https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/09/paul-westphal-is-a-hall-of-famer-boston-celtics-champion-and-no-fan-of-where-the-nba-is-right-now.html
Westphal feels that all the teams are running the same offense, with high pick and role, surrounded by 3 point shooters. There is no longer any inside game.
That goes to show that even experts have their blind spots.
His summary of today's offense is a parody. The stuff teams run is elaborate and diverse, incorporating things from all decades; you see teams running flex, Princeton, triangle, and the old Celtics horns plays. The current rules encourage movement with and without the ball; the contrast with a guy pounding the ball in the post couldn't be more stark.
The NBA has the best athletes on the planet, for my money. The current game allows them to use their skills - including some amazing distance shooting - and their running and jumping. For me that's a lot more exciting than the static basketball that we've left behind.
He also distinguishes with Heinsohn's emphasis on running from today's league.
Can't tell what he's talking about. Tempos have been creeping up since the rules changed a generation ago. The changes were intended to open up play after the constipated game of the bad old 1990's, and they've done that.
If you look at games from the 1960's or 1970's one thing that stands out is how poorly conditioned and unathletic the average player is, compared to today. It was a sound strategy for Red and Russ and Tommy to outrun their opponents, and while conditioning and aggressiveness are always and forever advantages, the disparities between players have decreased.
Today's NBA player covers a lot more ground in a game than he did in the first six decades of the league.
Do you agree with him?
No, not at all.
"Things aren't the way they used to be," said every curmudgeon ever.
And they're basically always right. The part they're almost always wrong about is that the old way was better.
Excellent point.
I don't know the Magic Bird era was a special one in the NBA.....
I agree.