A rebuttal…

In light of Scott’s interesting post, I thought some clarification was needed on this topic. In other words, I don’t know what the hell he is talking about when he says the NBA is better than college basketball. All you need to realize is what Scott says in his post: the NBA regular season means nothing, especially since it’s so long. In college basketball, the best teams are supposed to win almost every game they play throughout the season. This just makes for such a great competitive atmosphere in so many of the games. And, the different conference rivalries are another great part of the regular season. Every year I can’t wait for Big Ten basketball to start up!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the NBA and can name at least 7 players on every roster in the league. Yes, the players are better, the shot clock is shorter, and there aren’t as many three pointers made. However, who wants to watch a group of multi-millionaires walk the ball up and down the floor and run high pick-and-rolls all day?? There is a reason the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors are fun to watch…it’s because they play like many college teams; they run the ball down the floor in transition and create open three pointers for their teammates. The Suns are in the NBA and shoot a ton of three pointers too! It’s not fair to criticize college basketball players for shooting so many, especially when the arc is too close (I agree that it should be pushed back). Also, to go along with my ‘multi-millionaire’ comment, NBA players are often times un-coachable. The college game is so highly influenced by coaching and getting guys to play together as a team. This is why teams like the Badgers can be so great with no all-americans on the team!

The last comparison I wish to make is that of the post-season dynamics of each the NBA and NCAA. Both the NBA’s playoffs and the NCAA’s conference tournaments coupled with the NCAA Tournament are incredible viewing experiences with hardly a dull moment. While I think Scott and I agree that college basketball has the best format for deciding a national champion in comparison with any other sport, we can’t discount the NBA’s format at all. To be a champion in that league you must win 4 seven game series’ in a relatively short time! Talk about fatigue! It just proves how extremely athletic and talented NBA players are, and it showcases the competitive effort of the league to all it’s fans…proving how the “40 games in 40 nights” slogan really fits well.

In sum, the NCAA College Basketball season and post-season tournament together are truly more entertaining and worthy of watching on a nightly basis as compared to its professional counterpart. What does it for me is that when March rolls around, a team must win 6 straight do-or-die games in the Big Dance in order to call themselves champions. On this topic, Scott, it is I who knows what is up!