Basketball was one of my favorites sports growing up. I’d make my parents move their cars every morning during the weekends so I could shoot all day long in the driveway. It’s because of our narrow driveway, I have developed a respectable mid range jump shot, it was like the only shot we could shoot in our driveway. If I wasn’t playing it I was watching it and I started at such a great time. I remember watching the Celtics when they create the Big Three and ran the Easter Conference.

Basketball has only gotten worse since then. The way KG and Perkins held down the paint for the Celtics back then was terrifying to an offense. Teams would be scared to drive the paint against them. Not to mention there was Rondo, who could steal anyones cookies, whenever he was covering someone. Not that any of them were dirty in anyway they just played hard nosed old school basketball. They weren’t afraid to put their bodies on the line fighting with everything they have to win that game. I remember one time Rondo got cut in the their quarter, requiring nine stitches to seal him up, and then came back and continued to fight till then end.

Nowadays it seems like you can’t do anything close to that. There’s no such thing as tough basketball anymore. Nowadays if you simply cough on someone, they’re going get you for a foul or some hostile act. You can’t slide your feet to stand your ground as a defender anymore without it being called a blocking foul. All the offenses do now is chuck up shots from behind the arc all game long. Rarely does anyone drive to the hoop anymore and if they do, it’s only to practice their acting, exaggerating all contact just to find their way to the free through line. I mean I was a small guy I had to move my body to draw a foul. If that didn’t work and the ref wasn’t giving me any calls, I’d say “Screw this guy if he’s not giving me anything, I’ll find another way to impact this game.” I feel like players sometimes drive the basketball, hoping to get a foul, just so they can get to the free throw line to see the ball go in.

The fouling has slowed the game down drastically. It almost gets annoying to watch a game with all the constant stoppages in play. They’re calling a foul on the floor then next possession they’ll be a shooting foul on the other side of the floor taking twenty minutes to let two game minuets to expire. Why is it the refs feel the need to review every call they make? I get the review is there to make the game fair and to help call a perfect game, but its getting redundant they’re reviewing everything now. I feel like I spend more time watching the players standing around arguing these terribly soft as calls, rather then watching them play basketball. I’d rather watch these guys play their games at the park and call their own fouls. I’d pay to see that.

I appreciate the guy on YouTube who uploads all the games on his page so much. You can watch every game from the night before in about ten minutes. He cuts out all the bullshit, the complaining, and excessive reviews and condenses it for us strictly showing the game. The way it should be, without a stoppage every possession. I mean it’s a physical sport after all isn’t it. Toughness seems to have a different meaning nowadays. I just miss some all of that physical play I grew up watching.