Quote:
Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry
It's been a gradual thing over the last 10-12 years so. A few causes IMO:
-They have changed the rules about playing defense to the point that players almost have to defend without making contact.
-So many players are now allowed to carry the ball egregiously, making it harder to defend. Watch some Luka Doncic or Tyrese Halliburton highlights and you will see—they regularly will palm the ball and then lunge toward the basket in a way that's completely illegal and is very hard to counter.
-The way traveling is called (not called) - the footwork of the "Harden stepback" (dribble and then take three steps) has become the standard move for many players all around the court, allowing players to dance around defenders without dribbling. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the master of this type of move currently.
-The rise of analytics and the shift of the game toward a 3-pt shootout. There is so much less contact when the game revolves around players standing around the 3-pt line. And if the defender even grazes the finger of the shooter or enters their "landing space" it's three free throws.
I miss the days of Jordan, Olajuwon, Duncan and more defense. The NBA game has become sort of silly lately.
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I think the lack of calls of traveling and carrying the ball have been around longer than the last 10-12 years. What has changed more is the calls for minor contact, at least until the playoffs start. Then, it seems like the calls revert back to the 80s and 90s when they seemed to follow the "No blood, no foul" policy.