Remembering the Bad Boys

[joshposh]

Do you remember the BAD BOYS of the 80s. I do. Led by Isaiah Thomas. He, Bill Lambeer, and Dennis Rodman, were world champions in the 80s and brought hadcore knock down basketball to the NBA. Hence the reason for the name, BAD BOYS. Their rivalry with the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan were memorable and you don't see that kind of disbane in the current NBA. Back then there were real rivalries.

 

[Maxeem]

Ah, although I missed the Bad Boys era, I've heard much about their defensive and physical style of play.
But yeah, I feel that rivalries today are much softer than what I heard and I would speculate of rivalries in the past... especially with a completely different style of play in the NBA and different types of people in the NBA.
Additionally, the NBA's attempts at being more professionals probably played a role in this too.
Interested to hear more about the Bad Boys though.... how much more fun was it to watch compared to today's NBA?

 

[joshposh]

Charles Barkley said it the best when he was still playing. The NBA is becoming too commercial. A college player enters the NBA and he is made into a superstar. Guys like MIchael Jordan and Charles Barkley made their names through hard work and longevity. Some players enter the league early and the media makes them into superstars overnight.

The rivalries before were brutal. You can hear it in the Boston Gardens, "BEAT L.A., BEAT L.A." They would throw down all the time and there were hard fouls.