Isaiah Thomas with the dazzling assist of the year

PurpleJ said:

"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.

Isaiah 54:17

Allah Akbar.

Did you know that Shawn Kemp Jr. was the son of the famous Supersonic REIGN MAN Shawn Kemp?

doogsinparadise said:

PurpleThrobber said:

That's a nice pass - but it's sad that is considered the 'assist of the year' these days.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy9XptRhHcM



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SayMvB86OPs



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHmgWeY7heM


Last one is the best.

I don't want to be one of those NBA truthers, but I'm positive that the players thirty to forty years ago were more graceful and skilled than players now. Guys like Pistol Pete, Elgin, Kareem, etc may not have been able to jump out of the gym like the Russell Westbrook's or shoot like the Stephen Curry's of today, but they looked damn smooth playing the game.

The game has evolved. Not good or bad - just different. Strength training and nutrition has changed the athletes physical abilities - you can't tell me David Thompson or Dr. J wouldn't be the equivalent of Russell Westbrook or Lebron with added strength training. Those motherfuckers could jump out of the gym. Dudes like Bird could stroke it just as well as Curry but the conventional thinking was geared toward 3 point shooting - the game was based on passing and getting the ball closer to the hoop.

These days kids spend so much time playing in tournaments year round, they don't spend the time drilling and doing the fundamental work of the old school players. Their 'drills' are games. And their fundamental work is with private instructors/coaches who focus on individual skills rather than team-oriented activities. It used to be maybe 5 practices for every game, now it's more like 1 practice (at least during AAU season for high school guys) and 5 or 6 games.

I do think passing is relatively lost art. It's all dribble-drive-kick-for-threes stuff these days. Mid-range doesn't exist anymore at all. I don't think it's any coincidence the Spurs are heavy on foreign players and have a long history of success - their style encourages motion both strong and weakside which is almost entirely different than the way the rest of the NBA plays.

Officiating also plays a part. In the old days, hard fouls were pretty common so you had to be a little sneakier or able to put the pass on a dime to score. Or, alternatively, you just ran like hell and pushed pace to beat the thugs downcourt. Today, so many touch fouls are called that a premium is put on being able to turn the corner and drive to the rim. You're going to get a call pretty much no matter what.

I personally prefer the old/current foreign-based style.

Oh....and get off my lawn!