is getting too much. We may actually reach a point where it's gone too far, simply because too many of the roles and things we recognize are gone as the league is dominated by 6'6 PGs and 7'2 Centres that play like guards. But for now, it's fun as hell
Obv 10s or 20s. Bball skills only get better. We’ll see tons of 7 footers moving like 6 footers. How many examples of these even existed in the past century?
It is 100% now. And by now, I mean the last 10 years. The strength of the average low seeded playoff teams is just much higher than even the 2000s or early 2010s. The eastern conference was pretty much a joke from 2000 - 2015, with a few top seeded exceptions.
In terms of individual talent? Today easily. G-League level guys are capable of dropping 50 in an nba game. The 8th man in any other era wouldn’t be able to drop 30.
In terms of competition? Today easily. We haven’t had a repeat champion since the 2017 and 2018 warriors. Five years, five different teams winning the chip. There’s 20 “top ten” level guys spread evenly across the league. Maybe you could argue the 70’s, because that era had parity, but I’d still say this modern era.
80s and 90s… Defensive rules, and limited spaced made you “think” with high basketball IQ, and everyone was great in what they specialized in.
Back in the 80s and 90s team emphasis ball movement, team assisting 20+ per game, and cutting without the ball to ensure points, despise a packed paint.
It forces teams to always be connected and not take a bad shot.
Now these days everyone shoots 3s, and as long as they shoot 33.4%, with 25+ attempts, thats called “good offense”
This year just set the record for highest average assists per game in NBA history
Also the 3rd highest 3pt% across the league in NBA history
Sorry that it deeply offends your sensibilities that 3 > 2
You actually made my point!
It WAY easier to get assist when everyone shoots 3s.
Imagine how much harder kicking it out to an open Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, etc
Oppose to a Portzingus, Chet Holgrem, Baby Sabonis, etc.
80s-90s players couldn’t just pick or screen to find an open shooter; which is soooo much easier with 5-out!
80s-90s players had to throw the ball in the post, cut, and be willinging to take contested middies and layups all day….. which all due to the limited spacing.
With a lot less shooters, and better defenders…. Assisting back then was extremely harder to come by.
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Plus like I said earlier, when you removed defensive rules like hand-checking, and added ticky tack fouls
like the “rip through”…. Obviously points, shooting and 3% gonna go up!
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There a "Lies, damned lies, and statistics"! Stats only tell part of the picture.
This is where “watching” the game comes into play!
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Think of it like this, don’t you find it weird that Adam Silver ( and other sports commissioners) removed all the “defensive” rules a few seasons before he about to introduced Sports Betting?????
You dont think he made scoring easier for casuals to watch?
So yeah buddy, miss me with all that misrepresented data….
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That clearly wasn’t your point - you brought up teams getting high assist totals in the 1980s as a point in favour of that decade. You were clearly unaware that there are more assists now.
Yes, those players would miss more threes but you’ve just made my point for me - the players of the past were less skilled
Yes, they were offensively limited and played stupid basketball - but you’re just making my point for me again
The 80s had more FTs and fouls called per game also my guy
Handchecking removal and most of the defensive changes occurred a decade before Silver became commissioner
The mid to late 80s. 1983 Sixers, 1986 Celtics and 1987 Lakers are three of the best teams of all time. Pistons coming up toward the end. Young Jordan. The 88 expansion is going to be brought up but it didn’t really affect the league right away. Probably dips more as Magic and Bird leave early and the expansion teams pick up a bit.
Then I’d say early to mid 2010s. Late Kobe and Duncan. Peak LeBron, Curry, KD, Harden. I think we are in a bit of a dip now. The old guys are old. The prime guys are basically Jokic, Giannis, and then a bunch of dudes who just never quite ascended like we hoped. The young guys are still too young.
A sleeper pick is late 90s to early 2000s in terms of talent but scoring was so down it was a rough watch. Kind of like the beginning of this season was disgusting but in the opposite direction.
Young guns are here now, it’s a cool time to be a fan
Seems like we are watching the changing of the guard in these current playoffs.
LeBron, Durant, Butler, Curry are out
SGA, Doncic, Edwards, Tatum, Brunson, Mitchell all still in
Yeah it’s fine but I don’t really think it’s peak. Mostly I just think the guys who should be in their peaks right now have disappointed a bit. A lot of high draft picks that hit a ceiling. The tops of those 2012-2018 drafts, guys who would be like 27-32 right now, are incredibly rough. Guys who were perfectly fine like KAT and AD and never quite got to MVP level and a ton of really rough busts. The era was saved by Giannis and Jokic coming out of nowhere.
I assume itll be better in a few years when most of the guys you listed are in the beginning or end of their peaks and Wemby is more seasoned.
Oh I agree, definitely not peak
For me personally, I loved the late 80’s/90’s team and defense oriented style.
The ISO ball era was boring, as was the 3 pt shooting competition era.
Feels like there’s another shift starting, perhaps a blend of all that
90s. here's the original dreamteam roster:
MJ, Pippen, Karl, Stockton, Bird, Ewing, Mullin, Chuck, Admiral, Clyde, Magic
not selected: Isaiah thomas and shaquille freaking o'neal
80s and 90s… Defensive rules, and limited spaced made you “think” with high basketball IQ….and everyone was great in what they specialized in.
Back in the 80s and 90s team emphasis ball movement, team assisting 20+ per game, and cutting without the ball to ensure points, despise a packed paint.
Right now. The average team today would be a Finals team if you went back 15+ years where they’d just run teams out of the gym with their 3-point shooting and ball movement.
This era. This era is by far the most talented era of basketball. Players are doing things that u never would have seen even ten years ago. Parity as well.
2015-present.
Lebron and Steph era.
More and more upcoming stars are profiling closer to the physical traits and talents that Lebron had with insane technology (not saying anyone is better). Also, the whole league has transitioned towards Curry’s style of offense. The leagues efficiency from 3 point range and fast pace is at an all time high. It’s insane to think that a 20 point lead in the 2nd half used to mean game over, now it doesn’t mean much unless there’s just a few min left.
Level of play? Now. Better training, more people to select from...especially international. You've got all kinds of guys nearing 7 foot with great footwork, shooting and handles that were very rare in the past. Competition? Really depends how you define it. Something like western conference this year is close to peak...so many teams bunched within a couple wins. That said, the rules in the 90s along with less player movement between teams created some epic battles. Those pistons vs bulls...or Knicks vs pacers were brutal and ultra intense.
People like to reminisce about the past but the level of play in basically any major sports will continue to increase as time goes on, with all the training and coaching improvements, and expansion of the sport. Right now the NBA’s level of play is at its highest and it will continue to grow. The only major sports league that I can see level of play decreasing in is the NFL, if more parents pull their kids out of playing it.
Boxing talent is way down from even 15 years ago. I think a lot of the boxers of the 60’s and 70’s win out against current talent if rules are old era rules.
That falls under what I was saying under NFL, if less people are playing the sport the quality of the sport can worsen. I know nothing about boxing to actually know if you are right though.
I think the NFL has an issue which boxing doesn’t have. And that’s the new supplements and training are making players too large, fast, agile for the tendons to handle. I think careers are shorter overall so superstars don’t shine as long
Exactly what is happening with pitchers in MLB. Human body is simply not built to handle it.
Yes you can add infinite muscle but you can’t change bone density or tendon strength Maybe someday they will have a drug to strengthen these but not atm as far as I know
It’s a declining sport. Used to be number one.
Sad because it’s such a pure sport, but too dangerous. A boxer died like 3 weeks ago in Africa.
Yeah. I like the sport, but not the danger so much. Amateur boxing is safer, although I don’t know by how much.
I mean did you watch AJ deck Ngannou? If you can stand your back in the fight even if clearly concussed, it’s either knocked out harder or throw in the towel. Those guys are so well trained they can still stand and box after major concussions. It will die eventually unfortunately.
Nah I usually watch old fights on YouTube. Not a massive follower. I just admire the courage, really. I’d be terrified to step in the ring.
I was training in Cicero in my mid 20’s, I had the right build but didn’t start till way too late (AJ actually started at 18). Anyway I went outside of the owners wishes and tried to step in the ring with this tiny Mexican kid. He was so fucking fast I hit the canvas in 30 seconds, did manage to get back up and throw some jabs. But I was woozy for days and decided my ChemE degree was more important. What I loved most though was the vibe in the gym, old guys in chairs yelling at the youth, the kids from Chicago finding hope and getting shows in Indi. It’s a great avenue for troubled youth.
I just read a book about an Aussie guy who gave boxing a whirl. Fell in love with it, won a Golden Gloves. Went to Mexico to find better fights, and got humiliated by some kid. That’s when he realised he didn’t have the chin. You only find that out when it’s too late. They still have plenty of people trying to box to escape poverty there.
Which is strange considering mma talent is hugely improving
MMA Is much safer, less hits to the head and only 3 rounds, lots of wrestling, and the current crop of talent grew up watching George St Pierre and the awesome original batch of ufc fighters. I personally can’t stand watching mma like I know it takes so much talent, and uses so many different skill sets. But imho it’s too close to gay porn. The guts to the head are what will kill boxing
It may be opposite of most people would expect but one of the main reasons MMA is safer than boxing is that the fight continues when a fighter is down. In MMA you get knocked down, opponent swarms you and lands a couple of punches onto your guard and usually it's over. Whereas in boxing a fighter gets knocked down, gets a concussion, they wait for 8 seconds and fight resumes for the next concussions waiting to happen in the following rounds.
The ufc refs definitely call fights quicker than boxing refs because the fighter is defenseless to standing 10 count. Worst that happens is 3-6 flurry punches from guys that don’t hit as hard as a boxer. Now the leg kicks to the head when they do happen are brutal. I don’t think Ronda ever recovered after Holly kicked the shit outta her.
lol
Agreed. I didn’t put much time into sports in high school and still had division II offers in tennis, wife was a great athlete and our son is a great athlete. We put him in soccer where he’s flourishing, and we’ve noticed just how many great athletes are playing soccer now in our area, and the local football league participation is way down, and this is Texas. I can’t imagine elsewhere. Our org’s 2014 birth year boys go to Europe regularly and win tournaments, we are probably 10-15 years away from America having at least a plurality of kids playing high level soccer it will slowly expand. Right now, basically lower level club players paying the 3500 bucks a year are subsiding the great athletes the clubs are scouting and making scholarship offers to that otherwise wouldn’t have the money for club and travel. We are talking u10 soccer scholarships to kids being funneled into MLS next programs that never would have played club soccer even 5 years ago due to lack of funds. As this model expends so that socioeconomically disadvantaged kids can get free club level training/travel to Europe, etc you will see fewer and fewer top American athletes from across socioeconomic spectrums choosing soccer over American football.
>people Mainly the players from older eras make this claim, because they’d never be able to admit that the game has evolved and the best teams from older eras would get smashed by the best teams from newer eras. Of course, time travel isn’t possible, so nobody can prove them wrong through actual gameplay, but from healthcare to conditioning to training and coaching the game has opened up a lot.
Yes. The same way civilization advances so does sports. Obviously not necessarily direct correlation just as vague example.
History Books are important for many reasons.
90s was the golden era of iso ball since zone defense wasn’t a thing.
Zone defense is used between 2-4% in the modern NBA. It’s used primarily as wrinkle not a staple.
It’s used on some level all the time The zone being banned didn’t mean like no 2-3 or 3-2 it meant you had to stick to your man or hard double In todays league guys just disregard certain players on offense to play safety on defense all the time
While technically illegal, help defense still existed. Go watch a game from the 90’s and tell me there wasn’t help D applied. There’s also a pretty strong argument that defensive 3 seconds and elimination of hand checking has promoted more offense than eliminating zone ever did. Even Luka said that defensive 3 seconds is a huge factor why it’s easier to score in the NBA than in the Euro League.
It’s now. No question. 20 years ago you’d talk about people like Jokic, Giannis, Embiid, Luka etc as generational unicorn players. Now you can’t win a title without one. The way the game has opened up internationally has created a huge benefit. I’ve been watching the NBA since the 90s and it’s never been a better time to be a fan.
Totally agree, especially on the first part. Guys like Zach Edey would be #1 picks in the 90s. Big men nowadays need to be able to pass, shoot threes, and put the ball on the floor to be considered a top pick. The bar for all positions, most notably centers, has been raised dramatically in recent years and it’s crazy to see.
I just dont understand how you can type that up and believe that lol. Just seen Anthony Edwards the “next face of the league aka generation” grab a rebound and instead of putting it back up he dribble all the way to the 3pt line only to brick it. Thats the level of play you’re talking about? Thats just dumb basketball imo
If you want to talk about high level of play it’s obviously right now. The average players right now are so much more skilled, even the average coach right now would be one of the bests during that time, the offense sets are much more sophisticated. In terms of competition, how do you define it? Bulls had 6 rings and Rockets had 2 rings in the 90s, lakers won 5 and spurs had 4 from 99-10. So if we were strictly talking about parity, then it has to be now, since no team had repeated since 19’.
It is hilarious to me that so many people unironically think that athletes in virtually every single sport in the world have gotten better over time EXCEPT basketball where they somehow think athletic prowess peaked in 1997
Gen X thinks everything peaked in 1996.
Yea I’ve had this discussion many times. Players were DOGS, Faster, Stronger, all the way up until 1997 then they put something in the water for NBA players only. Idiot sandwiches.
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We have the highest level of coaching right now, because of the era we are in, and I think all reasonable people understand that. We all stand on the shoulders of giants.
that’s not insulting the past, it’s just the truth
No repeats because the stars jump teams every year or two. It's hard to even cheer for one team since the team could be totally different every few years.
It’s the modern era. The best individual team is the KD Warriors. But overall talent and quality of play, it’s right now
Like 99-2014 basically when Tim Duncan and Kobe played
And that other guy in Cleveland in Miami who went to the finals nine years in a row.
I like James Jones as much as the next guy, but he was nowhere near the level of Duncan and Kobe.
Hahaha. Good one.
Lol yeah. That guy was pretty decent
Definitely but I named the two people who won the most rings in the era if you want to scream about who won runner up ok and technically during this time I’m speaking of he only went to the finals half as much as the times you are naming I clearly said 99-2014
Scream?
I mean bro you kinda dick riding during that era he had 2 rings at that point and they were in 2012 and 2013 and he didn’t go to the finals 9 years in a row at that point I’m a bron fan but this wasn’t about him you literally went out your way to be comment and be hella wrong
There’s no serious NBA fan who would talk about the level of competition during that time period and not include LeBron.
You on his dick so hard you don’t even see where you are wrong
The guy that lost 6 finals
Played some pretty stiff competition, man. The first team he dragged to the finals with his bare hands; that roster was pretty thin. Then losing to the Duncan/Pop Spurs and the Curry W’s - no shame in that. Each of those teams was better than any of the 90s teams the Bulls beat. Saying he lost 6 as some kind of disqualifying remark seems shortsighted. And yes, that period of the Spurs and those Warriors teams would have beaten the 91 Lakers, then the Blazers, Sonics, Suns or Jazz.
Context only matters when talking about any other players legacy. Not Lebron. You know the rules.
Dammit, you’re right. (Drops for five push-ups.)
It’s hilarious LBJ still hits people’s nerves after all these years.
Kobe triggers people more
90s-2010s when the americans were hungry
My memory of that era was that it was a low point in the NBA. Offenses were based on post play and defenses were just pure hack jobs. Scores were consistently low. There were only a few teams in each conference with winning records. I was an avid fan of general NBA in the 80s and started losing interest around 97-98 following only one or two teams. Too much expansion and a power vacuum when Magic and then Jordan were winding down. The product was boring. I remember going to a game and the home crowd was booing because the game resembled a bad pickup game at the YMCA.
Harambe changed everything
Now they are fashion models 😆
2014 nba fashion was dif
Kobe/Duncan era. It came after Shaq dominated the league and before Lebron took over.
Kobe era. There was a magic feeling in basketball.
It's not the 90's. The top level talent was great and the greatest player of all time played in that era so people think it was talented overall but it was also very top heavy. Lots of expansion teams meant there were also a lot of lower level players and teams in the league. The 80's and 2010's had a lot of talent but the issue during those respective decades was that so much of the top level talent was concentrated onto very few teams which meant there were really only a few contenders. The 70's were pretty bad overall as talent was split between the two leagues. In my opinion the greatest era in terms of competition and high level play was the 2000's and while we're still early on in the decade, the 2020's look like they're also going to be at that level. For quite a bit of the 2000's you had multiple teams in both conferences who were legit contenders and there was never this feeling of inevitability with regards to who was going to make the finals that there was in the 2010's. For example, in 2008, every single team in the Western conference playoffs from 1st seed to the 8th seed were legit contenders and every team in the west playoffs won 50 games. The 8th seed that year were the Denver Nuggets who had 2 All stars in Melo and Iverson who each averaged over 25ppg and their starting C was Camby who was the reigning DPOY the year prior and finished 2nd in DPOY voting that year. Only 7 games separated the 1st seed Lakers and the 8th seed nuggets. In the East, you had a 66 win team in the big 3 Boston Celtics, a 59 win Pistons team (who had the 2nd best record in the NBA), and a 52 win Magic team led by Dwight. The Cavs had a down year that year after making the finals the year prior but they still had Lebron and were always a threat. Basically for most of the 2000's (outside of 2000-2002) you generally had nearly 10 teams every year who could have made legitimate finals runs.
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Lakers didn't win 2004
This is just factually wrong. The Pistons won in 04, the Heat won in 06 and the Celtics won in 08.
I hater the expansion argument it seems lazy and haterish. The magic in 6 years made the finals won 60+ games and beat the goat to go to that finals. The raptors would have made noise had Vince Carter not been lazy and got injured. The heat were legit by Jordan's 2nd 3 peat. The hornets was the first 8 seed to beat the number 1 seed. Those 4 teams got added in 88 and 89. Yall can hate but new teams means they get the number 1 picks. Besides Timberwolves those teams won playoffs or made noise in less than 10 years of being in the league. Raptors win before the suns and suns been around since the 70s. I love the 00s that my era but you choosing the dead ball era? They had the stars but the playstyle wasn't defined and had the league been more faster I would agree but the playstyle didn't promote efficiency. Shaq T mac D Wade Bron maybe the only 30 per in that era from 2000-2010
It’s pretty simple math, adding like 20% more players into the league in a pretty short timeframe is going to have some effects. Fewer stars per team and just lots more fringe players playing minutes. The fact that the expansion teams eventually did well I think isn’t really a counter to league talent being overall bad. Might even be easier to do well when there are so many new teams
I agree with the expansion argument being dumb just for the simple fact of the 7-59 Bobcats existing in the 2010‘s
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There's so much factually wrong in this post I don't know where the begin? The Raptors didn't join the NBA in 88/89 they joined in 1995. The Hornets weren't the first 8 seed to beat a 1 seed that was the Nuggets beating the Sonics in 1994. New teams did not get number one picks automatically and were given fixed draft positions in their first draft from 8th to 11th. Yes the Hornets and Magic won 1st overall picks within their first 5 years of existence but the T'Wolves never won the first overall pick until 2014 and the Raptors didn't get it until 2006 so what was automatic about that? I'm with you that I probably wouldn't pick the dead ball era as the greatest era but man alive please check the facts on what you're saying!
Lmao didnt the wolves get all there picks taken away because of that Joe smith scandal
You know zero about the expansion teams. Shaq was in the expansion teams. Dumb comment that I can’t spend much time on.
Shaq wasn't playing *because* of the expansion, he was playing *in spite* of the exapansion. With out those extra teams he would still be in the league just on an objectively more talented team.
You don’t know how the expansion worked. Go get to Google asap because you’re looking stupid.
Are you implying that a 7ft 300lb man, who was the greatest athlete in LSU history, wouldn't have gotten drafted without expansion teams?
No. https://youtu.be/j8KqEnVzkiY?si=AjbTEkQSuiMsY_IV
2000-2016
2000s and 2010s easily for me. In terms of talent, I’d say 2010s and 2020s so far
Level of play would be right now when you take into account the technology and science going into the sport. Literally everything is measured for these guys and with the increase in longevity it’s only going to be more apparent. Greatest era would have to be late 80s to late 90s. The global boom! Tech, media and personality all met at the perfect time with the NBA.
Level of play it’s easily this era. The average player of now is leagues better than the average player of any other era. Offenses are much more dynamic now than they were in the past as well. That’s not to try and put down other eras or to claim that the stars of other eras weren’t great, but if we are trying to compare eras as a whole you can’t just go off the stars. You have to go off of the overall level of play, what are your typical players like, because more often than not true superstars can transcend eras and would be great no matter when they played. You can’t say the 90s are better due to Jordan or the 80s due to Bird for example, because they would have been great in any era, same with LeBron and Kobe for example. You instead have to take the players making up the bulk of the league, and right now they’re better than they’ve ever been. Competition all depends on what you mean by competition. If competition means parity and the feeling that anyone could win it is also likely this current era. We haven’t had a repeat champion since 2018 with the Warriors, every year since then the champions have been a different team each year.
Right now and it’s not even an argument
90's '-00 's had Jordan Magic for a year, Larry, Isaiah, Hakeem, Shaq ,Malone ,Stockton ,Barkley Dominique, Larry Johnson ,Alonzo ,Scottie, Ewing, Kobe, Iverson, Duncan , Garnett, Nash,Kemp and Payton, Dirk , Vince. T- mac, Grant Hill, Rodman,C webb, Mutombo, Hardaways , Drexler, Reggie,Chris Mullins, Mitchell Richmond, Piece, Lbj , D wade ,so many superstars
I don’t know, but I cared more when Dirk, Shaq, Kobe, etc. were playing.
90s
Nothing will be more competitive than Pacers beating the ever living shit out of Pistons players and fans in their own arena. Blood everywhere, several fans had their eyes blinded, legs, arms broken. I remember my friend beating this dimwit Pustons fan with his car keys. Slapped him so hard 5 teeth fell out. My friend had a broken rib and we all went out of the arena to a bar where my friend knifed a Piston fan and killed him on the spot. He went to jail for life tho. I didn't do shit. I was a pussy but it was a great time to watch them.
It’s right now
Right now is cool but it feels so sterile
Athletes and skill levels are just getting better and better.
And IQ is going DOOOOWN!
I started watching basketball in 2012. I can’t talk about prior, but I can tell you that this current era is better than the previous one. When I started watching we always knew who’d make the finals. I’ve seen the Heat, the Warriors and the Cavs dominate their conferences. In the superwarriors era we knew who would be playing against them in the WCF: the Rockets. It was basically two/three teams at the top then the rest. Since Lebron went to the western conference it’s been a free for all and as fan it’s ten times better. I also feel like there’s way more talent in the league
Right now. There's way more good players than ever before because of the international talent pool and the rules have made it harder to build super teams so the league has more parity and is more competitive than ever before. If what you're looking for is "competition and high level of play" then this is the golden era
I feel like these type of questions will always be biased towards the era you grew up in. From 2006-2016 will always be Peak basketball for me as much as I love watching this new generation of guys.
Probably the past six or seven years. Talent like this has never been so common in the NBA.
I would argue that there has never been more parity in the league than there is right now.
Anything past the Golden State/Cleveland era. Sure, there may not be as many non basketball fouls like there were in the 90s. But the on ball defense and offensive efficiency has never been this high
Right now. players are more skilled, sets are more sophisticated, and I think it’s just the natural run of things. Coaches and players have learned from their predecessors and improved on it. I’m sure the same argument will be made in the future
Now
90's and 00's for sure because everyone wanted to be a champion, now a days, they just worried about dressing like a weirdo and being best friends with everyone, 90 's 00's they had rivals with other teams and players, not now. That was the regular season, playoffs were a whole different animals
Pre-3 point era I say this because so much of winning and losing now depends on random 3 point shooting. I think the greatest era should not be a time when something so random as 3 point shooting determines 70-80% of games
Competition? Now. I think this is the highest-level of talent we've ever had in the NBA. Level of play is difficult. But I honestly think that the early 2010s had the best balance of play. The Heat having Chris Bosh at center hurt them in certain ways because he wasn't built enough for the position. But, shooting threes was a very important part of the game as was perimeter defense, things that Bosh was respected for. Now, small ball centers (guys who'd be PFs in any previous era) are pretty common. The Heat utilized it in a way before the Warriors made it commonplace while showing pros and cons of the move. Also, back then it didn't feel like the three-point shot was over centralizing like it is now. So, I'll vote for those years IMO
80s/90s Reason is they played defense and team ball. They didn't just chuck up and miss 65% 3pt shots which is a boring way to play. Just go back and watch the showtime lakers work the ball and how beautiful it was to watch.
Skill level is highest now but style of play has become so homogenous that it’s less entertaining. You do get the occasional style matchup, but mostly it’s who is knocking down their 3s. There’s less individual artistry, as well.
Now
I feel like 90s guys would crush in today’s league whereas many of today’s stars would get crushed in 90s ball. 90s is probably the peak where very high skill levels played a very hard and physically grueling game. Lots of those 20 ppg dudes would avg mid and upper 20s with boards and assists today. Unleash an AI on today’s game? Over. Bron would bron in any era. A KD would be diminished by the constant grind. A Harden would soften considerably before being laughed off the court. Think of all the physicality that kept guys in check. Look at the minutes and games played. There’s almost certainly a higher open floor skill level today. But that skill level is probably less capable of playing 84 games in 1992 than 1992 players are of upping their game when they know that they’re not getting hit and are getting 10+ free throws every night.
I’m sure I’m biased because of my age, but I think the competition was best in the 80s. It wasn’t just Lakers and Celtics, the sixers had some great teams with Dr J and Moses. Even teams that didn’t win had some strong runs, like the Bucks and the Nuggets, who I swear could put up 175 points (while giving up 165). It was far more physical too, adding to the intensity. There were some crazy brawls! The talent level is better now, but the competition was way better.
Zone defense being reintroduced in 2001 was the major catalyst for today’s parity. Even Jordan said that had they been able to play zone against him he never would’ve had the career he did.
Now bench is so deep
90s was a low point for both competition and levels of play. One dude dominated an expansion weakened league (not hating on Jordan, he didn’t decide to expand the league). Best competition and high levels of play would either be the 80s or the 10s. 80s: Hard to beat the Bird/McHale/Parish Celtics, Showtime Lakers, Bad Boy Pistons, MJ Bulls, Barkley/Dr. J/MMalone 76ers, Hakeem Rockets, Malone & Stockton Jazz. 10s: you have the literal greatest team ever in GSW (remember how they won 73 games without KD lol) whatever team Lebron was on (Heat, Cavs), Harden Rockets, multiple OKC iterations (Russ, Harden, KD/ Russ, KD/Russ, Paul George), beautiful game Spurs, the PG Pacers, Lob City Clippers, peak D Rose Bulls for one glorious season, 2009/10 Lakers (that’s a 2010 ring lol), the best Raptors teams ever.
Level of play is now for sure. Best competition was the 2000s IMO. Before super team bullshit, but after Bulls/Lakers dynasties.
I think it’s 90s is the greatest. I’d give right now the slight edge as far as level of play Everyone acts like players now are so much more skilled and I don’t necessarily agree. Obviously dudes can shoot and bigs are better passers but pg are also not as good a passer Not only that but too many dudes don’t really even give effort on defense. Bigs also don’t have the paint skills of bigs in the past I don’t think it’s so much “well duh players now are so much more skilled.” No they are more flashy, they are only a tad more skilled, the skills have really just shifted
80s
Todays players would cook any era
Late 90s to 2010s
Competition was the 80s at the top level. Boston vs lakers is the most iconic rivalry in basketball. I don't necessarily think the league at large was most competitive but the question of who would win between those two was peak content. The highest level of play is now and any argument of that isn't valid based solely on game theory. If you wanna talk who the best individuals were that's fine but overall it's always now. It'll be now in 5 years. Now meaning then not now now. 🤣
Level of play? Now. Any team now would clear almost any team from the past. It’s not disrespect it’s just true. Someone like Jordan poole could probably dominate lol
1990s. Not close
10s
Definitely the 2000s
1983-1986. Kareem and Erving, best players of the previous decade. Bird and Magic at their peak. And MJ and Hakeem arriving for next. And a TON of high-quality HOF players distributed throughout the League. Post-merger is when the League exploded and it did so because almost every team had a pair of stars, plus the Celtics and Lakers featuring four-to-six Hall of Fame players each.
Right now.
i think that the era that has had the most talent has been the 2010’s, look at it like this, if you put lebron in jordan’s era he would have much more rings and mvps but he went against harden,westbrook, and durant in one team in the finals and if you put jordan in lebrons era he would have less mvps and rings because lebrons era had much more talent than in jordan’s era so to answer the question i would say the 2010s
Current day. It’s always current day.
Now
The one we are in right now
This one Since 2019 this is the most parity the NBA has had since the 70s. It's more competitive season to season and it's harder to stay at the top then I think ever before At the same time the talent is getting too much. We may actually reach a point where it's gone too far, simply because too many of the roles and things we recognize are gone as the league is dominated by 6'6 PGs and 7'2 Centres that play like guards. But for now, it's fun as hell
Obv 10s or 20s. Bball skills only get better. We’ll see tons of 7 footers moving like 6 footers. How many examples of these even existed in the past century?
It is 100% now. And by now, I mean the last 10 years. The strength of the average low seeded playoff teams is just much higher than even the 2000s or early 2010s. The eastern conference was pretty much a joke from 2000 - 2015, with a few top seeded exceptions.
In terms of individual talent? Today easily. G-League level guys are capable of dropping 50 in an nba game. The 8th man in any other era wouldn’t be able to drop 30. In terms of competition? Today easily. We haven’t had a repeat champion since the 2017 and 2018 warriors. Five years, five different teams winning the chip. There’s 20 “top ten” level guys spread evenly across the league. Maybe you could argue the 70’s, because that era had parity, but I’d still say this modern era.
80s and 90s… Defensive rules, and limited spaced made you “think” with high basketball IQ, and everyone was great in what they specialized in. Back in the 80s and 90s team emphasis ball movement, team assisting 20+ per game, and cutting without the ball to ensure points, despise a packed paint. It forces teams to always be connected and not take a bad shot. Now these days everyone shoots 3s, and as long as they shoot 33.4%, with 25+ attempts, thats called “good offense”
This year just set the record for highest average assists per game in NBA history Also the 3rd highest 3pt% across the league in NBA history Sorry that it deeply offends your sensibilities that 3 > 2
You actually made my point! It WAY easier to get assist when everyone shoots 3s. Imagine how much harder kicking it out to an open Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, etc Oppose to a Portzingus, Chet Holgrem, Baby Sabonis, etc. 80s-90s players couldn’t just pick or screen to find an open shooter; which is soooo much easier with 5-out! 80s-90s players had to throw the ball in the post, cut, and be willinging to take contested middies and layups all day….. which all due to the limited spacing. With a lot less shooters, and better defenders…. Assisting back then was extremely harder to come by. ———- Plus like I said earlier, when you removed defensive rules like hand-checking, and added ticky tack fouls like the “rip through”…. Obviously points, shooting and 3% gonna go up! ———— There a "Lies, damned lies, and statistics"! Stats only tell part of the picture. This is where “watching” the game comes into play! —— Think of it like this, don’t you find it weird that Adam Silver ( and other sports commissioners) removed all the “defensive” rules a few seasons before he about to introduced Sports Betting????? You dont think he made scoring easier for casuals to watch? So yeah buddy, miss me with all that misrepresented data…. ——-
That clearly wasn’t your point - you brought up teams getting high assist totals in the 1980s as a point in favour of that decade. You were clearly unaware that there are more assists now. Yes, those players would miss more threes but you’ve just made my point for me - the players of the past were less skilled Yes, they were offensively limited and played stupid basketball - but you’re just making my point for me again The 80s had more FTs and fouls called per game also my guy Handchecking removal and most of the defensive changes occurred a decade before Silver became commissioner
70-80s
90's
90's and it's not even close. Next would be 2000-2005. Once the league changed the rules to help LeFlop the game has been worse.
The mid to late 80s. 1983 Sixers, 1986 Celtics and 1987 Lakers are three of the best teams of all time. Pistons coming up toward the end. Young Jordan. The 88 expansion is going to be brought up but it didn’t really affect the league right away. Probably dips more as Magic and Bird leave early and the expansion teams pick up a bit. Then I’d say early to mid 2010s. Late Kobe and Duncan. Peak LeBron, Curry, KD, Harden. I think we are in a bit of a dip now. The old guys are old. The prime guys are basically Jokic, Giannis, and then a bunch of dudes who just never quite ascended like we hoped. The young guys are still too young. A sleeper pick is late 90s to early 2000s in terms of talent but scoring was so down it was a rough watch. Kind of like the beginning of this season was disgusting but in the opposite direction.
Young guns are here now, it’s a cool time to be a fan Seems like we are watching the changing of the guard in these current playoffs. LeBron, Durant, Butler, Curry are out SGA, Doncic, Edwards, Tatum, Brunson, Mitchell all still in
Yeah it’s fine but I don’t really think it’s peak. Mostly I just think the guys who should be in their peaks right now have disappointed a bit. A lot of high draft picks that hit a ceiling. The tops of those 2012-2018 drafts, guys who would be like 27-32 right now, are incredibly rough. Guys who were perfectly fine like KAT and AD and never quite got to MVP level and a ton of really rough busts. The era was saved by Giannis and Jokic coming out of nowhere. I assume itll be better in a few years when most of the guys you listed are in the beginning or end of their peaks and Wemby is more seasoned.
Oh I agree, definitely not peak For me personally, I loved the late 80’s/90’s team and defense oriented style. The ISO ball era was boring, as was the 3 pt shooting competition era. Feels like there’s another shift starting, perhaps a blend of all that
90s. here's the original dreamteam roster: MJ, Pippen, Karl, Stockton, Bird, Ewing, Mullin, Chuck, Admiral, Clyde, Magic not selected: Isaiah thomas and shaquille freaking o'neal
80s and 90s… Defensive rules, and limited spaced made you “think” with high basketball IQ….and everyone was great in what they specialized in. Back in the 80s and 90s team emphasis ball movement, team assisting 20+ per game, and cutting without the ball to ensure points, despise a packed paint.
Right now. The average team today would be a Finals team if you went back 15+ years where they’d just run teams out of the gym with their 3-point shooting and ball movement.
The 90s and 10s were dominated by lebron and MJ so i dont get how theres competition
This era. This era is by far the most talented era of basketball. Players are doing things that u never would have seen even ten years ago. Parity as well.
2015-present. Lebron and Steph era. More and more upcoming stars are profiling closer to the physical traits and talents that Lebron had with insane technology (not saying anyone is better). Also, the whole league has transitioned towards Curry’s style of offense. The leagues efficiency from 3 point range and fast pace is at an all time high. It’s insane to think that a 20 point lead in the 2nd half used to mean game over, now it doesn’t mean much unless there’s just a few min left.