Cleveland Cavaliers vs San Antonio Spurs

[Guest George's Box]

The league tried for too long to build the league on the backs of stars and it bombed once the Magic, MJ, Bird, Barkley crowd retired.

You phrased it as if they tried and failed.

 

The NBA more than any league is predicted on having exciting teams and stars.

It's "predicated," unless you're seeing the future or something.

 

with Best of 7 formats I'm not 100% sure the best team is actually winning the title.

And you feel that one game is a better way to ascertain the best team?

 

One look at the Final 4 ratings (and the tourney in general) compared to the NBA ratings will show quite clearly that around the country people care more about college hoops.

No, people around the country care about gambling. The teams themselves have little relevance to most people, there are no familiar faces, and the quality of play is, yes, lower than in the pros. I could write more, but I'm just not feeling the energy to tear apart another dumbshit cabbageboy post. It's overcast outside; maybe if the sun was out I'd be more inspired.

[Ripper 0]

I have to say that anyone that claims college hoops is better basketball is insane. It is extremely crappy basketball, where the crowd makes it seem like it is something. Its a bunch of guys shooting 20 footers at 30% and people pretend like they are the new Thunder Dan with twice the shooting range. They suck at finishing around the basket. A guy has 14 and 8 and he had a monster game. They over pass. They do that dumb slap the floor "NOW I AM PLAYING D" bullshit when they absolutely suck at it. They can get away with playing that gay ass zone D because no one can shoot for shit. The big men give the illusion of having back to the basket moves when their offense is usually just a layup and a up and under. It is shit basketball for the most part with about 5-10% of its players actually being good. Then those players usually have shit coaches who can't make simple calls to utilize their guys that are ridiculously better than everyone else on the court. It is a league where there are 6'1 shooting guards that can't dribble that well and 6'4" powerf orwards that can't really rebound that well. Its fucking little league bullcrap and I am sick of people calling it more polished basketball. it sucks ass. I would rather watch the IBL or the ABA or CBA than that shit.

[Brett Favre 0]

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I have to say that anyone that claims college hoops is better basketball is insane. It is extremely crappy basketball, where the crowd makes it seem like it is something. Its a bunch of guys shooting 20 footers at 30% and people pretend like they are the new Thunder Dan with twice the shooting range. They suck at finishing around the basket. A guy has 14 and 8 and he had a monster game. They over pass. They do that dumb slap the floor "NOW I AM PLAYING D" bullshit when they absolutely suck at it. They can get away with playing that gay ass zone D because no one can shoot for shit. The big men give the illusion of having back to the basket moves when their offense is usually just a layup and a up and under. It is shit basketball for the most part with about 5-10% of its players actually being good. Then those players usually have shit coaches who can't make simple calls to utilize their guys that are ridiculously better than everyone else on the court. It is a league where there are 6'1 shooting guards that can't dribble that well and 6'4" powerf orwards that can't really rebound that well. Its fucking little league bullcrap and I am sick of people calling it more polished basketball. it sucks ass. I would rather watch the IBL or the ABA or CBA than that shit.

 

QFT

[Guest George's Box]

It must be sunny in Atlanta.

[theintensifier 0]

The only college sport that actually nearly rivals their professional counterpart is college football. It's especially close when there are huge rivalry games, like Michigan/Notre Dame - MSU - Ohio State.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I have to say that anyone that claims college hoops is better basketball is insane. It is extremely crappy basketball, where the crowd makes it seem like it is something. Its a bunch of guys shooting 20 footers at 30% and people pretend like they are the new Thunder Dan with twice the shooting range. They suck at finishing around the basket. A guy has 14 and 8 and he had a monster game. They over pass. They do that dumb slap the floor "NOW I AM PLAYING D" bullshit when they absolutely suck at it. They can get away with playing that gay ass zone D because no one can shoot for shit. The big men give the illusion of having back to the basket moves when their offense is usually just a layup and a up and under. It is shit basketball for the most part with about 5-10% of its players actually being good. Then those players usually have shit coaches who can't make simple calls to utilize their guys that are ridiculously better than everyone else on the court. It is a league where there are 6'1 shooting guards that can't dribble that well and 6'4" powerf orwards that can't really rebound that well. Its fucking little league bullcrap and I am sick of people calling it more polished basketball. it sucks ass. I would rather watch the IBL or the ABA or CBA than that shit.

 

QFT

Ditto.

 

The only college sport that actually nearly rivals their professional counterpart is college football. It's especially close when there are huge rivalry games, like Michigan/Notre Dame - MSU - Ohio State.

Double ditto. And while I still love pro football more than any other pro sport, college football is tons of fun.

[Guest George's Box]

See, for me, all of the passion and intensity and pageantry and history still doesn't hide the fact that it's minor league football. The whole thing will never appeal to me. I'm sick of the inordinate level of importance placed on some Catholic school in Indiana, the draconian rules that the NCAA sets and the ensuing corruption, the bullshit championship system, major teams bloating themselves on Southwest New Hampshire State to rack up easy wins, and the fact that at the end of the day, it's still just inferior gameplay. Everything Ripper said about college basketball could be reworded to fit college football. Take away the marching bands and the color-coordinated drunk kids and it's nothing.

[Guest Smues]

Take away the marching bands and the color-coordinated drunk kids and it's nothing.

 

Possibly, but the marching bands and the drunk kids make it awesome!

 

Well the marching bands anyway.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah, fight music rocks.

 

Although, to add to this, I'll only agree with Czech on the charge of it having a bullshit championship system, and the (somewhat) inferior gameplay. The fact that it's NOT as good as the pros, and that the rules are different, is what makes it fun. You think one of the good dynasty teams like a Tennessee or USC or Ohio State or whatever to consistently be one of the best teams, and they've gotten upset before. Boise State and Oregon State this year make their point, although Oklahoma and SC didn't field their best squads this year, it's still a good moment for those schools, particularly that Boise-Oklahoma game. College football has crowds of up to 100,000 people, and even the smaller colleges will still have larger and more rowdy crowds than anything the pros would have. Not to mention that it also offers an alternative for people who live in areas that don't have a professional team- OU, Oregon, UCLA/USC, South Carolina, etc... Notre Dame gets the increased importance because they are a legendary team. Should I say I'm sick of the inordinate level of importance placed on some overpaid baseball team from the Bronx as well? (which I really am, but that's a whole other subject)

 

For me, the enjoyment out of watching the college game- and I think I only started a few years ago, hell I even made a topic here asking why people would watch college sports if it was inferior gameplay- comes more from the fact that I get to check out who might be the next great players in the NFL. The way I see it, the NFL is the "serious", epic, important game, whereas college is just amateurs having fun and trying to get to the next level. Both games have their merit.

[Guest George's Box]

Football games were always my least favorite part of being in the band department. Jazz was awesome, wind ensemble was great, even pep band had its merits, but I hated doing marching band.

 

You raise good points, VX, but I'm still not wavering: I derive very little enjoyment from college sports. I'll make the exception here that Boise State busting out all those trick plays to beat Oklahoma in overtime and keep their undefeated record was really fucking cool, but in the end it didn't really mean anything because they're Boise State University, and thus de facto ineligible to win a championship. As for the crowds being big and rowdy, I guess that's nominally impressive, but I'd rather be at a Bears game with 65,000 other people than a Wolverines game with 100,000 people, because I'd be watching a better football game.

 

EDIT: Oh, and Ripper, they done fucked up your Atlanta Hawks' uniforms. They look like a cross between the mid 90s Rockets, the Bobcats, and a generic college team.

[MrRant 0]

Is this the new logo?

 

[Guest George's Box]

If only.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Football games were always my least favorite part of being in the band department. Jazz was awesome, wind ensemble was great, even pep band had its merits, but I hated doing marching band.

 

You raise good points, VX, but I'm still not wavering: I derive very little enjoyment from college sports. I'll make the exception here that Boise State busting out all those trick plays to beat Oklahoma in overtime and keep their undefeated record was really fucking cool, but in the end it didn't really mean anything because they're Boise State University, and thus de facto ineligible to win a championship. As for the crowds being big and rowdy, I guess that's nominally impressive, but I'd rather be at a Bears game with 65,000 other people than a Wolverines game with 100,000 people, because I'd be watching a better football game.

 

EDIT: Oh, and Ripper, they done fucked up your Atlanta Hawks' uniforms. They look like a cross between the mid 90s Rockets, the Bobcats, and a generic college team.

 

I don't think that's a very good comparison- most of the Bears' games last year were pretty unwatchable. But I get what you mean. I think the SEC, being led by Florida of all schools, is pushing for the NCAA to change to a playoff format to replace the BCS. Considering the BCS is in part what enabled the Gators to win their championship, they're doing a lot of good there- plus being the defending national champs in both big college sports doesn't hurt, either.

 

And re: the Hawks' uniforms. If only they didn't add that blueish-violet color, it'd look fairly decent. I'd miss the gold, though.

[the max 0]

That hawk in the logo should be gripping an NBA Draft ping pong ball instead of a basketball.

[cabbageboy 0]

Okay, look. I actually agree with most of what was said about college football. It has to be considered inferior to the NFL if for no other reason than the god awful BCS that consistently freezes out teams from the title scene. College football is the only sport where a team can go undefeated and not really win anything substantial. And the level of play isn't on par with the NFL by any means.

 

As far as college hoops goes, obviously the pro players are more skilled. I mainly argued that the college game is more exciting and fun to watch. I can recall maybe one truly thrilling NBA game over the entire season (it was Phoenix vs. Dallas in an OT game). There may have been more, but that's really the only one I can remember off the top of my head. In college I remember some crazy great games with Texas vs. A & M, Texas vs. OK State, Tennessee vs. Ohio St. (Sweet 16), Ohio St. vs. Xavier, Georgetown vs. UNC, and so on.

 

This is a pointless argument. I mean, I'm from Louisville, KY so what am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to prefer watching the NBA when this is a totally college market with U of L, UK, and IU? There just isn't much casual interest in the NBA here, in fact right now there may even be a negative view of the NBA. People in NBA cities would likely feel differently about this.

 

As far as the fairest format for the NBA, I guess a whole round robin tourney might make everyone play everyone else but that isn't really feasible. For instance, I don't really know if the Pistons were the best team in 2004. Would they have beaten the Spurs or T-Wolves? Were the Heat serioulsy the best team last year? Could they have beaten either Phoenix or San Antonio? Could the Spurs have beaten the Heat in 2005? Were the Spurs really better than the Suns this year? For a definitive Best of 7 format there have been a lot of questions after the playoffs.

 

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

This is a pointless argument. I mean, I'm from Louisville, KY so what am I supposed to say?

 

Not speaking in sweeping generalizations and making it sound like what you believe is a fact.

[Ripper 0]

Dear lord those uniforms are pretty bad.

[Guest George's Box]

As far as the fairest format for the NBA, I guess a whole round robin tourney might make everyone play everyone else but that isn't really feasible. For instance, I don't really know if the Pistons were the best team in 2004. Would they have beaten the Spurs or T-Wolves? Were the Heat serioulsy the best team last year? Could they have beaten either Phoenix or San Antonio? Could the Spurs have beaten the Heat in 2005? Were the Spurs really better than the Suns this year? For a definitive Best of 7 format there have been a lot of questions after the playoffs.

Congratulations, you've just doubted the legitimacy of every major sports championship ever.

[CanadianChris 0]

As far as the fairest format for the NBA, I guess a whole round robin tourney might make everyone play everyone else but that isn't really feasible. For instance, I don't really know if the Pistons were the best team in 2004. Would they have beaten the Spurs or T-Wolves? Were the Heat serioulsy the best team last year? Could they have beaten either Phoenix or San Antonio? Could the Spurs have beaten the Heat in 2005? Were the Spurs really better than the Suns this year? For a definitive Best of 7 format there have been a lot of questions after the playoffs.

Congratulations, you've just doubted the legitimacy of every major sports championship ever.

Seriously. Why even have a playoff then? Why not just crown the regular season leaders the champions of every league in every sport?

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Technically shouldn't cabbageboy hate the March Madness then? Since we've seen underdogs upset teams superior to them.

[Just John 0]

Those new ATL unis... Woof.

[Guest George's Box]

As far as the fairest format for the NBA, I guess a whole round robin tourney might make everyone play everyone else but that isn't really feasible. For instance, I don't really know if the Pistons were the best team in 2004. Would they have beaten the Spurs or T-Wolves? Were the Heat serioulsy the best team last year? Could they have beaten either Phoenix or San Antonio? Could the Spurs have beaten the Heat in 2005? Were the Spurs really better than the Suns this year? For a definitive Best of 7 format there have been a lot of questions after the playoffs.

Congratulations, you've just doubted the legitimacy of every major sports championship ever.

Seriously. Why even have a playoff then? Why not just crown the regular season leaders the champions of every league in every sport?

Why even do that? How can you guarantee the Spurs should've beaten the Suns in a regular season game in February? The Suns may have been a more talented team. THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW.

 

Time for cabbageboy to go jump off a boat.