# Do you ever follow pro basketball? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 22, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331 "2012-01-22T21:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/21 "2012-01-23T03:39:52Z")
I followed the Bucks when I was in high school and college, and they were fairly good (this was the Marques Johnson / Bob Lanier era / Sidney Moncrief era, from the late 70s through the mid 80s). I followed the Bulls when I moved to Chicago, and they were winning championships with Jordan. Even though the Bulls are good again, I can’t seem to find the desire to give a hoot. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/22 "2012-01-23T03:56:20Z")
Nope. Couldnt seriously give two shits less. And I do follow football and baseball ftr. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/23 "2012-01-23T05:14:11Z")
No, but I don’t follow any sports. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/24 "2012-01-23T07:06:30Z")
I used to be a Trail Blazer fan when they had Bill Walton and up until they traded “jail blazer” Rasheed Wallace to the Pistons. I lost all interest when Odom turned out to be another Sam Bowie. I also just don’t like how the NBA game is played now. I rarely watch NBA basketball now although I’d rather watch it than college basketball though since I don’t like watching collegiate sports. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/25 "2012-01-23T07:08:33Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > I used to be a Trail Blazer fan when they had Bill Walton and up until they traded “jail blazer” Rasheed Wallace to the Pistons. I lost all interest when Odom turned out to be another Sam Bowie. I also just don’t like how the NBA game is played now. I rarely watch NBA basketball now although I’d rather watch it than college basketball though since I don’t like watching collegiate sports. I believe that’s Oden, as in Greg Oden. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/26 "2012-01-23T07:25:39Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > I believe that’s Oden, as in Greg Oden. Okay. He could be Greg Odon, for all I care. Thanks for the anal retentive spell check. ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_Winepuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4da419/32.png) [@Josh\_Winepuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_Winepuck)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/27 "2012-01-23T07:38:10Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > Okay. He could be Greg Odon, for all I care. Thanks for the anal retentive spell check. Not that you’d care, but Markdash isn’t “spell-checking” you. Odom and Oden are two different players. Back to the OP: I still follow the NBA, although the general suckiness of the Warriors year-to-year are doing their best to turn me off _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/28 "2012-01-23T07:42:48Z")
> [@Josh\_Winepuck](#): > > Not that you’d care, but Markdash isn’t “spell-checking” you. Odom and Oden are two different players. Beat me to it, Lamar Odom / Greg Oden. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/29 "2012-01-23T08:30:19Z")
If I didn’t work on the sports desk of a newspaper, I doubt I would give the NBA a second thought. I suppose, though, that it gives me a bit of a thrill when a player from a college that I have a connection to starts doing really well. ---
**Author:** ![TATG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@TATG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TATG)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/30 "2012-01-23T08:57:48Z")
Yes; but only because it is great. Very closely. The play so far in this season (in the games I have watched) has been disapointing, however. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/31 "2012-01-23T13:12:39Z")
Not one teeny little bit. Somehow watching ten tattoo sample displays run (well, jog) up and down the court while some old guy pretends to tell them what to do isn’t my idea of a fun time. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/32 "2012-01-23T13:47:38Z")
I watch the NBA during the final 2 rounds of the playoffs, generally. And even then I won’t really go out of my way to find it, but if I’m scanning and see it I’ll watch some. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/33 "2012-01-23T13:55:54Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Not one teeny little bit. Somehow watching ten tattoo sample displays run (well, jog) up and down the court while some old guy pretends to tell them what to do isn’t my idea of a fun time. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/34 "2012-01-23T14:39:12Z")
Basketball is probably the only team sport that I cannot get even the slightest bit of fun or interest out of. It just flat out bores me. Scoring to the point that not scoring seems more of an event devalues the whole concept of scoring. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/35 "2012-01-23T15:27:20Z")
I don’t watch the NBA often (partly because I don’t have cable), but a friend of mine covers the Grizzlies for a local paper, so I usually keep general tabs on how they’re doing, who the stars are, etc., so I can talk to him about it. Last year, though, when the Grizzlies were a #8 seed (i.e. lowest seed in the playoffs) and went deep into the postseason, I watched every game. That was really thrilling. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/36 "2012-01-23T15:30:24Z")
I’ve followed moderately closely, as far as auto-recording the local team’s games on the DVR. This year I watched one of the first games, saw a (more or less) rookie get not only an immediate technical, but also a quick ‘F-U’ call against him on the next possession, for the horrible crime of not understanding that in the NBA when a rookie is guarding a ‘superstar’ and the superstar hits the rookie in the chest with his elbow, it’s a foul on the rookie, compounded by not kissing the ass of the referee hard enough. I’ve turned off games before because of the undisciplined, offensively oriented, and just plain bad refereeing. But seeing that – combined with equally bad calls in the next game I watched – pushed me into not auto-recording games this year. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/37 "2012-01-23T15:56:59Z")
I like the NBA. I follow my team, the Denver Nuggets, even though they’re rarely on TV in my area. But I check their box scores after each game. There are other teams whose games I will watch with mild interest. I’ll surely root against the Heat or the Lakers. I’ve attended games featuring two teams I care nothing for, just because the atmosphere of an NBA arena is that awesome. But I’m very unlikely to watch that kind of game on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/38 "2012-01-23T16:21:10Z")
I began to lose interest about the time of Jordan’s final retirement. Nowadays, if it weren’t for a couple of South American players I wouldn’t know it was still on. And also that absurd pampering of the stars, so much much more than in any other sport, has gone ridiculous. I became fuly aware of this one year when watching Iverson travelling on half his running-down-the-court plays. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/39 "2012-01-23T17:40:24Z")
Basketball? Is that still a thing? No, I don’t watch it. It makes no sense. It’s the only game where players occupy the same space but aren’t allowed to touch each other. If I start to move toward the basket, you have to get out of my way and let me pass you, lest you foul me. So long as I take a slightly roundabout route to the basket, it’s not charging. If I’m defending and you try to get past me, I should be able to knock you on your ass for coming into my space, just like they do in every other sport. If you want to run around me, you have to _really_ run around me, not just pretend. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331/40 "2012-01-23T17:46:15Z")
When I was a kid I loved basketball. I played in school and in my free time with my friends. This was in the early 1980s near the beginning of the Bird/Magic era in the NBA. Back then basketball was more of a team game. In the last 15-20 years it has devolved into a bunch of solo ‘stars’ trying to do everything themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-follow-pro-basketball/610331.md?page=3)