The Last Dance (ESPN)

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VideoGameCritic
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The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 13th, 2020, 9:47 pm

Anybody else watching this series on Michael Jordan? I'm loving it. Not just because I was a huge Bulls fan in the 90's, but because the documentary really takes you back to that era with all the television clips and behind-the-scenes footage.

Since there's no sports to watch this is the next best thing. Actually it's probably better.

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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby CharlieR » May 14th, 2020, 7:19 am

Love it. I was a huge Bulls fan growing up and still am.

One thing I am wondering, why exactly did Jerry Krause break up the team after the '98 season? Maybe they addressed it; I knew he did not like phil jackson. Krause was even courting Tim Floyd (Bulls coach after Jackson) while jackson was still coaching. Jordan said he would not play without jackson.

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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby TheEagleXIII » May 14th, 2020, 7:36 am

This got added to Netflix couple weeks ago - I really should get around to checking it out. The 90s really is my favourite era of NBA.

Voor
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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby Voor » May 14th, 2020, 6:39 pm

Like most boys, I was a big fan in the day, but I haven’t been that interested to watch. I’ve been catching some highlights, and it does seem to reveal some new things, is good.

It’s tough, because I’ve always had a mentality of “I’d rather be nice and come in second, than a jerk and come in first”, but I’ve never had a job where I had to truly perform against someone else. It sounds stressful on its own, so I can’t imagine what it’s like when you’re considered the very best and are expected to perform like it every time, both on and off the court. Whew.

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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby Voor » May 14th, 2020, 6:40 pm

Oh and I think the Netflix is strictly for outside the US. I don’t see it here.

I agree about 90s basketball, but I admit to really enjoying the Lebron-era too. Though the last couple of years have had way too many 3s.

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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 14th, 2020, 9:31 pm

Voor - I think you nailed it. The game was ruined once they introduced analytics which basically said your best chance to win was the shoot as many three's as possible. Tired of seeing the ball just passed around the perimeter looking for a shot.

It's kind of like when baseball when "all in" on homeruns.

I'm all for moving the 3 line back even if it means widening the court.

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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby TheEagleXIII » May 15th, 2020, 6:17 am

Yeah guys like Steph Curry and the over reliance on 3s really ruined the game for me too.

On a related note, this video from a few years ago looked into the impact removing the 3 point line would have on the game that's quite interesting. (I also recommend the other Chart Party videos and seeking out any of Jon Bois' stuff you can find.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhB1vPM8ItA

Another aspect that ruined the game for me was the realisation that, of all the North American sports, the NBA has the least parity. With few exceptions, the best teams tend to be the ones with the elite player(s). Despite the intentions of salary caps, a few groups of teams remain completely dominant over long periods of time; Warriors vs Cavs 4 years in a row, Warriors in last 5 finals, Lakers/Spurs/Heat the 15 years before that. Stuff like that is why I grew tired of football (soccer). Only a few of the finals in the past two decades haven't featured Kobe, LeBron or Steph – the player feels more important than the team. Even Jordan before that.

I gotta admit, allowing sponsorships on the jerseys kinda rubbed me the wrong way too, silly as it seems.

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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby Voor » May 15th, 2020, 7:33 am

I don’t know if it’s a parity issue, but rather than that compared to other sports, NBA superstars have greater impacts over the game. Lebron or Jordan by himself will practically get you to the conference finals, but in baseball, an elite hitter or pitcher won’t carry as much weight.

But I will agree that when the top 10 nba players starting teaming up, that did create a problem. That whole Durant to Warriors thing was DUMB and it ended just like everyone thought it would.

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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby TheEagleXIII » May 15th, 2020, 9:42 am

I guess the nature of the game itself kinda lends itself to that. I mean you only really have a roster of what, 12-14 players? Most of your starters are gonna play like 80-90% of each game, so even if the salary cap was a lot stricter, it's kinda unavoidable how much of an impact the best players will have.

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Re: The Last Dance (ESPN)

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 15th, 2020, 8:42 pm

Maybe it's because I'm watching it on demand, but I noticed there are no commercials during this. They just stop the program periodically to list the sponsors. I love that. Hope it's a new trend.


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