To start off I’ll say I despise the NBA today and likely have not watched an NBA game in 20+ years.

But I grew up in the late 80s and 90s so I watched Jordan and the Bulls.
NBA Live 95 is still the greatest basketball video game of all time.
I have been to one NBA basket ball game and I was actually a ball boy for the New Jersey Nets many moons ago when Sam Bowie and Derrick Coleman were playing.
I am not a basketball fan by any means but I am enjoying this series quite a bit. It kind of jumps around a bit which is frustrating but if you enjoyed watching Jordan and the Bulls I highly suggest watching it.

Very much looking forward to it.
I DVR'd episodes 1-4, is that the whole series?

I'm with the OP on this one - same deal, I grew up in the 80's, hoop wasn't my best game by a large margin but, I knew who the players were. For a long time, it was always Lakers or, Celtics and nobody else could come to the party. The Pistons and Bulls shattered that ceiling and also helped many other cities (Houston, San Antonio) buck the trend of the celebrity, coastal culture-bias that the media and the NBA's corporate fathers desired.

This series (10-part) reveals a bygone era for a lot of reasons:

- College ball mattered...look at the first two ep and you see these college teams littered with all-timers; the playoff then had much greater impact. Not so much today.
- The game was much different then; basketball was just as much a skill game as it was a physical game.
- Players were available to the media, both in a formal and informal settings. Today, they have marketing teams carefully projecting their image in a polished and smooth palette.
- Obviously as salaries increased, some players viewed themselves as businessman, seeing Jordan and Pippen always wearing suits, is a contrast from players today who are more apt to wear 'couture athletic wear' or, some off-the-wall fashion show ensemble.
- Players were allowed, encouraged to be colorful or, assertive, Today, a guy like Bill Lambier or, Rick Mahorn would've been drummed-out, Barkley would've been minimized, Rodman, for all of his oddities, was an incredibly productive player.
- There's a number of sports writers who are answering questions from their kids, who are astonished at what the basketball world was like and how it contrasts with today.
- Speaking of writers, the game today, while spurts of excitement, is uninteresting. There's no characters, there's very few stories, the environment is carefully scripted and the players are transient.
- Carmen Electra looks really GOOD for being 48

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

It kind of jumps around a bit which is frustrating but if you enjoyed watching Jordan and the Bulls I highly suggest watching it.

wife and i were just talking about this

otherwise its very entertaining and insightful

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Part of my motivation to start working at 10 years old was Jordan going into the NBA. I had only watched college ball and watched every UNC televised game. My friend whose parents had money (we were broke 24/7) had cable. So I learned that WGN was part of the package along with TBS, and TNT. So I watched over 90% of the Bulls televised games from his rookie year until he retired from the game the 2nd time with Chicago. I guess I'm one of those ultimate MJ fans as I was calling him GOAT in 1988 in school while everyone else said he'd never win a championship.

So these past two Sundays I've been having fun. I don't watch basketball anymore either because it's a bitch ass pussy league these days. Physical basketball is the basketball I know and love. Most of what they have covered I knew already but it's been damn fun hearing MJ cuss like a sailor. Grant calling the Pistons bitches last night was epic. They are through the 91 finals with LA so I'm guessing next week they will wrap up the first three peat and MJ's baseball.

I'm far from a hardcore NBA/basketball fan. I'll watch the home team if they make the playoffs - that's about it.

I'm 4 episodes in, and so far this has been excellent. The first episode, with all the Jordan highlights and dramatic music, was often electrifying.

It's a great look behind the scenes and under the hood.

We're not much on basketball, certainly not NBA, but are from that era as well and have been enjoying the first four episodes. Worth the time for sure, especially with no other "new" content on ESPN!

quote:

- Carmen Electra looks really GOOD for being 48

Yes, indeed. I had to keep my eyes straight ahead with even breathing during that segment from last night, screenshot here:

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:
Very much looking forward to it.
I DVR'd episodes 1-4, is that the whole series?

It will be 10 episodes in length.

Forgive me i'm a Lakers fan,never liked the Bulls.

I have never liked basketball ( I’m
46 ) and was in Chicago during the mid to late ‘90’s and did not watch the Bulls.

Having said that, I have watched all 4 episodes and can’t wait to see the last six. They are excellent !!!

Jordan would be a fun guy to meet and have a beer with. The stories he could tell ...

MDS

I'm watching it with my son, MJ is the GOAT. after episode 2 he is starting to get it. Also I want him to see work ethic that MJ had.

Nice blast from the past. I'm through episode 8, yay screeners, and it's confirmed a lot of what I remember from then and filled in some blanks.

I enjoy Basket ball but only during play-offs. Too many games during the regular season to hold my interest. I will say though, for the nay sayers, if you get a chance to watch a super star in action close court you will most likely be blown away. I had occasion to be in Las Vegas in 1990 and put $10 on the Bulls to win it all in one of the sports books. Can't remember the exact odds but as near as I can recall I collected about $400.

Slow going here and finished Episode 4 last night. I was too young to be a basketball fan and actually follow it. So I knew nothing outside of Jordan and the Bulls.
Man, if basketball was played as a whole today like Rodman and the Pistons played back then, I think I would watch.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Slow going here and finished Episode 4 last night. I was too young to be a basketball fan and actually follow it. So I knew nothing outside of Jordan and the Bulls.
Man, if basketball was played as a whole today like Rodman and the Pistons played back then, I think I would watch.

80's and 90's were the golden era. Especially in the 80's, a fight could break out on any given night with any 2 teams playing each other.
I watched heavily (primarily Bulls, and Eastern conference teams) and quit watching when MJ retired from the Bulls the 2nd time and got heavily into MotoGP and WSBK. A few times in the 2000's I tried to get back into the NBA, and just couldn't watch it. Tried the last few years to watch the NBA and got disgusted. Pansy rules in today's games with 7 foot guys chunking 3's the entire game. Today's NBA is NCAA II. It's a complete joke to me.

You really have to understand 80's and 90's NBA to get how good MJ was. He was a slasher, with the best first step I have ever seen. Going to the basket as much as he did, he got assaulted his entire career and got brutalized. Hand checking was allowed then elbow/forearm checking. MJ was as tough as any basketball player in history. After the Pistons, when he started lifting weights, the man would go to the hole, and instead of taking abuse, wanted to fly through the air and hand out punishment. He was tough as nails.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
A few times in the 2000's I tried to get back into the NBA, and just couldn't watch it. Tried the last few years to watch the NBA and got disgusted. Pansy rules in today's games with 7 foot guys chunking 3's the entire game. Today's NBA is NCAA II. It's a complete joke to me.

Besides the rule changes, the league also got A LOT younger. Stern welcomed high schoolers in with open arms, damaging the college game while selling the audience on potential and talent but, little skill. For every Garnett or, Kobe, there was a Tracey McGrady or, Shaun Livingston, at worse Jonathan Bender or, Eddy Curry. Watching the NBA became painful, there was little skill or, understanding of the game. Players were fantastically athletic, trying to emulate Jordan but, had little understanding of how to play or, what to do without the ball. Coaches would pull their hair-out as players had little concept of how to run plays or, be in position, let alone the maturity and mental capacity to understand the demands of being a professional athlete.

I have my DVR set to record episodes 1-8 next Sunday.

Like others, I was a huge fan of NBA basketball during the 1980s, starting with the rookie seasons of Bird and Magic. Even though I lived in SoCal at the time, I was a die-hard Celtics fan. IMO, Bird was the greatest ever; in his prime, I would have taken him over Jordan, even though MJ was a very close 2nd. Followed the NBA through Jordan's first 3 championships, and watched occasional games during his last 3. After those, I stopped watching completely, and with the pussified rule changes, I have zero interest, along with the rest of pro sports.

My wife's cousin is a die hard basketball fan, since the 1970s, and still loves watching today. His opinion that the 80s- early 90s NBA was the Golden Era sparks conversations of what Jordan or Bird, in their primes, can do in today's league

Its either ep.5 or, 6...there's a great scene in the medical room, where Jordan and several other players are drinking beers probably around 1998.

They just got done with a game, relaxing in their suits and Jordan, Pippen, Harper and a few others all have Miller Lite's in their hands. Pippen talking about how at start of the 4qtr all he could think about was getting a cold beer, not Gatorade. Jordan while sipping away, lamenting when he was younger, guys would work on a case after the game or, during halftime, smoke a few cigarettes, now younger guys just want Gatorade or, energy drinks. The adults are drinking beers here, the kids are outside.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

I read an interview with Jordan years ago, and yes, his standard "recovery" drink after games was beer.

He also used to smoke a large cuban cigar (Churchills) in his Corvette on the way to his home games; it was a long drive, and the cigar relaxed him