Iowa/LSU Women’s BBall tonite

Paige played HS ball just a mile or two from our twin cities home - she was legit then and is extremely good now. Sadly, injuries slowed her down a lot or we would have heard a lot more about her on the national stage as well. But my youngest is a Hawkeye now and we have been watching a lot of them and Caitlin is “Ponytailed Pete” indeed. So - I hope Paige has a great individual night, but hope Iowa wins it all. If I was in Vegas I would bet Iowa by 4 (lack of bench for UConn will take its toll - a miracle they have made it this far with so many injuries).
 
VikingsGuy said:
a miracle they have made it this far with so many injuries
Click to expand...
IMO - It is and it isn't. Their 6-10 players could probably win a lot of conferences across the nation. Geno is replacing injured studs with healthy studs that had to play behind said injured stud.
 

Have Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers faced off before?​

Yes, Clark and Bueckers last faced off in 2021 when both were freshman. That game saw Bueckers and UConn beat Clark and Iowa 92-72 in the Sweet 16.

Bueckers dropped 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on 7-for-18 shooting overall to help the top-seeded Huskies.

Clark led the No. 5 Hawkeyes with 21 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block on 7-for-21 shooting overall.

They have not played each other since.

www.nbcconnecticut.com

Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers: How stars of Iowa, UConn compare ahead of Final Four matchup

Two of college basketball’s marquee stars will face off in the 2024 Final Four. Here’s what to know about Iowa’s Caitlin Clark vs. UConn’s Paige Bueckers.
www.nbcconnecticut.com www.nbcconnecticut.com
 
I'll root for Iowa, but won't shed a tear if it UConn wins.

I'm old enough to have seen Wilt and every other great player over the last 60 years play in the NBA.

Wilt and Kareem do not get the respect they deserve. Wilt was a physical presence never really matched since. He was Shaq, only he could run the floor. He generally played the close to the entire game, and never fouled out of one game during his career. He would have scored more points, but about half way thru his career, he preferred assists to points. He also pulled his punches, in that he did not exploit his physical gifts as fully as he could have. I think he felt a bit guilty being so much bigger and stronger than anyone else on the court. They widened the lane to limit Wilt's dominance.

Kareem could have made the jump from high school if it was an option at the time. If he had those four years as a pro, he would still hold the all time scoring record. When he was an incoming freshman, UCLA was the defending National Champs. The freshman team beat the varsity in a scrimmage. The NCAA outlawed dunking as Kareem entered college.

Jordan did not have a single rule change in response to his arrival on the scene. If he had tried to go straight to the NBA out of high school, he would not have gone as the first pick. He did not go as the first pick, when he left college. He was a higher volume shooter than LeBron. His field goal percentage is slightly below Jame's. His three point shooting percentage in slightly worse. James has averaged 2 more assists per game than Jordan. He also averaged a little more than 1 more rebound/game.

James was drafted number one right out of high school. He was good, belonging on the court, right from the get go. He has taken better care of his body, and still a superior player at 39 years old. When Kobe came into the league, he was a work in progress for a season or two.

So, my GOAT list is

Kareem

Wilt/James pick em

Jordan.
 
406dn said:
I'll root for Iowa, but won't shed a tear if it UConn wins.

I'm old enough to have seen Wilt and every other great player over the last 60 years play in the NBA.

Wilt and Kareem do not get the respect they deserve. Wilt was a physical presence never really matched since. He was Shaq, only he could run the floor. He generally played the close to the entire game, and never fouled out of one game during his career. He would have scored more points, but about half way thru his career, he preferred assists to points. He also pulled his punches, in that he did not exploit his physical gifts as fully as he could have. I think he felt a bit guilty being so much bigger and stronger than anyone else on the court. They widened the lane to limit Wilt's dominance.

Kareem could have made the jump from high school if it was an option at the time. If he had those four years as a pro, he would still hold the all time scoring record. When he was an incoming freshman, UCLA was the defending National Champs. The freshman team beat the varsity in a scrimmage. The NCAA outlawed dunking as Kareem entered college.

Jordan did not have a single rule change in response to his arrival on the scene. If he had tried to go straight to the NBA out of high school, he would not have gone as the first pick. He did not go as the first pick, when he left college. He was a higher volume shooter than LeBron. His field goal percentage is slightly below Jame's. His three point shooting percentage in slightly worse. James has averaged 2 more assists per game than Jordan. He also averaged a little more than 1 more rebound/game.

James was drafted number one right out of high school. He was good, belonging on the court, right from the get go. He has taken better care of his body, and still a superior player at 39 years old. When Kobe came into the league, he was a work in progress for a season or two.

So, my GOAT list is

Kareem

Wilt/James pick em

Jordan.
Click to expand...
Bird was an uglier Pistol Pete...but he could trash talk with the best of them. They both belong in elite conversations.
 
VikingsGuy said:
I agree with an earlier comment that the NBA players have gotten too big for the court to make for a compelling game flow. Until they fix this, women’s D1 ball is one of the best ways to enjoy the sport.
Click to expand...
This is a statement that I never thought I would agree with, but you are 100% right.
 
I still watch a lot off NBA games. It is the best basketball being played on planet earth. You are dead wrong if you think the men are too large for the court.

The floor spacing today is much greater than a generation ago. Curry (another all time great) has proved to everyone how valuable the three is. A center can't play in today's game, if all he has is a post game. They have to be able to spread the floor on offense, and be able to switch on defense.

There are numerous teams that play the right way, lots of ball movement and an up tempo offense.

I've long been a LeBron fan, but presently, my favorite player is Nikola Jokic. He is an amazing offensive player. He is a 7 foot tall 280 pound blend of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and a very unstoppable bully in the lane. There is not one thing he does not do extremely well on offense. He can shoot the three, make every imaginable shot in the lane, and passes guys open.

If he decides to play ten more years, he will be on every short list of greatest players ever.
 
406dn said:
I still watch a lot off NBA games. It is the best basketball being played on planet earth. You are dead wrong if you think the men are too large for the court.
Click to expand...
Not “dead wrong”. Just a different perspective. I still think those are allowed even in 2024.

I am not a fan of the Steph Curry era and find it boring. Having only two data advantaged shots - layup and jacked 3 - makes for a lousy game in my opinion (see how I signal that others are allowed to disagree with my take). They need to either push the 3 back and eliminate the short wing 3s or make it a 2.5 point shot. I have probably watched as much ball as you and have seen live most of the list of oldies you referenced - even got to have lunch with Mikan when I was a kid - so I think you have to acknowledge I have an educated - even if different - view on the topic.
 
I stopped watching NBA basketball a long time ago because of what I perceive to be a lack of effort, particularly on defense. If you doubt that, watch ESPN’s Sports Center some time when they show clips of a few college men’s games, immediately followed by clips of NBA games. If you are old enough, the NBA clips will remind you of the old Harlem Globetrotters.

Another reason Wilt Chamberlin didn’t score as much as he might have (over all) was he was a lousy free throw shooter. Some blamed it on his large hands. Wilt did score 100 points in a game though. As previously stated, he had a huge size advantage in those days. I should also mention, during Wilt’s time, “load management”, had not been invented yet!
 
VikingsGuy said:
Not “dead wrong”. Just a different perspective. I still think those are allowed even in 2024.

I am not a fan of the Steph Curry era and find it boring. Having only two data advantaged shots - layup and jacked 3 - makes for a lousy game in my opinion (see how I signal that others are allowed to disagree with my take). They need to either push the 3 back and eliminate the short wing 3s or make it a 2.5 point shot. I have probably watched as much ball as you and have seen live most of the list of oldies you referenced - even got to have lunch with Mikan when I was a kid - so I think you have to acknowledge I have an educated - even if different - view on the topic.
Click to expand...

I am conflicted on the three point dominance on offense. But the game had gotten pretty ugly before the emphasis on threes began.

When Kevin McHale played at Minnesota, I was living there at the time. I watched a lot of Gopher games in person. They had some really good teams. During McHale's time in the NBA, the post play was like watching sumo wrestling. No one played uglier basketball than the Pistons, in the era of Lambeer and MaHorn.

I don't care for how many threes the present Celtics take, but the Nuggets play beautiful basketball. They get an open look nearly every trip down the court. I am perplexed that a pin point pass, thru a tight window, that results in a layup is not enjoyable to watch.

You are wrong if you think the players are too big for the court. They are covering so much more area on defense than a generation ago. You have to guard the three, against multiple guys, every game. It has opened up the lane so much more than say, Larry Bird's day. On those Celtics teams, Bird and Ainge were really the only two players who would look for a three. Dennis Johnson. Parrish and McHale were certainly a non factor in that regard.
 
406dn said:
I am conflicted on the three point dominance on offense. But the game had gotten pretty ugly before the emphasis on threes began.

When Kevin McHale played at Minnesota, I was living there at the time. I watched a lot of Gopher games in person. They had some really good teams. During McHale's time in the NBA, the post play was like watching sumo wrestling. No one played uglier basketball than the Pistons, in the era of Lambeer and MaHorn.

I don't care for how many threes the present Celtics take, but the Nuggets play beautiful basketball. They get an open look nearly every trip down the court. I am perplexed that a pin point pass, thru a tight window, that results in a layup is not enjoyable to watch.

You are wrong if you think the players are too big for the court. They are covering so much more area on defense than a generation ago. You have to guard the three, against multiple guys, every game. It has opened up the lane so much more than say, Larry Bird's day. On those Celtics teams, Bird and Ainge were really the only two players who would look for a three. Dennis Johnson. Parrish and McHale were certainly a non factor in that regard.
Click to expand...
The league has killed the mid-range shots/game. Drive and dump gets old to me. I will watch very little nba until they fix it.
 
VikingsGuy said:
The league has killed the mid-range shots/game. Drive and dump gets old to me. I will watch very little nba until they fix it.
Click to expand...
As long as the three point line exists, the mid range jump shot is mostly dead. Shooting 33.33% from three is the same as shooting 50% from two. There are many players who shoot better than that from three, not too many that can shoot 50% on mid range jump shots.

No one decided to "kill" the mid range game. Smart players and coaches figured out a better way to win, which I think is the goal. If a certain chess strategy resulted in you getting checkmated, a good player modifies their approach.

Actually at this time centers are more important than they've been in a while. The Joker, Embiid, Sabonis and Wembanyama are going to shift the game to a somewhat different normal.
 
406dn said:
Wilt and Kareem do not get the respect they deserve. Wilt was a physical presence never really matched since. He was Shaq, only he could run the floor. He generally played the close to the entire game, and never fouled out of one game during his career. He would have scored more points, but about half way thru his career, he preferred assists to points. He also pulled his punches, in that he did not exploit his physical gifts as fully as he could have. I think he felt a bit guilty being so much bigger and stronger than anyone else on the court. They widened the lane to limit Wilt's dominance.
Click to expand...
Perhaps Wilt was pulling his punches so as to save up his energy for his off the court antics (as the kids these days say it, his body count)


MLC said:
Another reason Wilt Chamberlin didn’t score as much as he might have (over all) was he was a lousy free throw shooter. Some blamed it on his large hands. Wilt did score 100 points in a game though. As previously stated, he had a huge size advantage in those days. I should also mention, during Wilt’s time, “load management”, had not been invented yet!
Click to expand...

All those body count ladies, and nary an offspring. Seems like some management was going on after all?
 
@406dn , i appreciate your view of the game and have a very similar opinion. I still enjoy NBA, especially the playoffs. The All-Star game is joke though. Another awesome player to watch is Doncic. His assists are a sight to behold and his off tempo style leads to some great finishes for him. And Kyrie Irving, he’s getting a bit old now, but his handles and finishing ability are in a league of their own, pardon the pun.
 
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