Poll: What is Your Favorite Basketball to Watch? NBA, International (Olympic/World Games), College, or High School?

[IUFLA]

I ask this question after seeing @BGleas response in the FSU postgame thread about college ball being difficult to watch because it's over coached and over officiated. I love college ball because of that very thing. It's officiated more closely, and the coach carries some weight in the college game (see RMK). 

So it's college ball for me. I love high school ball too because to me it's the purest form. No money or scholarships involved. You go to school where you live (for the most part). You play for your town/city, and because you love the game. But the talent can sometimes just not be there.

I watched the NBA a lot growing up. Was initially a fan of the Bill Russell Celtics. I remember being with my Dad in the bar of the Martinsville Moose Lodge watching the 1969 NBA finals against the Lakers, and I was the only one out of 30 people rooting for the Celtics. Loved the Pacers when they started up in 1967, and I still hope they do well, but I never watch the NBA. I know people say "it's a player's game" but to me it's a fan's game...I follow teams because of the team  and not individual players.

And this is NOT a jab at NBA fans...I know @BGleas, @KoB2011, and @Hoosierhoopster (among others) are all NBA fans and I think they're excellent posters and very knowledgeable about the game as well. 

So just a poll, and comments on why...No politics please!

Edited December 10, 2020 by IUFLA

[IU Scott]

College for me by a landside even though the product is not as good as it use to be.

2) High School

3) NBA

I use to like the NBA in the 80's and early 90's but the NBA really turned me off since then.  i will watch the Pacers games but not much else.

Edited December 10, 2020 by IU Scott

[Hoosierfan1901]

I hate watching NBA, I can’t enjoy it all

[Hoosierhoopster]

Unless @BGleasposts I will probably be the only guy picking the nba lol. Generally really enjoy watching college ball of course, but it is a worse “product,” the officiating is horrible and often clearly biased (eg, Wisconsin), the coaches have way, way to much impact and flat out get in the way of the game (Izzo, etc) - like officiating you should NOT be regularly noticing the coach and his stupid whining theatrics on the sideline, and the level of basketball is simply worse.

But all that said, the sheer enthusiasm for the game, the energy level, the greater balance in overall skill among the players, the lack of Diva - players (though not coaches) to whom the refs defer, and school pride make college ball a lot of fun to watch 

[go_iu_bb]

College basketball because it's amateur. 🤣🤣

Seriously, though, it is college. The talent level is much higher than high school. The regular season isn't too long so it really feels that every game counts, which is not what I feel watching the NBA. The single elimination tournament at the end of the season is extremely exciting. 

It certainly has it's cons, which others have listed.

[Feathery]

For me it’s college sports for both football and basketball. Soccer I prefer international or professional (European leagues). The atmosphere makes a huge difference for me. College atmosphere’s as well as European soccer are much more passionate crowds. The NBA and NFL miss out on the atmosphere. MLS has a few teams with incredible atmospheres but not league wide. 
 

Going to an IU game is 1000x more fun than a Pacers game. Even driving an hour to Bloomington compared to 20 minutes to get downtown Indy. 
 

id much rather go to a college football game as well. Michigan football atmosphere is far superior to the Colts, and I’ll drive hours and spend the weekend in Ann Arbor instead of the quick trip downtown Indy. 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Feathery

[milehiiu]

I voted college.

[IUskim]

I would go still college first even though I think the actual product is better in the NBA just because I find the offense more free flowing, but I still prefer college over the NBA. 

[milehiiu]

8 minutes ago, IUskim said:

I would go still college first even though I think the actual product is better in the NBA just because I find the offense more free flowing, but I still prefer college over the NBA. 

Actually don't watch much NBA..... because it seemed to me the guys only turned it up during play off times.  Regular season, it seemed that many just took the game off only to take their huge pay checks to the bank.

[5fouls]

As a whole, college basketball is the best form of the game.  But, a good Indiana high school rivalry played in a packed gym when both teams are good creates an atmosphere that can't be topped.  

[BGleas]

I choose the NBA I love college basketball for the pageantry of it, the crazy crowds at arenas like Assembly Hall, Cameron Indoor, MSU, Phog Allen, etc., and the allegiance to school pride, but the actual product on the court is pretty bad these days. The players are offensively challenged, the refs completely ruin games and over-officiate, and as @Hoosierhoopster said, coaches are like fools on the sidelines and they completely overcoach the game. 

Other than the tournament which I watch completely, the last few years I pretty much just watch IU games in terms of college basketball. I'll watch a couple minutes of other games here and there, but that's about it. 

The NBA is basketball at the highest level. It's the best players in the world and it's coaches putting a structure around those players but then letting them do what they do. The players actually make open shots and the level of play is just infinitely higher. The regular season certainly doesn't have the pageantry of a regular season college basketball game but the product on the court is infinitely better in the NBA. 

There's things to complain about officiating at both levels, but I'd rather have the game called the way it is in the NBA vs college where the officials basically hunt fouls, travels, etc. to call like Devonte Green hunting shots. 

Don't get me wrong I love college basketball, but if I had to choose I'd choose the NBA where you get the best of the best. 

Edited December 11, 2020 by BGleas

[BGleas]

39 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

As a whole, college basketball is the best form of the game.  But, a good Indiana high school rivalry played in a packed gym when both teams are good creates an atmosphere that can't be topped.  

Is the best form of the game watching Indiana score 44 points while shooting 23% while the team that 'won' the game shot a whopping 38%? I just think games like that are way too common in college basketball to really love the actual product on the floor. I love the pageantry of it, the school pride and hoping IU can reclaim its place, rank high and win another title, etc., but the actual product on the floor is pretty underwhelming IMO. 

[MoyeCowbell]

16 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Is the best form of the game watching Indiana score 44 points while shooting 23% while the team that 'won' the game shot a whopping 38%? I just think games like that are way too common in college basketball to really love the actual product on the floor. I love the pageantry of it, the school pride and hoping IU can reclaim its place, rank high and win another title, etc., but the actual product on the floor is pretty underwhelming IMO. 

Agree. IU basketball is my favorite team/sport to watch, but that is simply because I'm a die-hard alum from Bloomington. There are some fun games here and there in college, but on a night-to-night basis, I think the NBA is a better product. No game is perfect, and I can find faults in the pro game just as easily as I can the college game, but I think the level of play and baseline skillsets are a lot more entertaining.

Now caveat to the question: watching an exciting IU game in Assembly is the absolute best. 

[BGleas]

9 minutes ago, MoyeCowbell said:

Agree. IU basketball is my favorite team/sport to watch, but that is simply because I'm a die-hard alum from Bloomington. There are some fun games here and there in college, but on a night-to-night basis, I think the NBA is a better product. No game is perfect, and I can find faults in the pro game just as easily as I can the college game, but I think the level of play and baseline skillsets are a lot more entertaining.

Now caveat to the question: watching an exciting IU game in Assembly is the absolute best. 

Agree on all fronts. 

[HoagieRoll]

Agree on all fronts with you @BGleas. College and NBA almost feel like different sports. As my eye continues to improve...I see the missed passes, the missed back-cuts, and brick after brick in college and it can be frustrating to sit through. I was exhausted after watching yesterday's game, + the over-officiating is rampant and Bilas was doing a great job pointing these things out yesterday. And I get it, these are kids and the pageantry and school pride is obviously a huge part of the draw and always will be for me. 

But the NBA is like the New York Philharmonic. Experts at their craft

[IU Scott]

1 minute ago, HoagieRoll said:

Agree on all fronts with you @BGleas. College and NBA almost feel like different sports. As my eye continues to improve...I see the missed passes, the missed back-cuts, and brick after brick in college and it can be frustrating to sit through. I was exhausted after watching yesterday's game, + the over-officiating is rampant and Bilas was doing a great job pointing these things out yesterday. And I get it, these are kids and the pageantry and school pride is obviously a huge part of the draw and always will be for me. 

But the NBA is like the New York Philharmonic. Experts at their craft

My problem is the college game decided they wanted to be more like the NBA.  I don't like the style of play in the NBA and don't want to see it come to the college game.

[BGleas]

2 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

My problem is the college game decided they wanted to be more like the NBA.  I don't like the style of play in the NBA and don't want to see it come to the college game.

I agree and disagree. I agree with your assessment that college basketball is trying to emulate the NBA and that it's not good for college basketball. College basketball players aren't talented enough to play that way. It just doesn't work, this skill level isn't there so the product suffers. We've talked about this before, but the college game has gotten so bad because almost everyone plays the exact same way and run the same offense. The main differences are just the pace at which they play it, but most of the actions and sets are the same.

Where I  guess I kind of disagree is that I think that style of play works for the NBA. The players are good enough to execute it. 

[IU Scott]

21 minutes ago, BGleas said:

I agree and disagree. I agree with your assessment that college basketball is trying to emulate the NBA and that it's not good for college basketball. College basketball players aren't talented enough to play that way. It just doesn't work, this skill level isn't there so the product suffers. We've talked about this before, but the college game has gotten so bad because almost everyone plays the exact same way and run the same offense. The main differences are just the pace at which they play it, but most of the actions and sets are the same.

Where I  guess I kind of disagree is that I think that style of play works for the NBA. The players are good enough to execute it. 

Totally agree and the thing is that it is going down to the high scho level.  You see a lot of pick and role or dribble drive which is not.my cup of tea.  Just hate watching 3 guys stand around while the other two do a pick and role.  I like player and ball movement over what we see today.  Another thing in basketball we just don't see many teams who know how to fast break and everything is in the half court.

[mrflynn03]

I absolutely cannot stand pro sports anymore.  Used to watch it all, Basketball, Football, Baseball, Hockey.

I just like the amatuer status. And College is getting a little harder to watch for me but still enjoy College football and basketball.

But having only played at the High School level and living in Indiana HS bball and Football is my favorite.  My dad was an IHSAA official and I've probably been in every gym south of Indy.  And even though he wasnt a football guy he supported me all the way. So after we lost sectional we would follow Jasper through the tournament.  Watched Jasper win it all at the Dome in 2002. 

So for me it's about 50/50 High school vs College.  

[IU Scott]

52 minutes ago, BGleas said:

I agree and disagree. I agree with your assessment that college basketball is trying to emulate the NBA and that it's not good for college basketball. College basketball players aren't talented enough to play that way. It just doesn't work, this skill level isn't there so the product suffers. We've talked about this before, but the college game has gotten so bad because almost everyone plays the exact same way and run the same offense. The main differences are just the pace at which they play it, but most of the actions and sets are the same.

Where I  guess I kind of disagree is that I think that style of play works for the NBA. The players are good enough to execute it. 

To me the two things that had hurt offense in the college game is moving the 3 point line back.  The other is making the shot clock 30 seconds and felt it was best at 45.  You would think these changes would help scoring and pace but it had done the opposite. Before you can have a lot of different styles but now like you said everybody plays the same.  The younger people probably thinks that the game without the shot clock was all slow down and control the ball.  Actually for the most part teams played faster and with pace.

[KoB2011]

I am definitely in the NBA camp. Aa far as product on the floor, I'm not sure you could point to a single thing that is better about college or high school. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the theatre of college basketball, the tournament, and the passion. I just think the product on the floor is bad and getting worse. 

[KoB2011]

10 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

To me the two things that had hurt offense in the college game is moving the 3 point line back.  The other is making the shot clock 30 seconds and felt it was best at 45.  You would think these changes would help scoring and pace but it had done the opposite. Before you can have a lot of different styles but now like you said everybody plays the same.  The younger people probably thinks that the game without the shot clock was all slow down and control the ball.  Actually for the most part teams played faster and with pace.

Just because that used to be the case doesn't mean it still would be. We understand a lot more about how to win basketball games now and the game would inevitably slow down with a shot clock given how much we know that we didn't know 40 years ago. 

[5fouls]

The question isn't which game is 'prettier'  or played at a higher level.  It's which game do you find most enjoyable.  And, it is not just basketball.  For my money, attending a minor league baseball game is more enjoyable than a major league game.  The game still has hits, strikeouts, home runs, and stolen bases.  You still eat hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and drink sodas/beer.  But minor league is able to create it all in a more intimate setting.

With basketball, NBA arenas are sterile and a lot of the crowd is corporate.  College arenas have more character and the fan base has a different form of passion.  But, high school can truly be special in the right situations.  There are still times when Indiana high school.basketball looks and feels as depicted in Hoosiers. And, I can't imagine how anyone could enjoy a Suns/Grizzlies game more than a Hickory/Terhune one.  It's two totally different experiences.

[milehiiu]

8 hours ago, BGleas said:

I choose the NBA I love college basketball for the pageantry of it, the crazy crowds at arenas like Assembly Hall, Cameron Indoor, MSU, Phog Allen, etc., and the allegiance to school pride, but the actual product on the court is pretty bad these days. The players are offensively challenged, the refs completely ruin games and over-officiate, and as @Hoosierhoopster said, coaches are like fools on the sidelines and they completely overcoach the game. 

Other than the tournament which I watch completely, the last few years I pretty much just watch IU games in terms of college basketball. I'll watch a couple minutes of other games here and there, but that's about it. 

The NBA is basketball at the highest level. It's the best players in the world and it's coaches putting a structure around those players but then letting them do what they do. The players actually make open shots and the level of play is just infinitely higher. The regular season certainly doesn't have the pageantry of a regular season college basketball game but the product on the court is infinitely better in the NBA. 

There's things to complain about officiating at both levels, but I'd rather have the game called the way it is in the NBA vs college where the officials basically hunt fouls, travels, etc. to call like Devonte Green hunting shots. 

Don't get me wrong I love college basketball, but if I had to choose I'd choose the NBA where you get the best of the best. 

Geeze.  A guy who worked for an NBA team.... chooses the NBA.   Go figure !   Love ya Brian.  Stay safe

 

[milehiiu]

17 hours ago, IU Scott said:

College for me by a landside even though the product is not as good as it use to be.

 

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