The Difference Between Past and Present NBA Games

Today I will be talking about the difference and change in the game of basketball between 1990ish and right now. There are many changes but I think these ones are the ones that stand out the most to me.

Play Style

Back in the 1990s, the main goal was to drive to the hoop or dunk and score. There were a few three’s but nowhere close to as many as there are now. Currently, the goal is to do all three of these things. I think that the current NBA playing style is more fun to watch because watching a player make three’s from super far while also driving and doing amazing moves is just more interesting. I think this change actually came a lot from Stephen Curry. There have obviously been many players who have changed the game some but Steph just took it to another level. Steph and his 3-point shooting have definitely changed the game.

Free Throws

I know this is a pretty random change but, I was just watching an old game last night and it amazed me how some people shot their free throws. Two guys shot them one-handed and made all the free throws. This is crazy to me because no one shoots free throws one-handed anymore so to see someone do it is weird.

Palming the Ball

As I was watching the game last night I also noticed that lots of players would palm the ball and then swing it around to try to confuse the defense. This never happens anymore and I don’t know why. All the players still have the same hand size and are able to do it but they never do. It might be because of ball security but I think that their hands are big enough that it is ok.

Broadcasting

Another major difference I noticed was the T.V quality. I know that they obviously didn’t have the technology that we do back then so it’s not going to be as good. But the could have at least zoomed in more on the players so that you can see better. That is something they did have the technology for and could have done. 

Are there any other big differences in the game of basketball?