2024-'25 NBA Season

[Bucky]

Helluva sequence from world’s greatest athletes

 

[Don Wassall]

When concussion mania + anthem kneeling was at its apex, there was widespread belief that the NFL was dying and the NBA was ascending to take its place as America's favorite sports product. How times have changed. There was a brief time where it looked like that could eventually happen, but the opposite shift has been occurring for close to a decade. Much like baseball, analytics have destroyed the on-field (court) product. Teams have realized that home runs and the 3 ball are generally preferable to playing a style that requires more skill and talent, and the end result is a one dimensional approach to the game that isn't particularly fun to watch. One thing the NFL has managed to do over the years is maintain a competitive balance in the sport via rule and officiating changes, so you actually see a diversity of playstyles in a way that no longer exists in the NBA (Jokic being an exception).

The NBA players were kneeling right along with their NFL brethren. I can't recall ever reading anything claiming the NBA was "ascending" to replace the NFL as the country's leading sports product, much less that it was a "widespread belief." As the article above notes, the NBA's TV ratings have declined 48% since 2012. There's been a huge gap in popularity for a long time between the NFL, America's secular religion along with college football, and every other sport and sports league.

 

[Don Wassall]

Helluva sequence from world’s greatest athletes

Always worth watching when feeling a bit down in the dumps.

 

[Bucky]

Always worth watching when feeling a bit down in the dumps.

It kept goin n goin that was honestly impressive lol

 

[jimmyjerapolo]

The NBA players were kneeling right along with their NFL brethren. I can't recall ever reading anything claiming the NBA was "ascending" to replace the NFL as the country's leading sports product, much less that it was a "widespread belief." As the article above notes, the NBA's TV ratings have declined 48% since 2012. There's been a huge gap in popularity for a long time between the NFL, America's secular religion along with college football, and every other sport and sports league.

The NBA had kneeling, but those types of politics were already baked into their viewer base. It had less of an impact. Concussion hysteria was a big factor, where many believed the NFL's talent pool would simply dry out. Shifting racial demography was another proposed factor. Here is an article from the peak of the concussion narrative, the same year Will Smith's movie came out. Here are two articles discussing how such predictions of the NBA never came through.

This section of the Outkick article summarizes:

While certainly an eye-popping statistic, the NFL's dominance over the NBA has continually grown over the past five years. And that statement is particularly noteworthy when you consider the national discussion just five years ago.

In 2018, several members of the sports media predicted the NBA would soon overtake the NFL as the most popular sport in America.

That talking point was a topic on ESPN for months:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1201694254797639681

 

[Don Wassall]

ESPN always zealously promotes the NBA so I guess it's not too surprising that a few of their well-paid village idiots made such ludicrous predictions. I don't watch ESPN or give any credibility to anything said on that network. To me a "widespread belief" goes far beyond ESPN and also includes sports fans in general and while ESPN may be a trusted information source for you, again I don't recall reading or hearing that silly alleged "widespread belief" anywhere nor do I ever recall it being discussed on Caste Football.

 

[Warhawk_46]

Doncic with a huge triple - double game tonight! 45-11-13

 

[Phall]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1868519033060106515

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1868511809147224231

 

[El Gringo]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1868519033060106515

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1868511809147224231

A beautiful thing to behold!

 

[Booth]

One of my favorite players, Pat Connaughton might be on the way out in Milwaukee. His playing time has been slashed, and he even had a couple of games he didn't play at all. I hope he can get his game straightened out and get back on the court.

Pat Connaughton News, Rumors, Updates - Milwaukee Bucks | FOX Sports

Get the latest NBA news on Pat Connaughton. Stay up to date with Milwaukee Bucks player news, rumors, updates, analysis, social feeds, and more at FOX Sports.

www.foxsports.com

 

[Phall]

The NBA announced its new All-Star Game format for 2025 today. Friday night's "Rising Stars" game or whatever will now be a tournament between four teams of eight players. The regular All-Stars will be picked as usual, 12 per conference by position, but they will then be broken up into three groups of 8. The winning "Rising Stars" team gets to play again on Sunday in a second tournament, with the winners splitting a cash prize.

• The NBA is switching to a mini-tournament featuring four teams: three teams of NBA All-Stars and the winner of the Rising Stars challenge. The Rising Stars challenge -- itself a four-team tournament -- will be held Friday night and features the league's best first- and second-year players plus a handful of G League players.
• The tournament format, from the NBA's press release: "Two teams will meet in one semifinal (Game 1), and the remaining two teams will meet in the other semifinal (Game 2). The winning teams from Game 1 and Game 2 will advance to face each other in the championship (Game 3). For each game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points."

This does seem like it will be more interesting and more competitive. Depending on Friday's winning team, we could see some new white athletes playing with the stars - instead of Doncic and Jokic attempting Globetrotter tricks for 15 minutes each.

Although it's a bit down the road, some of the eligible players here (1st and 2nd years, plus "top" G-Leaguers) will be Chet Holmgren, Gradey Dick, Zach Edey, Brandin Podziemski, Dalton Knecht, Kyle Filipowski, Matas Buzelis, Reed Sheppard, Jaime Jacquez Jr., Hunter Tyson, Donovan Clingan, and of course, Mac McClung.

 

[Bucky]

Sounds like it’s time for new scenery regarding Connaughton. No fan of Doc Rivers(shill for commie party er Democrats).

@Phall at least they are trying to keep it interesting!

 

[Phall]

Sounds like it’s time for new scenery regarding Connaughton. No fan of Doc Rivers(shill for commie party er Democrats).

@Phall at least they are trying to keep it interesting!

Lol, Kevin Durant immediately chimed in to say he hated the idea, so I would call that a win.

 

[Bucky]

No way Durant cryin?! Definitely a win.

 

[El Gringo]

One of my favorite players, Pat Connaughton might be on the way out in Milwaukee. His playing time has been slashed, and he even had a couple of games he didn't play at all. I hope he can get his game straightened out and get back on the court.

Pat Connaughton News, Rumors, Updates - Milwaukee Bucks | FOX Sports

Get the latest NBA news on Pat Connaughton. Stay up to date with Milwaukee Bucks player news, rumors, updates, analysis, social feeds, and more at FOX Sports.

www.foxsports.com

I figured he’d get screwed as Rivers got there. The Mavs should trade for him immediately.

 

[Booth]

I figured he’d get screwed as Rivers got there. The Mavs should trade for him immediately.

I wish the Mavs would make a trade for Connaughton and Grayson Allen who lost his starting job with the Suns. The Mavs are hard to watch with Doncic the only white getting big minutes, as he should.

 

[Warhawk_46]

I wish the Mavs would make a trade for Connaughton and Grayson Allen who lost his starting job with the Suns. The Mavs are hard to watch with Doncic the only white getting big minutes, as he should.

Grayson Allen is a favorite of mine. He is a very good player and anytime he plays ball-dominant he puts up great number.