Arena March Madness 2011 - Live Chat Thread

I'm tempted to look up when the last time a team only scored 41 points in the title game was... but I'm not sure I really want to know

 

As a Uconn grad: WOO UCONN! WINNING!

As a fan of Basketball: HAHA, i think my BAC > Butler's FG%. How can anyone with a straight face say College ball is better than the NBA after that abomination of a basketball game?

 

Quick glance puts it at 1949:

Kenucky 46, Oklahoma A&M 36

 

Well, Butler did have an abnormal night in their suckage from the field, but I do agree with you.

They beat Boston!: 2009-2010 L.A. Lakers: Back-to-Back World Champions

 

This one game was terrible. No argument there. But on the whole, I'll still gladly take college basketball any day over NBA.

On that note, no more college basketball until November

 

I agree with R...J. That was a bad game, but you'll never make me an actual NBA fan. There might be players that I'll root for, or teams that I'll casually follow (the Spurs), but I'll never care for it the way that I do for college basketball, even after an atrocious game.

 

I may completely disagree with that, but it's your right/prerogative to feel that way.

They beat Boston!: 2009-2010 L.A. Lakers: Back-to-Back World Champions

 

To me, the NBA and College Basketball are two completely different sports.

I can enjoy both, but I typically need a team I care about to really follow the NBA. I can pretty much follow college basketball without the need to have my team involved.

 

Is this where I help Trika and point out that the Women's bball championship game is close and actually exciting?

 

You missed the part where no one cares, sey. Or the part where everyone lamented college basketball season's ending yesterday and not today.

But besides that, I've probably scared the **** out of everyone on anything to do with the subject, so they're not going to venture into that thread anymore, anyway. lol

 

You scared them? I'm pretty sure I helped!

 

[Borat]High five![/Borat]

 

I just decided I wanted to keep living, that's all

And congrats to Texas A&M.

 

They are indeed different types of basketball.................the problem, for me, is that the difference between the two (rules wise, for the most part) is just too much. I want someone to explain to me the need for a 35 second shot clock, and a 3-point line that I can probably make a few 3-pointers from.

They beat Boston!: 2009-2010 L.A. Lakers: Back-to-Back World Champions

 

Honestly, I think the shorter shot-clock makes for a more street-feel basketball to me... quick shots and poor play running (if at all), mostly. I'd rather have thirty or thirty-five seconds to actually run a play and show some sort of strategy beyond a one-on-one pick-up game between two players. Pro ball seems like that at least 90% of the time... dude dribbles for two to five seconds, drives hard to the basket, then either a) complains about the no-call foul as he hits the floor or b) dishes it right back out to some guy standing behind the arc for an easy three. Sure, it's basketball, but it's just not my type of basketball.

As for the arc, it's different across every level. FIBA uses a different distance, too. Does it make international ball any less legitimate? And maybe it's not about legitimacy... but does the fact that a younger player making it from another three feet in really mean it's a more boring version of the sport or something? Having watched college ball extensively, I've seen plenty of players consistently make shots from near NBA-range, anyway. These players have grown up wanting to play pro ball, so you can bet they've practiced that distance on an occasion or two. It's hilarious fun when you see a player take a shot from NBA-range 'cause it seems like it's so far behind the arc sometimes. High school players shoot from the legit "top" of the key, but I find high school ball fun to watch, too. It's just a different level. Kobe started shooting from there, too, at one point... I guess he wasn't fun to watch before he hit the NBA, right?

I'll round out by saying that for me, watching someone grow in basketball is more fun than watching someone who has "mastered" the game. Kobe's going to make three-pointers, and he's going to dunk the ball, too... There's no surprise in pro ball most days. Never mind what I think is college players' possession of more passion and energy for the game... they're just fun to watch across their careers as they grow. They don't exactly suck when they arrive on campus, either... so it only gets better with time, in my opinion.

Gosh darn it, does that answer your question, Tunick?!

 

That extra 11 seconds in the college shot clock is just too long................plays can & do run efficiently/effectively with 24 seconds. Knowing you've got 10-19 seconds to run a play (if it were take that long), before the clock is an issue, is more exciting to see develop. The 3-point line business? Out of all things I don't like about the NCAA game, that one bugs me the least, though it would be nice if the line was moved up more or moved to the NBA level. Pro players careers can evolve over time as much as a college player, so the same level of "no surprise" (which is evident with any sport that one watches for years on end) is there. And, don't give me that tired old cliche that college kids have more passion/care more.................that may not apply to 100% of NBA players (as it doesn't apply to all NCAA players), but passion/caring is there.

They beat Boston!: 2009-2010 L.A. Lakers: Back-to-Back World Champions

 

Why not? I've got to hear the tired old cliches concerning women's basketball around here, so you get to hear that one.

Preference is preference. I still hold to everything I mentioned. And I swear, every time I look up at the Heat/Bucks game right now, someone's immediately driving hard to the basket and dishing it... one of the two plays currently employed by the NBA, apparently. lol. Zzzzzz...

 

At this point, we have to settle on agreeing that we disagree about this.

They beat Boston!: 2009-2010 L.A. Lakers: Back-to-Back World Champions