The Monthly Pessimist: With the NBA’s mentality out of whack, Kobe Bryant reminds us of the good old days

March 6, 2020

By Joseph Arino-Sandomenico
Editor

Ever since I was first introduced to basketball, I have always aspired to play in the NBA. I fell in love with the contact of the game, even though it was not necessarily considered a “contact” sport. Sadly, however, that has changed over the past decade or so, and I think I have just about had it. 

Here is everything that is wrong with the NBA: referees are trash (not surprised there, huh?) and the game is solely based on scoring from deep and paint play. The balance in the league has also been thrown off.

Obviously, this is not the first time you have heard that referees are ruining a game. I mean, the MLB is moving towards electronic umpires. That is insane. 

Anyway, the referees are terrible. You have three referees on the court watching an isolated area throughout most of the game, and they get more calls wrong than right. Coincidentally, they somehow manage to get the most calls wrong in the most important moments. 

That last one is a little biased because on Feb. 7, my Portland Trailblazers got robbed in the game against the Utah Jazz because the referees missed an easy goaltending call, costing them the game while they tried to fight for a playoff spot. I was big mad. 

Another recent problem that has come up is load management. This is when players rest a decent number of games to be more than ready for the playoffs. With players like Kawhi Leonard only playing about three-quarters of the season, it is just a disgrace to the NBA.

You have players that will sacrifice getting any player awards, like Leonard basically giving up the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award because he is the best defender in the league. Not only that, but making the playoffs isn’t even a guarantee so it could be just a waste of time. I hate it with a passion.

The new style of play in basketball has killed my view of the NBA, and it makes me sad. I miss the days when contested mid-range shots were common and post-play was important in scoring. Now, it is only driving and pulling up from deep.

Not only that, but teams are putting up 120 points per night. Honestly, I miss the games when teams couldn’t even hit 100 points. I loved the times when the defense was prominent because it is always more fun seeing exciting blocks or steals leading to big dunks off the fastbreak on the other end of the floor. That aspect of the game is gone.

I also miss Kobe Bryant’s turn-around jumpers and Dirk Nowitzki’s fadeaway—two shots I like to perform myself—but it looks like we will never see anything like that again. Today, it is all about pulling up from the logo, which is impressive and very thrilling to watch, but I prefer Bryant’s and Nowitzki’s signature moves. 

Balance has been an issue for years because the West was always somewhat better than the East, but with changes like Kevin Durant going from the Warriors to the Nets, along with plenty of other moves, the balance is back. 

Not so fast, NBA experts. The balance is back between the East and the West. However, it has depleted within the actual conference. 

What I mean is instead of having 10 teams in playoff contention in each conference fighting for a spot, you now have the six best teams in each conference, and then the bottom nine teams being absolute trash. This means a total of four underperforming teams will make the playoffs when they probably shouldn’t. It is so disappointing. 

Overall, the NBA is heading in a downward spiral when it shouldn’t be. 

Bryant was my inspiration for wanting to become a coach, and after his death on Jan. 26, it hit me just how bad the NBA has gotten. 

When Bryant dropped 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in the 2005-2006 season, he only made seven 3s. Today, for someone to drop 81 points in a game is still insane, but for someone to do it by making a minimal number of 3s? Unheard of.

Bryant showcased how rare pure scoring was in the NBA. With a heavy focus on offense, having a good amount of players score so many points per night proves it is no longer special. It pains me to think about it.

I hope the game changes back to what it was during the early 2000s because I miss those days. If y’all players and executives can’t do it for yourselves, at least do it for the legend. 

R.I.P., Kobe, my biggest inspiration. Whether playing as No. 8 or No. 24, you will be missed.