College basketball vs. NBA

[Getslow]

If defense is truly being played at "an extremlely high level" then 120 points would never be broken.

 

I used to think that.

 

Then you sit down one night and watch Steph Curry hit 30-footers as if they were layups and you have to wonder what any defender could possibly do about it.

[sweet16]

College basketball without question. I just can't seem to get into the NBA for some reason. I will watch a little in the playoffs but each year it gets less and less.

 

This is me as well. I watch some of the early playoffs but not much. I watch the conference finals and the Finals

[UKMustangFan]

I used to think that.

 

Then you sit down one night and watch Steph Curry hit 30-footers as if they were layups and you have to wonder what any defender could possibly do about it.

 

This.

 

Then you see LeBron go with a full head of steam to the hole. God hasn't created a human capable of stopping that yet. Or you see guys like Hakeem hitting that fade-away J, or Kobe hanging in the air until the last possible second on the mid-range jumper, etc., etc., etc. Some shots are simply unstoppable.

[Getslow]

I watch a lot more college.

 

In truth, I don't think it's that I prefer the game in the most literal sense; it's just that I grew up in Louisville. I went to Dayton, so I love the Flyers. I went to Louisville, so I love the Cardinals. I have a deep connection to those two schools and through various relatives and friends that went elsewhere I have connections to those schools.

 

But going to a Catholic university in Ohio, you meet a lot of people from a lot of different places. My friends that grew up in Cleveland, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, etc. cannot understand how anyone could possibly prefer the college game to the professional game. And the truth is that they grew up with those NBA teams in the same way most of us in Kentucky grew up with UofL, UK, or WKU.

 

A lot of it is about having a connection.

 

But if I'm just going to sit down and watch a random game at any time when I have no rooting interest, for me, it's going to be the NBA. The play is at such a high level and you might see something absolutely amazing at any moment. That's why I like the NBA. The NBA has assembled 30 teams of the most skilled basketball talent on the planet and they play against each other every night. I won't deny that the 82-game regular season leaves something to be desired at times, but a game between two big-time opponents or between rivals, even during that regular season, has the potential to be a masterpiece.

 

And the playoffs? The NBA playoffs represent the best basketball, played at the highest level, anywhere on the planet. They're amazing.

[George Amberson]

This.

 

Then you see LeBron go with a full head of steam to the hole. God hasn't created a human capable of stopping that yet. Or you see guys like Hakeem hitting that fade-away J, or Kobe hanging in the air until the last possible second on the mid-range jumper, etc., etc., etc. Some shots are simply unstoppable.

 

I've used this exact argument a ton of times. Quite simply, there are plays and players that can only be stopped to a point. I watched Durant put up 30 plus on LeBron (who many consider the best defender in the game now) and there was nothing he could do. When you have guys making fall away 25 footers with hands in their face you just have to marvel at how amazing these guys truly are.

[born2reign]

I used to be more passionate about the NBA. It switched when I went to college. Now, I enjoy both with the nod going to College right now. If the Knicks were a threat, maybe my passion for the NBA would surpass that of college.

 

I am a fan of both and watch both regularly, both on TV and in person.

[bluegrassball92]

These posts completely prove my point.

 

If defense in the NBA is so horrible, how come so many elite college players suck when they get there? Adam Morrison ring a bell? Guy put up near 30 a game in college, couldn't sniff the floor in the league. How's that possible if the defense is so bad?

 

Outside of the obvious metrics that account for more scoring in the NBA, the talent level is another huge factor.

 

There are roughly 351 D-1 schools. 15 players a team, so just over 5,000 guys in the NCAA in a given year. 60 of them (1.2%) have what it takes to get drafted, and that numbers high because it doesn't factor in that at least 10 guys from overseas are drafted each year. Add in the undrafted guys that stick, and you're looking at maybe 1.5-1.75% a year, and that's being generous.

 

What that means is the guys have to be elite to have even a chance to play at the NBA level. The better players get, the more fluid they play the game. The more fluid the game is played, the easier it looks to the uneducated eye. Do you guys think the "elite" defenders in the college game get to the NBA and all of a sudden forget how to play defense? Of course not, the talent level is increased about 100x though. In a given college season an elite level defender may check 2-3 guys that have what it takes to be career guys in the league. Maybe once they'll face a future NBA superstar, but probably not. Every single night in the league these guys are going against guys that are far superior offensively to the best of the best they faced in college.

 

Everyone can agree Kobe was/is an elite defender. You have Kobe trying to check guys like Melo, Durant, LeBron, and they'll still put up 20+ almost every time. When you get guys as good as they are at scoring the ball, it doesn't matter how good you are defensively, they're going to make shots and get theirs.

 

Then you've got the metrics of the game that allow for higher scoring games. In a college game we have 2,400 seconds of play, with a 35 second shot clock, which averages out to roughly 65 possessions a game. The NBA game we have 2,880 seconds of play, with a 24 second shot clock, which averages out to roughly 120 possessions a game. More possessions equals more shots, more shots equals more makes, more makes equals more points. Then when we factor in that the guys in the NBA are far superior in talent level than the guys in college, it's understandable that they're much more likely to shoot a higher %, regardless of how good the defense is, which in turn means....you guessed it, more points.

 

You made great points, and I can agree to a certain extent. I dont watch alot of NBA regular season games, but when I do i see alot of guys defending when they want to.

[bluegrassball92]

Not to mention that the NBA has the worst transition defense ive ever seen.

[TheDeuce]

There's no way you can really watch any amount of NBA and say there is no defense played. That is just an ignorant statement.

[tackle trap]

Depends on your location.. States like KY, NC and several others college basketball rules, the state of Florida did a sports survey and college basketball was not in the top 5 as favorite sports. To me I'm a football guy but have to admit that nothing touches college basketball in March. Until college football has a 12/16 team tournament it second as a viewing sport. NBA is boring to me until the playoffs then it does heat up.

[Randy Parker]

College all day for me.

 

I like the NBA & I partially agree with what others are saying about the Playoffs being great basketball, but I've found that it's not all of the Playoffs. It's the later rounds of the Playoffs that are usually really good.

[bluegrassball92]

There's no way you can really watch any amount of NBA and say there is no defense played. That is just an ignorant statement.

 

in the games that ive watched, below average players get to the basket or open jump shots with ease. Especially in transition.

[George Amberson]

I will say I am much more passionate about college basketball (UK) than the NBA and it's not close. But, the level of play, especially in the playoffs, is simply amazing in the NBA.

[TheDeuce]

in the games that ive watched, below average players get to the basket or open jump shots with ease. Especially in transition.

 

You should watch more games.

[HammerTime]

Not to mention that the NBA has the worst transition defense ive ever seen.

 

Have you watched a UK game this year?