If there is one thing that will never change in the NBA, it is that all players are convinced that they are playing at the best time in history. The proof, a Lakers star of the 80s′ has just destroyed a player contemporariesin, who dared to criticize the level of the time. intergenerational warfarethe is not about to end.
It’s not just basketball fans who like to go toe to toe on social media comparing stars and eras… JJ Redick, who spent 15 years in the NBA and established himself as one of the best triggers in the world, is for example not tender with his elders. For him, the league of the 80s was not impressive. He spoke about ESPN :
Stephen Curry gets hooked, caught every game. The defenders are glued to him permanently. When I watch Larry Bird play in the 80s, he sometimes received the ball with no defender within 2 yards. You have to make a difference between the physical basketball of today, and the physical mistakes they made at the time.
Lakers legend knocks out JJ Redick
For JJ Redick, to say that the NBA was more physical in the 80s is a myth. In fact, when he watches matches of Larry Bird at the time, he sees big mistakes, more intense contacts in the racket, but not necessarily a more physical game over 48 minutes. An analysis that did not please Lakers legend Michael Cooper at all. He spoke on the “It’s Showtime” podcast:
JJ Redick has no idea how basketball was played in the 80s. And I can even guarantee this JJ Redick one thing, if he was playing in the 80s, I would have turned him off, I would have kicked his ass! He couldn’t have taken a single shot! You would have spent more time on the bench than on the pitch with me, I can assure you.
For Michael Cooper, current players can’t really comment on the NBA of the 80s, since they didn’t know that time and can’t imagine the intensity there was on the pitch. For example, the former Lakers is convinced he could put out a JJ Redick, even if the latter was playing in a more rhythmic era.
Could the 1987 Defender of the Year shine in the contemporary NBA? Could Redick chain the 3 points in a basketball from the 80s? Not sure. What is certain, however, is that intergenerational debates are not about to disappear in this microcosm, since all players are convinced that they evolved during the golden age of sport.
For current players, the NBA of the 80s was light years away from the level currently displayed on the courts. But for players of the era, the physical difference cannot be overlooked when comparing eras…
