My Two Cents on the NCAA vs. NBA: Godfather I or II?
A lot of great points have been made on this particular debate on the overall quality of each organization, but particularly in regards to defense. Gen and John made the best arguments for the NCAA having better or at the very least, more inspiring defenses because of hustling average white boys backed by a strong team mentality that covers up their mistakes. They had me going but Gen’s fell apart when he claimed allegiance to the Spurs and disparaged Steve Blake’s reputation and John can love zone defenses all he wants, it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to find it entertaining. John’s argument may also be a little too idealistic, these average guys who hustle on defense may take pride in their schools and put it all out on the floor but it’s because they know they’re never going to play basketball after college and after that, they have to work at real jobs and put in effort to get laid like the rest of us. Wouldn’t you give it all for one more game of glory? Those guys and their superiors would and are getting torched off the ball in the NBA because for even the rare individual defensive hustler (Artest, Kobe, Battier, Bowen) the quality of talent is just that good.
My whole opinion on the argument boils down to one question: which do you like better, The Godfather Part I or II? Both films are absolute classics without any question but which do you prefer: Part I which lovingly introduces you to a criminal, yet dignified, family that has to protect itself from its enemies or Part II which shows the darker side of the Corleones and the reprehensible yet necessary actions they make to get or remain in power? What in the hell does this have to do with basketball you may ask? If Godfather I is the NCAA, it’s the reason you fell in love with movies (or basketball), if Godfather II is the NBA, it’s not as awe-inspiring as the original but in the end, it’s still the far superior product despite all the times it makes you cringe. As in Godfather Part I or in the NCAA, the Corleones and inspirational, team-oriented defenses can do no wrong in the viewer’s eyes. They’re the underdog, you root for them to take on all comers and win. As in Godfather Part II or the NBA, things aren’t so pretty, Michael has to kill Fredo even though he’s not a threat/teams have to flop and whine about calls to gain an advantage, young Vito goes to Sicily to avenge his family even though the guy’s half-dead/overpaid players that are ghosts on D still play because of their offense.
In the end, though, those gray areas and the overall better quality in the NBA (and Part II) are what makes it better. When the great individual and team defenses step up in the NBA, it’s against the best competition while also dealing with the competitive disadvantage of incompetent refereeing. Last night, I watched the Cavs down 11 in the 4th go on an 18-2 run by trapping D-Wade at mid-court and forcing him to give up the ball to his lesser players, forcing turnovers and getting transition baskets. What the Cavs did to the Heat, they had done to them last week when Artest and Battier shut Lebron down. Also last night, the Hornets beat the Sixers by daring them to shot three’s (which they can’t do) and clogging the lanes on the drive, when the Sixers tried trapping Paul, they had Posey bring it up and have Paul create off screens and then feeding West. These were either in-game adjustments or were quickly fixed with a single timeout. This Saturday, there wasn’t one good game of college ball on because every team decided to play uncoordinated offenses, have unforced turnovers and fumble for rebounds. Some would say those games were defensive battles, I say they were simply sloppy but I’ll be quick to point out when those actually occur in college because they are a thing of beauty, just far too rare. So, in case you’re wondering, I like Part II more. It shows you the real side of the Corleones, dark, murderous and corrupt, but the film itself is cinematic genius a tiny notch above Part I, like the NBA is over the NCAA, that all depends on how you look at it. The sane folk probably checked out of this inane argument two minutes ago.
My whole opinion on the argument boils down to one question: which do you like better, The Godfather Part I or II? Both films are absolute classics without any question but which do you prefer: Part I which lovingly introduces you to a criminal, yet dignified, family that has to protect itself from its enemies or Part II which shows the darker side of the Corleones and the reprehensible yet necessary actions they make to get or remain in power? What in the hell does this have to do with basketball you may ask? If Godfather I is the NCAA, it’s the reason you fell in love with movies (or basketball), if Godfather II is the NBA, it’s not as awe-inspiring as the original but in the end, it’s still the far superior product despite all the times it makes you cringe. As in Godfather Part I or in the NCAA, the Corleones and inspirational, team-oriented defenses can do no wrong in the viewer’s eyes. They’re the underdog, you root for them to take on all comers and win. As in Godfather Part II or the NBA, things aren’t so pretty, Michael has to kill Fredo even though he’s not a threat/teams have to flop and whine about calls to gain an advantage, young Vito goes to Sicily to avenge his family even though the guy’s half-dead/overpaid players that are ghosts on D still play because of their offense.
In the end, though, those gray areas and the overall better quality in the NBA (and Part II) are what makes it better. When the great individual and team defenses step up in the NBA, it’s against the best competition while also dealing with the competitive disadvantage of incompetent refereeing. Last night, I watched the Cavs down 11 in the 4th go on an 18-2 run by trapping D-Wade at mid-court and forcing him to give up the ball to his lesser players, forcing turnovers and getting transition baskets. What the Cavs did to the Heat, they had done to them last week when Artest and Battier shut Lebron down. Also last night, the Hornets beat the Sixers by daring them to shot three’s (which they can’t do) and clogging the lanes on the drive, when the Sixers tried trapping Paul, they had Posey bring it up and have Paul create off screens and then feeding West. These were either in-game adjustments or were quickly fixed with a single timeout. This Saturday, there wasn’t one good game of college ball on because every team decided to play uncoordinated offenses, have unforced turnovers and fumble for rebounds. Some would say those games were defensive battles, I say they were simply sloppy but I’ll be quick to point out when those actually occur in college because they are a thing of beauty, just far too rare. So, in case you’re wondering, I like Part II more. It shows you the real side of the Corleones, dark, murderous and corrupt, but the film itself is cinematic genius a tiny notch above Part I, like the NBA is over the NCAA, that all depends on how you look at it. The sane folk probably checked out of this inane argument two minutes ago.
posted by Gen at
9:10 PM
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