And the Foul

Why the NBA Can't Be the NCAA

By Ben Makin



Photo Cred www.bleacherreport.com

This year the NBA and the NCAA are having great seasons. The lack of a serious contender in college basketball is leading to exciting games where truly, any team could win on a given night (Wake Forest-who has a losing record- just beat #2 Miami who just beat #1 Duke who beat #20 NC State who beat #1 Duke who beat  #4 Ohio State who beat Michigan who lost to an unranked Wisconsin team who lost to a terrible Iowa team who has a losing record…are you lost yet? Long story short- Iowa is one of the best teams in the country? No, maybe not).

The NBA on the other hand is full of superstars who are electrifying the court night in and night out. There are obvious favorites to win the ‘ship, but teams on the rise have a serious chance in pulling off an upset.  Both playoffs are going to be more exciting than they have been in years.

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So here’s the main question- why are people more excited for the NCAA tournament than the NBA playoffs? In talking to people, I keep hearing, “Oh the NBA is good, but it's just a bunch of athletes, they took the team game out of it. College Basketball is so much better” And other things like, “College Basketball actually has defense...” Both these statements have hints of truth to them, BUT if you look closely things are not as they seem.

Debate 1

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The NBA is full of the best athletes in the world, hands down. They’re freaks of nature that could jump over the empire state building if the lane was open. To top it all off they make an exorbitant amount of money so there is an ego factor involved. Put those things together and you have the recipe for Isolation Stew. That's what the great majority of the NBA is (not a bad thing). There are a few teams that aren’t following that mold: the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers (1 and 2 respectively in their conferences). Watching these two teams play is like watching an artist at work; slow, methodical and in the end it's pretty. Their “off the ball movement,” cutting, screening, slipping, help defense, is the best in the NBA right now.

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 Both are HOT teams that can’t seem to lose, so why aren’t teams following in their footsteps? Because it’s perceived to be “boring” to watch (*at least to most casual basketball fans). When given the choice to see either Kobe and the Lakers light it up with their star power, or the Indiana Pacers play hard nose team basketball, most people are picking the Lake-show 9 out of 10 times. The Laker’s record is clearly worse (8 games below the Pacers), but they consistently sell more tickets on the road.  

Once again, why?

Teams are about selling and winning (in that order) and the best way to sell is to have a superstar take the ball and dunk over someone.  The Spurs have Tim Duncan who can barely touch the net, and the Pacers are from Indiana, they don't allow dunking there. Despite this, they’ve adapted, and play a different brand of basketball. So why is it more exciting to watch a team play fundamental basketball in Cameron Indoor, but not in Madison Square Garden? That's a great question, and one that people need to ask themselves.

So sure, the NBA is more of an isolation game. It sells. But if college basketball is so much better, why do we complain when teams play like an Indiana Pacers club? I’m just trying to get some consistency here!

Debate 2

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Defense is played in the NBA, contrary to popular belief. Sure it looks different than the college game and the YMCA rec league you play in on the weekends, but that is because the game is different. First, there aren’t bad players in the NBA; guys are there for a reason. College has a greater variety of skill levels, and teams have to play differently to adjust to this. The Association has players that are so advanced offensively; the defense literally cannot stop them. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THERE ISN’T DEFENSE BEING PLAYED. Watch a team like the Heat, Pacers, Bulls (well not lately), Spurs or Celtics and you see the lock down defense a college team plays.

Also, college teams have multiple practices a week. Their schedule is one where they can scheme to upcoming teams, try out new defenses, and really prep for the next opponent. During an NBA season, teams do not have this luxury. And when they do (during the Playoffs!) we see some staggering defense and amazing games that come down to the wire. This is all because teams can prep for their opponent and have about 7 games to figure it out!

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The two leagues are not that different. The NBA is faster, and does lean to be more of an isolation game, but that is because fans complain when teams try to play college ball.  And sure, College Basketball has “better defense”, but they aren’t playing as high of a level of athlete. They have more time to adjust and be coached. All I’m saying is don't quit on the NBA, because the game is changing. If you sit down and watch some good teams play, you’ll see some amazing talent and basketball skill. Give it a chance, the league is reaching the heights of the mid 90’s when MJ was on his grind. Sure, the NBA isn’t the same as college… but I love it.