You are confusing being better athletes and being better players and I'm sure there is a huge difference there.

Magic > Lebron
Jordan > Kobe
Bird > Dirk
Olajuan > Howard

Totally agree. People who think that the NBA of today doesn't have extreme talent they really aren't watching the game.

The downside of the NBA is as evenfall stated there is no parity in the league which hopefully if the CBA ever gets signed that will take care of that problem.

I could give a shit about the NBA. They mock the actual game of basketball anymore. NCAA bball is a lot better game....fanbase is more into it....atmosphere is a lot more exciting.

I'd miss it in May. Just because I ****ing hate baseball season and the only thing that is on ESPN from April to August is baseball.

I enjoy beer, football on Sundays and I have a decent job. I am the 76%

You are also the .0000005% that likes Matt Cassel so you got that going for you :p

It's been almost as refreshing as that year we had no NHL.

I'm with ya. I'd also like to add that I'll likely never watch another complete NBA game again. I doubt I'll even watch part of one. Dont miss a single thing about it.

This survey is so racist.

If liking him better than our other options means I 'like' him than ok....I like him

Yep...I used to like watching it.....donno what happened theres just no excitement in it except maybe the last few minutes it seems like....

March madness sure...NBA...nah.

I kinda lost interest when they started giving them three steps to the basket.

FAX

Except it was the Bad Boy Pistons. Unless that's what he meant was the Pistons vs the Celtics. I don't know.

I enjoyed the championhip series last year, it was rewarding to watch that heartless phony choke yet again.

And i may or may not care about the next one, either way i wont lose any sleep, the nba has just lost something for me, not even 100% sure what it is.

Heavy D will miss the NBA season.

Shit, thanks for catching that. Meant to stick Celtics in after Pistons and left out the Piston part. Bill Laimbeer ought to smack me around for that.

I grew up in the same era, and it's what planted the seed for my enjoyment of the NBA today. But if you don't think Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Rose, Dirk, Durant, Howard, Paul, Melo, etc. aren't of the same caliber as the names you mentioned above, I think you're just being nostalgic about that era. The exciting part is that some of the names I rattled off are still young with much of their career to play out, and they play the right way and carry themselves well.

Now, has there been another MJ? Nope. Kobe is close, but just doesn't quite measure up.

The players you mention are not the same caliber IMO. Nor do they have near the same likability factor as the players in the Golden Age. Magic Johnson has more charisma and charm in his little finger than LeBron has in his whole body. Bird Celtics, Bad Boys, Showtime, etc. were a whole lot cooler, played a whole lot more as a team, and had "it".
Not so today and their lack of popularity since MJ left reflects this.

So you're going to compare the least likable player to the guy with more charisma than perhaps anyone ever? Seems fair. If you're arguing whether the league currently has one of the top 3 players of all time (MJ, Magic, Bird) the answer is probably no. But beyond that, the league and it's players easily compare to the 80's and 90's. They're a bit younger, so we'll see if they ultimately progress and maintain the longevity of a Malone or Hakeem.

Easily compares to the 80s and 90s in what way?
We are each welcome to our opinions. However the numbers over the years since MJ left tell a definite story.

Maybe not to you, but there are tons of young fans of Lebron, Kobe etc that cant relate to Magic, Bird and even MJ because they never saw them play. Thats how sports works....there will always be a new generation of players and fans ready to replace the old.

Of course there are new generations of fans. The fact they don't know anything about the original product doesn't affect the quality of either product.

I'd love to hear your opinion on why the 80's and 90's was so definitely superior? What numbers prove this? Attendance? It's not really quantifiable.

Congratulations, you started and completed that conversation without need of a second party.

He bases it some on TV ratings but the NBA had the best season ever for their ratings along with attendance.

Duncan and Kobe are two of the top 10 or 12 players of all time. Dirk is probably top 20 or 30. Durant, Rose, LeBron, Wade, Paul and Howard are on that kind of trajectory if their careers go as planned. Nash and Garnett have been incredibly compelling players who warrant top 50 player in history talk. That's a pretty distinguished and exciting list of players.

So attendance is your guide? Really? I don't even know how it compares, but it's not terribly relevant. The world (primarily media, economy and ticket pricing) is a very different place today than it was 20 years ago.

No, attendance is not my guide. Nor is TV ratings. Though both favor the golden age.

Your last statement, "it's not really quantifiable", is one with which I agree.
Everyone has their own opinion. If you feel like the quality of play is as good today, the players are as likable, the game is as popular, as was the case during the golden age of the NBA then that is your opinion.

Do you see anything that compares to the Showtime Lakers, the Bird Celtics, the Thomas Bad Boys, the MJ Bulls in talent, quality of play, style?
How about popularity, fan involvement, likability?
I don't.

Fair enough, can't argue with that. That said, I listed a pretty impressive group of players at the high end of the spectrum that would be hard to argue weren't worthy of previous eras. There probably aren't as many vets these days, and there are certainly younger players than back in the day, so you could argue that comes at a cost to quality of play. On the flip side of that argument however, is the excitement of watching guys develop over time.

You need to factor in that I'm a 45 year old white guy with a margarita in my hand.

I feel like your the old guy on the porch chanting "In my day......"

Players don't stay with teams like they did in those days, and that's true of all sports. Having said that, I'd say the Lakers and Celtics have been pretty compelling, as have the Spurs through the 2000's. Kobe and Shaq, Duncan/Parker/Ginobili, Garnett/Pierce/Allen, etc.

It's funny --- you're arguing that we don't have the consolidation of talent/power to create these semi-dynasties, and therefore the game is worse. That's somewhat true to an extent. Yet, the Heat, Knicks, Bulls try to accumulate that same concentrated talent, and people complain that would kill parity.

I really think guys like Durant, Rose, Griffin, etc. are going to bring us into a really exciting era where guys establish themselves on one team and stay there. In addition, they'll be likable guys who play the right way and carry themselves well off the court.

I would say the Heat compare very closely to the Bad Boy Pistons.

The Suns of a few years back were a lot like the Showtime Lakers, but they were a star away from getting it done.

:spock: how so?

"Overall, 76 percent said they weren't missing NBA games, 12 percent were and 12 percent did not have an opinion."

Really only 12% actually miss the NBA. heh

Pass shoot repeat.Repeat.Repeat...****'em.


Well..... Bye......

Lots of star power, embrace the role of villains... They aren't they same style of team, but they fit the "bad guys" bill.

They pass now? I thought that stopped around the time Allen Iverson got drafted.

WE. ARE. THE 88%.

Showtime Lakers = Lakers from 2000-today
Bird Celtics = current Celtics team
Bad Boys = Miami Heat
MJ Bulls = no comparison

If you want to talk about popularity, fan involvement, likability, and exciting go watch the Oklahoma Thunder play. They are one if not the most exciting and likable team in the NBA. And Kevin Durant is a star.

ROFL no.

I could see something more like:

Showtime Lakers = Shaq and Kobe Lakers or Suns with Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion
Bird Celtics = Dallas Mavericks
Bad Boys = Miami Heat
MJ Bulls = Lakers post Shaq

I agree with Knowmo???!!?!?!

At least give me some credit for trying :D

Seriously though the Showtime Lakers won 5 Championships which is the same that the Lakers from 2000-current have.

The book isn't written on the Heat yet but the villain role fits them.

And I absolutely stand by my statement in regards to the Thunder.

I think the game is as popular as ever but the number of strikes they've had and the economic forces have caused people not to care. The last time they had a strike eat into the season like this the NBA players were striking for the right to smoke dope. It took a long time for me to turn an NBA game on after that.

Hey everybody!

Tombstone is on.

FAX

Interesting that there are nine pages of posts filled with people who don't care one bit about the NBA. For something so unworthy of attention, there seems to be quite a bit of attention being paid. I didn't realize the NBA was this polarizing, I just assumed people that don't like it simply disregard it entirely.

I think there are people who actively dislike it.

I miss it already. LOVE the NBA.

Is the WNBA on strike?

First thought from headline was that means 72 mil do miss it. Sounds pretty good for nba. Then saw another 12% had no opinion. Means only 36 mil care. That not so good for nba.

I can't say I actively miss it but I wouldn't mind seeing some games. It would be better than 99% of the other shit on tv. I like the stretch run and playoffs pretty well. If KC had a team I'd probably care more right now.

I like the current NBA but no way were the 2000-today Lakers as fun to watch as the Showtime Lakers.
And the current Celts aren't the Bird Celtics.
Those are very high standards, though. If you're talking about the Showtime Lakers and Bird Celts you're talking about two teams that were among the most interesting in NBA history. I don't think there's any shame in not being their equal. The current era Celtics and Lakers have had some exciting teams and have been fun to watch.
I would say the Bad Boys=Heat is good. Although, the Bad Boys were sort of the likable villain. The Heat were sort of whiny jerk villains last year. But they are very compelling, no doubt. And I think Lebron is starting to get it. Poking fun at himself in the McDonalds ads was smart. He made himself more likable with those, in my opinion.
I think the NBA is great right now. The NHL too, by the way. Both leagues have been very entertaining the last few years.

The playoffs are worth watching, but the regular season sucks unless you attend the game.

Nah, just voicing my honest opinion. Not trying to force it on anyone else. I understand we all like what we like and there is no right or wrong about it.

*

The reason why ppl don't like NBA. It's because it is now Euro Trash infested. Think about it. Ever since it went international, casual fans haven't cared as much about it. What is the most popular sport in the US? NFL, by far. And there are literally no international players. Hmm ?

I just clicked on this thread and randomly read this post.

Gotta say, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

LOL, I mean, I'm not really serious, but it seems right as Euro Trash came to the NBA. It dropped off in popularity.

The Euro players are part of the reason it got better, I think. They run and shoot. It was Steve Francis and AI and them that did the whole dribble out the shot clock, then drive the lane with 5 seconds to go and jack up some crappy shot iso-game. Not the Euros.

It has more to do with the fact that everything is under the microscope more than it used to be because of the internet, and player's images can't hold up under the scrutiny.

Because of that, you don't have the Magic-Bird-Jordan celebrity to sell the sport.

There is some rumblings that a deal is close so hopefully we won't have to miss the NBA much longer

I don't miss the NBA now, but the other day I saw a rerun of a Bulls/Lakers game from the 88-89 season and couldn't keep my eyes off it. Nothing from the past 10-15 years matches watching Magic, Kareem and James Worthy going up against MJ, Scottie, etc.

The only thing better would be if the league dissolved and I never had to hear about it ever again.

This is a HUGE part of it. Bird and Jordan were assholes. Magic was an arrogant womanizer. Those guys would get slaughtered in today's media with the likes of Twitter and Deadspin.