What was the best era of basketball?

[EGarrett]

I have a feeling this'll make an interesting topic.

Hopefully this post isn't too long to be read.

Pre-1950.

The invention of the game. When it first took form. The emergence of the NBA and the first ever dominant big man in George Mikan.

The 50's and 60's.

Often considered the "pure era" of basketball. The Celtic Dynasty emerges. Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first dominant force in basketball. Red Auerbach invents the fast break. Elgin Baylor invents double-clutch, slashing basketball. Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and others. The league consists of only 12 teams. Which might mean greater competition, or might mean nothing, since the world population has doubled since that time and far more countries are contributing players to the league...

The 1970's.

Championships for New York and Los Angeles. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar introduces the world to the Skyhook. The ABA and the NBA dual for control of the sport of basketball. Doctor J emerges. The basketball is called "the pill."

The 1980's.

The NBA becomes big money entertainment. Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird becomes arguably the greatest sports rivalry of all-time. Michael Jordan emerges in the NBA. Possibly the last time when passing was in-vogue.

The 1990's.

Michael Jordan dominates the NBA. Arguably the greatest era ever for the Center position...with Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, David Robinson, Mutombo, Mourning, and Patrick Ewing all doing battle night after night in the paint. The Dream Team dominates the Olympics. The high-flying style of game is popular and everyone searches for the Next Jordan. People actually say the words "Boom Shakalaka" with a straight face.

The Modern Era (2000-Present)

Possibly the greatest era ever for the shooting guard position. The crossover dribble becomes popular. Basketball referred to as "The rock." For several seasons, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant turn the NBA into something like a bad bickering buddy cop movie. Basketball truly becomes a world sport, as the NBA sees the emergence of a host of international superstars. Lebron James emerges...on his way to becoming...? The future is bright.

Which is it? The bright future? The good old days? WHICH good old days? Speak.

[Emiliano]

Nice thread.
Anyways, I still don't think we've had a "great" era of basketball. The best era, hopefully soon to come, will hopefully consists of all the attributes that make up the game of basketball. That means passing, scoring, fast breaks, dominant centers, flashy moves, classic moves, etc.
The best era though was the 80's.

[Colin]

The 80's, that was an era where there were teams that had 3-4 hall of famers, and didn't win championships. The teams in had more talent on average and the game hadn't been watered down by expansion. Point guards were real point guards. You had ones that could score, but they could all pass. The mid-range game was essential. It was basicaly pure basketball with the added athleticism the elites bring.

And to a lesser extent all-star weekend was better. The dunk contest meant something, and pretty much everything the players could do was new and exciting.

[j.23]

90's. i absolutely loved watching the bulls and jordan ripping everyones assholes in half. although the knicks and the pacers put up a good fight they ultimately succumbed to the power of the bulls

[Fresh8]

The 90's was the best era... so many quality players, especially big men! The 80's was pretty good but I feel that there were more quality teams during the 90's... problem was that Chi-town was too good.

[J@3]

I think most people will say the 90's purely because that's what they grew up with... personally I'd say the 70's or 80's, I think the characters (Dr. J, Magic, young MJ) were alot more interesting than the guys we have these days.

[Isaiah]

80's!!! SHOWTIME!

[Null17]

I'm more inclined to choose the 80's and 90's. Bird and Magic were great and the great Big men of the 90's were enjoyable to watch

[Matt]

90's. That's what i grew up on.

C'mon, we had MJ, Hakeem, Malone....3 arguably best at their positions of all time.

Then there was Grant Hill, Scottie Pippen, Mitch Richmond, Glen Rice, Robinson, Joe Dumars, Kemp etc

That was THE shit!

[Cloudy]

70's to now.. It's so hard to choose..
Dr. J, Larry Bird, Magic, Jordan...etc

[The X]

I voted for the 1980s....I started watching basketball in 1993....game became much boring in the 90s than the 80s as defense became the focus....90s also featured the 1st lockout in 98....fundamentals starting to wane, players started to declare earlier and earlier....

[Heiks]

The 90s. I just haven't seen that much of the 50s-80s due to my age and that leaves me with the 90s and the modern era. The 90s is when I began watching basketball and that's when I was drawn to it. All those great players made me want to play the game myself and so I did. The future could be bright but the past has brought us here. My history with the game began in the 1990s and that's the greatest era for me.

[Its_asdf]

I only started watching basketball since the late 90's, but I personally think that the 80's are the best. The Magic and Bird rivalry was probably one of the biggest rivalries of all time, and I'm probably sure that Magic and Bird didn't fail to impress.

[frAn]

voted the 90's because of the Miller moments and of course, the pacers-knicks rivalry (aka Reggie vs Spike Lee&Knicks).

[Andrew]

For me it's the 90s, though each era has been great in its own way. My own personal bias towards the 90s aside, it's also the era that the NBA (and indeed basketball in general) really took the world by storm.

I think it's also interesting to note some of the darker sides of all the eras. The 50s saw a professional game in its relative infancy, with violence commonplace as athletes and officials alike grew accustomed to the sport. The 60s saw wide-spread gamefixing scandals, especially in college. The 70s saw a rivalry between two sports leagues that led to rifts and lawsuits. The 90s saw the birth of the spoiled athlete and a lockout. And just to be fair, the 80s had the mullet.

[Heiks]

And just to be fair, the 80s had the mullet.

Three LOL icons aren't enough to express my laughter.

[Jeffx]

The 80's, that was an era where there were teams that had 3-4 hall of famers, and didn't win championships. The teams in had more talent on average and the game hadn't been watered down by expansion. Point guards were real point guards. You had ones that could score, but they could all pass. The mid-range game was essential. It was basicaly pure basketball with the added athleticism the elites bring.

And to a lesser extent all-star weekend was better. The dunk contest meant something, and pretty much everything the players could do was new and exciting.

You said it best - great basketball + great rivalries.

80's >>>> the rest

[Bang]

For me it's the 90s, though each era has been great in its own way. My own personal bias towards the 90s aside, it's also the era that the NBA (and indeed basketball in general) really took the world by storm.

I think it's also interesting to note some of the darker sides of all the eras. The 50s saw a professional game in its relative infancy, with violence commonplace as athletes and officials alike grew accustomed to the sport. The 60s saw wide-spread gamefixing scandals, especially in college. The 70s saw a rivalry between two sports leagues that led to rifts and lawsuits. The 90s saw the birth of the spoiled athlete and a lockout. And just to be fair, the 80s had the mullet.

Didn't the 80s have more drug problems? But the mullet is worse, of course.

[Jackal_]

For me it's the 90s, though each era has been great in its own way. My own personal bias towards the 90s aside, it's also the era that the NBA (and indeed basketball in general) really took the world by storm.

I think it's also interesting to note some of the darker sides of all the eras. The 50s saw a professional game in its relative infancy, with violence commonplace as athletes and officials alike grew accustomed to the sport. The 60s saw wide-spread gamefixing scandals, especially in college. The 70s saw a rivalry between two sports leagues that led to rifts and lawsuits. The 90s saw the birth of the spoiled athlete and a lockout. And just to be fair, the 80s had the mullet.

Didn't the 80s have more drug problems? But the mullet is worse, of course.

Bring back Chambers and the mullet!

I'd have to say the 90's by far.. who didn't love watching the Chicago - Utah series.. personally my favourite was the early 90's with Penny and Shaq played Scottie and Micheal..

[GloveGuy]

Not so many months ago, I would have chosen the 90s, but after getting into ESPN Classics, I've grown more appreciation for the era before.

The 80s featured the best of both worlds. You have the Celtics/Bird versus Lakers/Magic rivalry, yet you also had these great stars on the rise. Though you could say that they didn't reach their peak until the next decade, guys like Jordan, Olajuwon, Ewing, Malone, Stockton, and Barkley were pretty damn good in their first few years.

Plus, this was before major expansion plagued the league. Look at teams like the Lakers, Celtics, and Sixers. The majority of their starting lineup would end up in the Hall of Fame. You couldn't say that for teams in the 90s or now -- only if some of those HOFs were on the decline.

And lets not forget that the game was a joy to watch. Offense was exciting, defense was nasty. I appreciate a good half court offense, but some teams in the 90s were just brutal to watch trying to execute.

[Colin]

I just wish I could get ESPN Classic here in Canada without Satellite. They won't carry it in cable because it will take viewers from Canadian channels like TSN and SportsNet.

And Jeff, you brought up a great point about rivalries. I'll give the 90's Knicks vs. Heat, and Bulls vs. The League, but the 80's had so many of them. Between the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, and many more. And they seemed to mean more. I can remember the NBA advertising 'The Battle of Canada' for Raptors-Grizzlies games in the late 90's. Not only were none of the players Canadian, but the cities didn't really care either.

[Indy]

Easily the 90s. I'm baised, because I grew up with the 90's NBA.

The rivalries were the best, The Bulls are the best team ever, some of the all-time greats were in that era, plus it just had a great, great feeling to it.

[Amphatoast]

ditto here, knicks got me into watching basketball. Starks, Ewing, Oakley

But 80s seemed interesting too, bird and magic.

[Anthony15]

todays era is the best...i bet all of now era superstars can beat 80's, 70's and will win in a blow out game against the 50's!

[Amphatoast]

I don't like what VC did to Toronto at all. That was one of the most unprofessional things I've seen, not giving it his all.