Absolutely. Even with all the stuff that has happened in the last two games, people have tried to suggest that no fines or ejections should have taken place because of that "attitude."

Peace

Interestingly enough, for those that actually watch the NBA regularly, they'd say that Joakim Noah is one of the reasons to watch NBA...hell basketball in general with his rebounding and great passing skills for a big man...not to mention being a very good defender....and in addition all the success that the Bulls has had with all the injuries the team has suffered.

But you know, perhaps it all part of a storyline since this IS "pro wrestling with a basketball" (heavy, heavy sarcasm). :rolleyes:

I can also tell he has not watched much NBA when he probably does not realize that this is one of the biggest rivalries in the game. These two teams hate each other as much as you can hate each other without playing for NBA Title. A lot of trash talking in the media and players like Noah honestly not liking the Heat and called them "Hollywood." They have played each other the last few years in the playoffs and often is very physical and contentious. You are not going to see all this stuff in a series like the Golden State-San Antonio series because those teams do not have history several years over. Heck this Bulls-Heat series reminds me of the old days with Indiana-New York or New York-Chicago where teams hated the ground the other walked on and usually resulted in one or the other going to the Finals. Even Boston-Heat was contentious the last few years, and both at least had been in the Finals in recent years. I guess he thinks that they are going to play like unskilled high school kids. ;)

Peace

Nope. Actually, "he" thinks they should PLAY like the highly paid professsionals they are...and not BEHAVE like unskilled high school kids.

What this series has degraded into goes beyond intense rivalries and the occasional dust up...overpaid knuckleheads with no control of their emotions. It overshadows the positive aspects of the pro game...like the perseverance of the wounded Chicago line up or the dominant skills of LeBron.

I don't watch much NBA, but it has little to do with any perceived attitudes. I don't watch enough to know one way or the other, I just don't have the time to watch that much basketball.

That said, I agree with BZ here. One of my least favorite excuses for unsporting behavior is "it's an emotional game." Coaches get away with it, players get away with it, and fans get away with it all under this excuse. It's a horrible thing to teach young people that emotions and stress are an excuse to act like dicks.

We're essentially telling them, "This game is so important that we're going to allow you to do and say things that would otherwise leave you friendless and jobless: and we'll excuse it because of the stress imposed by trying to win a game."

All of this stuff you are saying is your opinion and you certantly have the right to it, but it appears your characterizations are based mostly on ignorance. For one players are not overpaid when the public contributes to a system that allows them to make money. If the public stopped watching the games it would be the WNBA not the NBA.

The fact that it is pro basketball there are going to be things differnet just like there are differences in all pro sports as it relates to the other sports. And emotions tend to get out of hand at all levels. I have cetainly heard of many more fights at the amateur level than I ever do at the pros for all kinds of reasons. What is going on in this series is the very same reason we would make sure things do not get out of hand during a cross town rivalry. And this series is tame compared to what it used to be with players that were not paid nearly as much.

Peace

Gee. Thanks for that.

And hey, thanks for that too. I defer to your obvious superior insight on this topic.

And that's the real shame in all that has taken place between these two teams.
Is there anybody that works high school games that doesn't see behavior in the NBA emulated in high school?

I don't see it as much in high school because a far higher percentage of officials don't accept it, and by the time the players and coaches get to that level, they have a better understanding. There are exceptions, though.

Lower levels anything outside of school-sanctioned events, and it becomes far more prevalent. Coaches learn by watching TV, and players take cues from their parents.

I had a MS football game (parks and rec) last weekend, and the parents on my sideline were complete tools. You could see the affect it had on the players, too. After the game, one player came up and apologized, "I'm sorry they were all yelling at you." As I was telling him I appreciated his sportsmanship, his teammate started booing. Kid #1 turned on his teammate and started yelling at him.

Sadly, the first kid is the exception with parents and coaches like this (the HC had consistently been asking for calls he knew he couldn't/shouldn't get, and the parents were cuing off of that) turn out far more mouthy kids than the coaches who get it.

The behavior I see in HS games merely reflects what is seen on TV, movies, and other media. It has nothing to do with the NBA.

There is a lot of that going on these days.:rolleyes:

And it doesn't matter if it was Rambis getting decked by McHale, or the "Bad Boys" from Detroit, or the current version of the Heat/Bulls...it's not basketball, and it's not fun to watch. These are supposed to be the best basketball players in the best league in the world, and this is what they have to do to get attention? That's garbage, and defending it is garbage.

Really? You don't think televised, high profile games and players in the NBA have an impact on behavior in HS?

Not as much as people here would like to make it out to be. Society is different and I knew when I was in HS I could not do a lot of things the NBA did when they were fighting every other game back then. Now these players act nothing like they used to and the game is not as rough and players act out because adults allow them to. And you never see college players act out that much in the first place. You think Teddy Valentine or Jim Burr is going to allow some 20 year old to ruin his night?

Peace

Never got the phrasing that the NBA is "not basketball." It clearly is and to say otherwise is silly...it's just not the brand of basketball that YOU like to watch.

Reading is fundamental. I never said the NBA was not basketball. I was speaking directly to the crap that has been going on in the Bulls/Heat series. That is not basketball. It's adult rec league. And no, that is not the brand of basketball I like to watch. If you do like to watch that, may I suggest you also check out UFC.:cool: