I've tried to watch some of the NBA playoffs, and outside a few teams/series, I find it pretty boring basketball. This is disheartening as we see CBB start to reduce the shot clock to "increase scoring". NBA is too much one man dribble and then go 1 on 1 or single pass for a shot. The only redeeming factor in some series or with some teams, is there are some real athletes and talented individuals and they do some incredible things every now and then.

I think Bill Self even made a comment to the effect, with the shorter clock, that it can be a little stale. That is not a bad way to describe NBA. Will be interesting to see what Bill does with the FIBA shot clock and the impact on our offense.

I find myself enjoying the NHL playoffs, finals a lot more. Frenetic action with lots of passing and speed. Not give the ball to LeBron and let him bring it up and dribble for most of the clock and then go 1:1 or a quick pass to someone else standing out on the perimeter.

GO Bolts.

@Bwag Definitely like College bball more than NBA, and hope college bb doesn't get too close to NBA style. I thought the rumors of going to 6 fouls in college was a bad, bad idea as well. Hopefully just a rumor...

@Bwag

You are probably just watching the finals with LeBron who is like a gigantic black hole (no pun intended), and once he gets the ball it is not seen again until he either scores or commits a turnover. Even then, the first 2 games went into over time. Some of other series prior to the finals were wildly entertaining.

In my case, since ive made the switch to watching CBB over the nba for the past two decades, it's really no comparison ... Completely different games. No real defense in nba, (hard to play 82 reg season games and give effort all the time) and yes basically a LOT of one on one moves. For me its immateral that the guys in the nba are highly skilled and can do a lot of amazing things (mostly on offense ) -
Its just boring to me. Seems to me in the magic-bird era there was a lot more passing, and team playmaking as well as concerted defense, but i could be wrong. ill take the college game any day, despite the apparent dearth of scoring - its infinitely more exciting to me, and the effort especially on defense makes for a more entertaining product to me at least.

@Bosthawk I'm with you. I've posted before that I wouldn't walk across the street to watch an NBA game from the owner's suite.

@JayHawkFanToo I don't blame LeBron for being a ball hog right now. Nobody else on that team that is healthy is a competent offensive player. Lover and Irving were the only other offensive threats, but since they're injured, LeBron really is their only offensive threat and this isn't the time to be selfless.

NBA players are amazing, yet, the game just isn't that compelling, To prove it I'll get home tonight in time for the last 5 minutes of the game. My wife says I should do the same thing for college games and I just give her this look, like, huh?

@JayHawkFanToo watched some of them and they were pretty good. But yes, LeBron ball is ugly. Am enjoying the fact that Steph didn't hit some of these daggers he's hitting late against LeBron against us in 2008.

@Bosthawk I noted it was 3 minutes into the game tonight before either team scored.

@Texas-Hawk-10 But LeBron picked his team...so it's on him.

@Bwag yep!!!

@ralster
I have a hard time watching NBA games. My father told me 25 years ago-don't bother watching a whole NBA game-just watch the last 5 minutes. SOUND ADVISE.

As for six fouls-interestingly enough I was scorekeeper for our AAU team in. Houston Tourney (women) recently and six fouls were allowed.
Only one gal had 4 fouls-the most on both teams. The refs swallow whistles to keep the tourney on schedule. It makes for ugly games and I am surprIsed there are not more injuries.

@Bwag LeBron didn't choose to have the 2nd and 3rd best players on that team injured for the Finals. Michael Jordan needed Scottie Pippin to get past Detroit and LeBron needs Love and Irving to get over the hump.

LBJ- "WHY DID I GET THEM to TRADE THAT KID FROM KU?" I bet LBJ beats his head against the locker each night they lose. I guarantee you things would be different with Wigs. KLove has been a total flop.

I would love to see Wigs against Curry. Dang, what a match that would've been. I'm not too impressed with Thompson at this point. Wigs is a far better option over both Thompson and Barnes. LBJ's ego got the best of him this year and traded his way right out of a WC. I'd say Golden State just about won the WC tonight. Wigs still has the better of the deal either way, he won.

I bet Lebron is frustrated that three of the five guys that were supposed to be starting for this team are wearing suits on the sidelines during the Finals - Irving, Love, and the often forgotten Anderson Varejao.

Cleveland has literally been crippled by injuries, which has made this Finals so unfortunate. They just don't have enough healthy players to play pretty basketball. Their only hope is the dreaded bad ball. Slog it up on defense and play through Lebron on literally every possession offensively. If both teams were closer to full strength, this would be a really fun strategic series.

The playoffs this year have been more about attrition than they have been about aesthetics. The number of top notch players that was either out or significantly limited by injury has been overwhelming, and in the NBA, the drop off in talent from the top tier to the next is enormous.

Take Cleveland's drop off at PG. Kyrie Irving is an elite player. Matthew Dellavadova is a bench player that is playing 40 minutes a game because Kyrie Irving isn't there. In game 1, Irving at 75% was better than Dellavadova at 95%. Cleveland's entire offense has changed because they don't have Love, Irving, etc. to run their regular sets.

Golden State has been limited a bit as well, though they have their key cogs (Curry, Thompson, Green, etc.) so they can run their regular stuff, which has let them open the game up down the stretch in each of the last two games.

James has been exceptional, but his chances were cooked when Irving's knee gave out. The drop off in talent was just too much to make up in the NBA.

@justanotherfan wasn't love well-known for being injury prone?

As a former Cleveland resident/Cavs season ticket holder and fan who hates it when teams try and stack a roster (Yankees, kentucky, Miami heat, now Cavs.....)

Go Warriors!!!!

WigginsCurse

@Crimsonorblue22 He has broken bones in each hand, but nothing that has been chronic. Each of his injuries has been somewhat of a freak accident. He doesn't have bad knees or a bad back or anything that suggests injury. He has usually only missed a handful of games each year:

2009 - 1
2010 - 22 (broken left hand)
2011 - 9
2012 - all games played in lockout shortened season
2013 - 64 (broken right hand)
2014 - 5
2015 - 7

That's not bad, honestly. No chronic or repeated injuries.

@justanotherfan

Cleveland has had a lot to overcome.

I'm not sure if they lost much with Love and Varejao... at least in perspective of the Finals. Not sure how effective these guys would have been.

Irving, on the other hand, was a monster loss! Not only do they miss his offense and ability to run the show.. he was doing a phenomenal job of shutting down Curry.

This series might have already been done and the trophy in Cleveland had Irving stayed healthy. I've taken criticism for saying this... but I do really think Blatt made a very freshman coaching mistake by going heavy on Irving in Game 1. Sometimes coaches have to look ahead and see the broad picture instead of just trying to get a single win under their belt. Wasting out Irving in Oakland was a major blunder. It did look like his injury was brought on by fatigue. He was tired and he slipped up. Yes, it could also happen in the first minutes of a game with fresh legs, but a lot more likely down the stretch with tired legs.

Having Irving on a limited basis would be a lot more valuable then not having him at all. Experienced coaches know this, and most coaches wouldn't have pushed Irving so hard in Game 1. They should have almost conceded the first two games to rest Irving and bring the challenge back to Cleveland to tie it up, then push for a road victory later in the series. JMHO....

@clevelandjayhawk Don't forget the Marlins. Owner bought a WS one year, the next year couldn't afford all the salaries and decimated the team.