Minnesota Sports Forum

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This is where Khans and Cam are headed

Heh, Papal always trying to stir things up!

Harden bugs me. I hate his dumb beard and the way he plays (and I realize he's really, really good). If you watch him drive to the hoop, he loves to stick his arms straight out in front of him when he picks up his dribble and then rip them up into defenders as he drives. It's almost an impossible call not to make, but it bugs the hell out of me. He wouldn't be able to do it if he didn't have great handles and great strength, but I wish someone would pancake him and let him get a taste for what a real foul feels like.

The key is to guard him the way Wiggins did that one play that went viral the last time we played them. Basically keep him in front of you and beg him to take a mid-range jumper. He hates those shots because it's not a 3 pointer and he can't do his arm-bar thingy and draw fouls.

Q I went and googled that play. Thanks

Q12543 wrote:Heh, Papal always trying to stir things up!

Harden bugs me. I hate his dumb beard and the way he plays (and I realize he's really, really good). If you watch him drive to the hoop, he loves to stick his arms straight out in front of him when he picks up his dribble and then rip them up into defenders as he drives. It's almost an impossible call not to make, but it bugs the hell out of me. He wouldn't be able to do it if he didn't have great handles and great strength, but I wish someone would pancake him and let him get a taste for what a real foul feels like.

The key is to guard him the way Wiggins did that one play that went viral the last time we played them. Basically keep him in front of you and beg him to take a mid-range jumper. He hates those shots because it's not a 3 pointer and he can't do his arm-bar thingy and draw fouls.

I was thinking on how the NBA could get rid of all those types of plays and all the stupid flopping, then it hit me. I don't remember all this sort of play and flopping in the 80's and 90's. Some may attribute it to the European players. I attribute it to doing away with the physical style of basketball. Back in the day if you would flop or play a certain way to get foul calls, then the guy would actually foul you hard to get his money's worth. I miss the physical style of play. The old NBA was a better style.

TRKO wrote:

Q12543 wrote:Heh, Papal always trying to stir things up!

Harden bugs me. I hate his dumb beard and the way he plays (and I realize he's really, really good). If you watch him drive to the hoop, he loves to stick his arms straight out in front of him when he picks up his dribble and then rip them up into defenders as he drives. It's almost an impossible call not to make, but it bugs the hell out of me. He wouldn't be able to do it if he didn't have great handles and great strength, but I wish someone would pancake him and let him get a taste for what a real foul feels like.

The key is to guard him the way Wiggins did that one play that went viral the last time we played them. Basically keep him in front of you and beg him to take a mid-range jumper. He hates those shots because it's not a 3 pointer and he can't do his arm-bar thingy and draw fouls.

I was thinking on how the NBA could get rid of all those types of plays and all the stupid flopping, then it hit me. I don't remember all this sort of play and flopping in the 80's and 90's. Some may attribute it to the European players. I attribute it to doing away with the physical style of basketball. Back in the day if you would flop or play a certain way to get foul calls, then the guy would actually foul you hard to get his money's worth. I miss the physical style of play. The old NBA was a better style.

The early to mid 80s was actually pretty offensive basketball with lots of scoring and high FG% (and yeah, guys would fight and get physical too, but offense ruled the day). The late 80s Pistons began the trend of stifling defense (as well as getting nasty). Then the 90s were just playing ugly. I would never want to go back to a style where it's basically a mud-wrestling match all night.

But you bring up a good point about how you never saw the manufactured fouls in the 80s and 90s. The 2000s and 2010s you have guys that make a living manufacturing fouls for themselves (and that includes our own Kevin Martin by the way). Harden is a master at it, but I hate his game.

The manufactured fouls makes the game unbearable to watch. It's bad basketball.

Wasn't Love one of the main reasons they changed the way they ruled on players making contact after a pump fake? He always used to pump fake at the 3 pt line and then jump into whoever was guarding him.

It's stuff like that that has always bugged me. Blake Griffin doesnt always do that, but his style of play always pissed me off real bad because he tried to get calls instead of playing, and than when he didn't he cried his eyes out to the refs. One of the gigantic reasons why I can't stand him. Love here wasn't much better, but at the time he was ours, so it's easier to turn the other way.

ahughes53 wrote:Wasn't Love one of the main reasons they changed the way they ruled on players making contact after a pump fake? He always used to pump fake at the 3 pt line and then jump into whoever was guarding him.

It's stuff like that that has always bugged me. Blake Griffin doesnt always do that, but his style of play always pissed me off real bad because he tried to get calls instead of playing, and than when he didn't he cried his eyes out to the refs. One of the gigantic reasons why I can't stand him. Love here wasn't much better, but at the time he was ours, so it's easier to turn the other way.

The stars of the league are always whining for calls. It's annoying and boring.

TRKO wrote:

ahughes53 wrote:Wasn't Love one of the main reasons they changed the way they ruled on players making contact after a pump fake? He always used to pump fake at the 3 pt line and then jump into whoever was guarding him.

It's stuff like that that has always bugged me. Blake Griffin doesnt always do that, but his style of play always pissed me off real bad because he tried to get calls instead of playing, and than when he didn't he cried his eyes out to the refs. One of the gigantic reasons why I can't stand him. Love here wasn't much better, but at the time he was ours, so it's easier to turn the other way.

The stars of the league are always whining for calls. It's annoying and boring.

And nobody is worse about it than the best player in the league, LeBron. One of a few reasons I don't enjoy watching him play.

Wade perfected the art of pump faking and then jumping into a defender. Here is a classic example where his defender leaves his feet, but generally stays out of the natural verticality of Wade's space. Wade does the unnatural act of jumping into the space his defender resides in. I hate this move:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68MqYuLUtPI

And then you have Durant's classic rip-through move (which the NBA no longer calls as a shooting foul thank God, but they changed the rule because of Durant's exploits):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESMKrPDj6yk

And finally, here are a bunch of examples of Harden's methodology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_5N2bYLt28


Harden's are the most legit fouls here. I don't know how an official doesn't call them. He basically baits players into going for the strip as he drives the lane and they end up getting all wrist or arm.