One of the most hotly contested debates in the basketball world is whether the sport is better or worse than it was a few decades ago. The modern NBA is often criticized for defense not being important enough and there being too much shooting.
Current players contest this by saying that the skill level is simply higher and that fans prefer to watch a flowing offense. The amazing thing is, this is the exact debate that was occurring 66 years ago in 1957, as seen from the opinions of players, coaches, and fans shared in Sports Illustrated.
Bob Cousy, who was a 6-time champion and league MVP with the Boston Celtics, had this to say when asked if ‘old-time basketball’ was better:
“Today’s game is better for the spectators. I like it better too, be- cause I’ve always enjoyed a fast-running game. It’s true that the high scores seem strange to old-timers, but that doesn’t mean that we’re short on teamwork or defense. The bigger men in the game have stepped up the offense.”
Mel Hutchins, who played for the New York Knicks and was a four-time All-Star, said:
“It’s a much harder game, but we like it better because the spectators like it better. Let’s face it. We play for the fans. The old game was set and shoot or shoot and run. I wouldn’t blame the fans for booing if we tried that today. They won’t take anything less than the best.”
Paul Arizin, an NBA champion, and a 10-time All-Star had this to say:
“I like this game fine. Can you imagine what would happen if all of a sudden we went back to the old style of play? The action would be so much slower that it would be almost boring for the fans, and our crowds would be cut in half. Sure it’s harder on the players. So what? We like it.”
This is an incredible thing to see as it sounds very similar to the things that modern NBA players say to justify their style of play against the constant criticism from old heads. However, there were people even then that thought the game was better in the 1920s and 1930s.
Jerry Berns, a club owner in New York City said:
“Yes. Over-officiating has taken the defense out of basketball. The game has changed into a contest of basket shooting-you shoot and then I shoot. The team with the most accurate shooters usually wins. The only defense against the jump shot is considered a foul by the officials.” Sound familiar?
And legendary college basketball coach Ed Hickey said:
“Yes. I favor more conservative offensive play. Our offense is built on control and we are definitely opposed to a helter-skelter type of play. One of the most serious objections to today’s game is the emphasis on height, which often means a run-and-shoot, shoot-and-run game, to which I am opposed.”
Professional basketball took a backseat to college basketball throughout the 1930s, with the American Basketball League disbanding in 1931. The National Basketball League came up in 1938 with 13 professional teams, but many rules had changed and innovations had been made by that point. It is interesting to see that even then, people were complaining about soft officiating, no defense, and too much shooting.
The Opinions Of Some Others Showed They Welcomed Offensive Basketball Even Then
Many other people gave their opinions on this question. But for the most part, they seemed to welcome the changes to how basketball was played in the late 1950s.
Wilson Sporting Goods President, Fred J. Bowman said:
“No, although it did feature more teamwork, particularly in the offensive patterns. Hank Iba of Oklahoma A&M, one of the nation’s most successful coaches, still teaches old-style basketball.
“However, today’s spectacular scoring, brilliant passing, and speed appeal more to the spectator.No. From the spectator’s point of view, today’s game is much better, although much harder on the players. It particularly appeals to young boys the ages of my children. Any sport that appeals as strongly to spectators as basketball does today will be a success, but it must be full of action.
The legendary actress Joan Crawford agreed that the game had improved:
“No. From the spectator’s point of view, today’s game is much better, although much harder on the players. It particularly appeals to young the of my children. Any sport that strongly to spectators as basketball does today will be a success, but it must be full of action.”
One of the most legendary figures in basketball history, Hank Luisetti, who was credited with inventing what would become the jump shot, said:
“No. The kids today are better shooters. Instead of two or three sharpshooters, all five are good, but I don’t like the bonus shot on personal fouls. Eliminating it would cut 20 points off the score. Incidentally, I didn’t invent the jump shot; I just did a lot of one-hand shooting.”
Sports editor Pat Harmon also didn’t think it was better back in the day, saying:
“No. Back in the old days basketball didn’t draw good crowds. The crowds are bigger and more enthusiastic today because the game is faster and more spectacular. When the old-timers got the lead in a game, they’d freeze the ball and the game became a bore. I saw a game that ended with a 3-1 score.”
Basketball has evolved in some incredible ways over the years, the game has been changing nearly every decade to make it the high-octane, fast-paced game it is now. It is funny to see that every generation has debated whether the game has gotten worse, though. Ultimately, the true marker is growth, and the modern NBA is as popular and rich as it has ever been, which means something has to be going right.
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