The NBA - basketball talk

... You know, some of us aren't exactly well-versed in all the NBA superstars' names. I only recognize Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and Shaquille O'Neil from the ones you've mentioned... and Jordan would've been the only name I would've recognized at all if I hadn't gotten interested in basketball to do some on-and-off personal research over the past couple years, or noticed their names being mentioned as possible inspirations for some Slam Dunk characters' basketball play styles.

edited 21st Mar '15 11:43:35 AM by MarqFJA

Edited.

Dunno if my lineup works as a good general-purpose do-everything team, though.

I...

How do you know Jordan that well, but not know Pippen at all?

I don't know. I think I really started to know Michael Jordan well after watching Space Jam, though even by then I had already heard of his name before and knew he was the big name in basketball at the time. (I was born in 1987, BTW. Not yet a teen when the movie came over the pond and over Europe to Saudi Arabia.) I think Jordan was the only NBA player who was widely talked about around here ever... or maybe it's because I never got interested in basketball itself enough to seek out dedicated fans of the sport. Soccer dominates in popularity to an absurd degree here, anyway; nobody really gives a damn about any other sport, sadly. (I honestly think that of the two sports, it's basketball that's the harder and superior sport, since you need all of your limbs and your mind to be in top condition, and it's much faster paced and thus more exicting, at least to me.)

edited 21st Mar '15 3:06:47 PM by MarqFJA

Well, fair enough that you're not American and not a basketball fan first, but still...

Also, as for the toughness, it depends what position you play. A football middie is going to have a lot more running and physical challenge than most Basketball centers.

But then basketball centers have to expend their energy blocking/screening out close-range attackers and rebounders (who tend to be on the physically large and/or powerful side themselves) as well as getting through the opponent's own attempts at blocking/screening out — or what is commonly referred to by the shorthand of "power struggle"/"contest of strength" in the few manga that revolve around the sport.

With Nash's retirement, the players who have played in the 90s that are left are the following:

• Dirk Nowitzki
• Tim Duncan
• Kobe Bryant
• Jason Terry
• Andre Miller
• Shawn Marion
• Elton Brand
• Paul Pierce
• Vince Carter
• Kevin Garnett
• Nazr Mohammed

Marion will retire at the end of this season.

EDIT: Anyway, how'd you like my all-era dream team?

edited 21st Mar '15 10:28:53 PM by Nitramy

Well, you missed the part where you're supposed to explain what the Dream Team's members are so good at that made you pick them in the first place.

Starters:

• Michael Jordan (GOAT SG. Takes over games, enough said.)
• Scottie Pippen (Defends multiple positions, splits point guard duties with Jordan, underrated scorer)
• Larry Bird (Does everything well, which is what's required in a small forward.)
• Bill Russell (Takes care of rebounding and defense at the power forward spot, leadership)
• Hakeem Olajuwon (Defends multiple positions, wily scorer)

• Allen Iverson (If you need scoring in a hurry, can also play point guard if needed)
• John Stockton (Quintessential point guard in case I need a normal lineup)
• Tim Duncan (Bill Russell 2.0)
• Wilt Chamberlain (Provides offense, defense, rebounding. Dominant big man.)
• Oscar Robertson (Constant triple-double threat.)
• Magic Johnson (Provides point guard skills across three or four positions.)
• Shaquille O'Neal (Provides a lot of power in the paint.)

Oh, and have Gregg Popovich as the coach, with Mike Budenholzer and Steve Kerr as assistants.

edited 24th Mar '15 2:53:55 AM by Nitramy

Don't know how to preface it so, just enjoy.

Also, "SPHERE BOUNCE"

Playoffs are almost here. My dream that 3 eastern conference teams would enter the playoffs with losing records as a sick joke is dead (one will at least enter at .500). Derrick Rose is healthy.

edited 14th Apr '15 8:18:27 PM by wanderlustwarrior

The Southbest Division is 100% in the playoffs for the Bestern Conference.

Say, have there been any famous players in women's basketball (not just the WNBA, which was only founded in 1997 — and is not the first women's pro basketball league in the US) that have a legitimate claim to being called the "Michael Jordan" of the sport?

Raps/Wizards progressed exactly how I imagined it, a game that would go to OT and the loser being who faded away first.

If Lowry doesn't play better it's another first round exit.

Bulls, meanwhile, Mmm. Dat team ball.

And Kyle Lowry once again plays like garbage. It's not only his fault though.

Christ almighty, this team's defense is terrible. Might as well buy myself a broom and ask a DC native to sweep my ass out the door because that's what's going to happen to the Raptors barring some miracle.

edited 21st Apr '15 7:57:20 PM by NoChorus

Well I do live in DC, so...

But nah, I'm Chicago through and through.

I see Thibs still wants to run Jimmy Butler into the ground

He's doing it to everyone. Notice Mirotic was out with a knee injury of his own, while Butler played 51 minutes and Rose played 48. Yeah, it was a double-overtime game, and they were the key players, but still, I'm concerned.

Anywho, Rose had a great game, 34 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds and steals each if I recall correctly, and over 50% shooting! The only free-throw he missed was the one that caused the game to go into OT in the first place.

There were some questionable non-calls in favor of the Bucks earlier in the 4th period, but I'm still glad the Bulls won.

In which we feed the NBA draft nothing but super-human players year after year, and see how long it takes for all of the normal humans to become obsolete.

(A follow-up to last year's experiment, where we fed the NBA nothing but terrible players, and watched it slowly wither and die.)

Comprehensive beatdown doesn't even begin to describe Bucks-Bulls

The Bulls starters had next-to-no reason to be on the floor for the last half. 54 point win, one ejection on the Bucks...

It's kinda sad. As a Bulls fan, I, like the announcers, kinda was just ready for the game to be over. The first half was fun, but the rest was just unnecessary. Mercy rule, dudes.

I did love those NBA Y2K links.

edited 30th Apr '15 8:29:59 PM by wanderlustwarrior

Thibs has never been one for resting starters, I didn't really expect him not to stick by his mentality

NBA-Y2K part 3: in the year 2038, the first of the Immortals has become a General Manager. Eternal President Obama cheers on the Bulls from his private box in the United Center.

...where Tom Thibodeau still plays Jimmy Butler 47 minutes per game.