1. Boston and LA topping their respective conferences (and if possible, reviving the classic rivalry in the NBA Finals)
2. Boston holding the best record in the league
3. Boston unleashing its own version of the Big 3: KG, Allen, Pierce
4. Lakers unveiling their contemporary Showtime trio in Kobe-Gasol-Odom
5. there are too many superstars now like it was in the 80s
- 80s: Bird, Erving, Magic, young Jordan, Kareem, Isiah, Dom, etc.
- NOW: Dirk, Melo, LeBron, Kobe, Duncan, CP3, Dwight Howard, etc.
6. Spurs (branded as physical and aggressive in terms of D and making cheap shots at opposing players), have been compared to the 80s Pistons (aka Bad Boys)
7. CP3, as i heard about 2x, is being compared to Isiah Thomas in terms of playing style
8. LeBron is looked at as a sort of, mix between the 2 MJs (Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson)
9. Popovich as the 2008 version of how Pat Riley of the Lakers was in the 80s (win tomorrow, lose now)
Are you seeing an 80s revival in the 2008 NBA Season (and playoffs)?nba dunks
This is a good comparison. The product is as competitive and as good as it was in the 80's without the rivalries. The no hand check rule coupled witht he seven second or less Suns has put the league in a good place. Now to answer your questions individually.
1. Because KG will never guard Kobe and vice versa you can never have a Bird and Magic comparison. There are no similarities in their playstyles. However they are two great competitors who might take the series to another level (If KG stops being so unselfish).
2. Boston and LA have nothing to do with the current revival of the NBA. It brings nastalgia to todays NBA but that doesnt have to do with the product on the court now. LA is one of the best markets for a basketball team, so it is good for the NBA to have a good Laker team, but a good Knicks team or Bulls team would do better for the NBA than a good C's team.
3. Boston does not have a Big 3. Part of the reason that the original Big 3 were called "Big" 3 is because they were all front court players. Bird had atleast an inch or two on Peirce and Perrish and Mchale were 7 footers or close. They are all three top 50 players of all time while Boston has one top 50 player and possibly Ray Allen if he revives his career for another 3 years or so. As it is now its the "Big two featuring Ray Allen", Ray Allen has taken a role playing role which may be required due to his old legs.
4. Lakers have closer to an 80's show time than Boston has to a 80's Big Three. I say this because of how well the ball moves on that team. Until Kobe decides to dominate the ball there playing some beautiful basketball. Gasol, Odom, Fisher, and Walton are all very condusive to show time type of play, good ball movement in the halfcourt. There fast break game is no where near the show time Lakers though.
5. There are more top quality players in the league now then there were in the 80's. The league has expanded and due to salary cap restraints and luxury taxes the best players dont get pooled to the best locations. Right now though, GM's are figuring ways to make roleplayers look like great players and to make all-stars look like superstars. In this league currently from your list there are only 7 legit "superstars" in the mold of Bird, MJ, Magic, Niq, Barkley ect. and those are in no particular order Kobe, Lebron, Wade when healthy, CP3, Duncan, KG, Steve Nash (he may be one year out of this group now) and thats it. You look at some of the other names on the list but they are just not quite there. Dirk is labeled as a choker and not quite dominant. Howard is still improving, as demonstrated by how he was destroyed by Rasheed. Carmelo has shown to be just a sliver below superstar level. Then you have players who are still considered superstars but just dont play at that level anymore, Iverson comes to mind here. Steve Nash may all ready be at this point, but since I feel he didnt get a good shot at the playoffs this year and since he was top 5 in MVP voting again Il keep him on the list.
6. Those 80's Pistons, dont get confused are the late 80's early 90's Pistons. They were the start of the ugly 90's coupled with Jordan. The Pistons only became a top teir team when Bird and Niq were well past their primes. These Spurs teams are much better than those Pistons teams (Keep in mind i HATE the Spurs). They have the greatest power forward to ever play the game. Two very under rated stars and role players who, while they may be old and not quite as good as they used to be, are true roleplayers.
7. CP3 is right now, better than Isaiah ever was. Dont let the nastalgic elitist tell you different. I know what and who Isaiah was to the game. He used to be the greatest player under 6 feet to ever play the game and he definately still has had a better career than CP3. That being said, Isaiah has never had a season near as beautiful as CP3's last season and Isaiah was simply never as good as CP3 is -right now-.
8. Lebron is, different. He has a chance, physically and skill wise, to go down as the best ever. He needs to develop certain parts of his game and decide whether he wants to be a Magic type or a dominant scoring type like MJ. Until he develops those parts to his game, gets a better supporting cast and wins he should not even be put in the same conversation as magic and mj.
9. I dont really understand this question. Pop and Riley are two completely different types of coaches. Riley is the MJ of coaches, hel do anything to win and be remembered as a winner. Throw his team under the bus, fire his old assistants so he can take the glory, take breaks when his team is doing poorly ect. ect. That being said he is one of the greatest coaches ever and has implemented 3, count 3, different, unique, and super succesful playing styles from the 80's untilt he present.
Are you seeing an 80s revival in the 2008 NBA Season (and playoffs)?nba all star ,nba teams
you forgot one thing
Pistons are dominant in the east..........
Boston hasnt one anything yet so be carefull what you wish for!
These Lakers ain't no "showtime" Lakers. Not even close. The Kobe-Shaq Lakers were more showtime than this group.
And CP3 is a better scorer than Isiah ever was.
Also... the current "Big 3" is more like the Big 2 plus Ray Allen
how dare you make a comparison between lebron james and magic and micheal. lebron has nothing on magic let alone micheal. lebrons name shouldnt even be mentioned within 2 clicks of magic or 5 clicks of micheals.
lakers winning
