When did basketball stop becoming a contact sport?

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

...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.

It has been several years since the last time I watched a basketball game. James Harden was playing and he repeatedly did something I found quite irritating.

Harden would receive a pass and shoot a 3-pointer. When he did, his legs would "kick" out in front of him. If he happened to kick the defender, the ref would call a foul...on the defender.

So, wait. You can kick someone and they get hit with a foul? What kind of horse$#!t is this?

(cue the old-person-reminiscing music)

Back in my day, if you purposefully kicked a defender, you wouldn't get free throws. You'd get dropped. As in, the other team's biggest player would take a swing at you (with ill intent) and likely connect.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by Eric72

It has been several years since the last time I watched a basketball game. James Harden was playing and he repeatedly did something I found quite irritating.

Harden would receive a pass and shoot a 3-pointer. When he did, his legs would "kick" out in front of him. If he happened to kick the defender, the ref would call a foul...on the defender.

So, wait. You can kick someone and they get hit with a foul? What kind of horse$#!t is this?

(cue the old-person-reminiscing music)

Back in my day, if you purposefully kicked a defender, you wouldn't get free throws. You'd get dropped. As in, the other team's biggest player would take a swing at you (with ill intent) and likely connect.

That's now something that can be called as an offensive foul if it's ruled to not be part of the natural shooting motion. I think it was changed to be like that a few years ago.

[frankbmd]

Just look at the shot and look at the next post

[frankbmd]

Just look at the shot charts. The percentage of attempts between the "paint" and the "3 point line" is usually 10% or less.

Grade school coaches must be telling the boys,

"Now boys I want you all to spread out behind the line. If you get the ball, shoot. If you get a rebound, look for an open teammate behind the line so he can shoot. The fans will be yelling "DEE-FENCE", so you don't have to worry about it."

Yes, the game has changed and become boring to watch. Wouldn't it be interesting to see today's players on a court without the three point line. They wouldn't know where to stand or when to shoot. I would be more interested in seeing the "Final 3" than the "Final 4"

[bk400]

Sometimes I wonder why the current NBA players even bother lifting weights, as the vast majority of rebounds are uncontested; contact is not allowed against a driving player; and there is so little post-up play in the paint.

Cue the old man music (love that reference, btw), but Steph Curry doesn't exist in the 90s. Gary Payton would have crushed him.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by bk400

Sometimes I wonder why the current NBA players even bother lifting weights, as the vast majority of rebounds are uncontested; contact is not allowed against a driving player; and there is so little post-up play in the paint.

Cue the old man music (love that reference, btw), but Steph Curry doesn't exist in the 90s. Gary Payton would have crushed him.

Steve Kerr had a 15 year career and played during that era, and was strictly a stand in the corner spot up specialist.

Steph Curry would have been fine in any era. Even at 37 years old he moves without the ball better then just about anybody. That's his secret sauce. He's always on the move. All he needs is the tiniest amount of space to get his shot off, from just about anywhere on the court. He hits ridiculous shots at a historic rate of efficiency, even though everybody in the arena thinks they know what he wants to do with the ball. He's also an excellent facilitator when need be.

His biggest flaw is that he can be exploited defensively in certain matchups, which is true of any smaller Guard.

Though he's not as bad defensively as some might think. He has been among the league leaders in steals many times and has been a part of many statistically strong defensive teams with the Warriors.

Hell, if the notoriously inefficient shooting 6 foot Allen Iverson can have a HOF career playing in the "Gary Payton era", I'm pretty sure Curry could to.

Not saying Payton, might not have had Curry's number in head to head matchups...but that's just one guy in a 30 team league. Paytons one of the greatest defensive guards to ever play the game. Luckily for Curry and others, most teams didn't have another Gary Payton.

Curry has also never had a problem with other guys scoring instead of him, if he's not feeling it.

Shutting down Curry, doesn't necessarily mean, shutting down his team.

[D. Bergin]

I do miss the smash-mouth days of 80's-90's NBA and old Big East physical college play to, but I also remember they shot even more free-throws back then, then they do now.

Fouling has always been a strategy, it's just a matter of what you can get away with, and walking that line defensively based on the rules in place at any given time.

I also remember people complaining that the guys back then should pass the ball more, stop hacking offensive players, stop playing ugly basketball, and get better at shooting outside shots, because it was more skillful then just being tall and dunking on the inside.

They began changing the rules to cater to the public's perception of things...and eventually, we got what everybody wished for, and nobody liked that either, LOL.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I would start by silencing the organ music.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Just look at the shot charts. The percentage of attempts between the "paint" and the "3 point line" is usually 10% or less.

Grade school coaches must be telling the boys,

"Now boys I want you all to spread out behind the line. If you get the ball, shoot. If you get a rebound, look for an open teammate behind the line so he can shoot. The fans will be yelling "DEE-FENCE", so you don't have to worry about it."

Yes, the game has changed and become boring to watch. Wouldn't it be interesting to see today's players on a court without the three point line. They wouldn't know where to stand or when to shoot. I would be more interested in seeing the "Final 3" than the "Final 4"

A long way from my HS potential coach telling me something like "you're a good outside shooter, but that doesn't win games, inside play does. And you have to admit you're awful at that. " And so I only went as far as the first cut.
He wasn't wrong.