Caitlyn Clark

[mbasic]

I don't hate her.
She is doing what she has been coached to do, and what works in modern day professional basketball.

But I feel the whole Caitlin vs Reese (or the rest of the WNBA) will sort of bring more people out of their stupor, and they will realize how absolutely lame the NBA is now (men's NBA, as well as WNBA) ..... with how the modern game is played, flops, 30% of the game is about drawing fake-fouls, reliance on the 3, bad defense, bad offense, iso-ball, game plans, chronic ref interruptions, etc.

Like ....they'll hate on Caitlin because she does X,Y, or Z .... but that's exactly what her NBA analogs do (Harden, Luka, Curry, etc).
"Oh yeah, this is the same garbage on the men's side".

I haven't watched an entire QUARTER of a NBA game in probably 7 years, let alone an entire game.

[mgil]

It’s another great example of the media feeding off of racism.

Without the racist rhetoric, a lot of these articles go unread and links left un-clicked.

Be cool if people would figure this shit out.

[aurelius]

It’s another great example of the media feeding off of racism.

Without the racist rhetoric, a lot of these articles go unread and links left un-clicked.

Be cool if people would figure this shit out.

I think this.

[aurelius]

I don't hate her.
She is doing what she has been coached to do, and what works in modern day professional basketball.

But I feel the whole Caitlin vs Reese (or the rest of the WNBA) will sort of bring more people out of their stupor, and they will realize how absolutely lame the NBA is now (men's NBA, as well as WNBA) ..... with how the modern game is played, flops, 30% of the game is about drawing fake-fouls, reliance on the 3, bad defense, bad offense, iso-ball, game plans, chronic ref interruptions, etc.

Like ....they'll hate on Caitlin because she does X,Y, or Z .... but that's exactly what her NBA analogs do (Harden, Luka, Curry, etc).
"Oh yeah, this is the same garbage on the men's side".

I haven't watched an entire QUARTER of a NBA game in probably 7 years, let alone an entire game.

WNBA is more physical than the NBA because the women are not as explosive. NBA teams that try to get really physical and aggressively guard an elite playmaker get burned as they explode by the defender and get easy points. There simply aren't standout athletes that can dominate like the NBA. The slower women's game rewards more physical play. Luka is a great example. His point differential goes up when teams blitz him or double team him.

You should watch the Celtics versus Mavericks. The Celtics are playing old school pressure defense (with multiple elite perimeter defenders and the ability to switch everyone) and the Mavs are just crumbling. The Celtics with Porzingas (an elite defender in the paint) could beat the Mavs on an off night (and did). The Celtics almost swept the Mavs without him in 2 games.

And what era of basketball are you referring to? Hack-a-Shaq was probably the most disappointing tactic I have ever witnessed in a professional sporting event and the league allowed that for years. If you are referring to what the Pistons did in the 80's, then you can have that. That was some bullshit that the league allowed for relevancy. Nobody wants to see MJ getting clothes lined going to the basket by a goon.

[dw]

It’s another great example of the media feeding off of racism.

Without the racist rhetoric, a lot of these articles go unread and links left un-clicked.

Be cool if people would figure this shit out.

The first thing I ever heard about this person was that she was getting a Nike deal and that was bad and we should be indignant about it because it was partially (largely? entirely?, I'm not sure as I don't know anything about WNBA) because she's white and straight.

Then a little later I read about a black player making some negative tweet about her and CC getting fouled a few times by black players (or one player, not sure).

There are many ways to stir the pot.

[mbasic]

funny, this is the root of why the WNBA will never have long term success.

This is the other "star" of the two in the headlines currently....

https://x.com/i/status/1803839777957122239

I mean, forget the two double dribbles in a row .... but the layup? JFC. And from what I understand, this isn't cherry picked ....this is pretty common mechanics from her.

The whole league is clunky like this.

I suspect what has happened, is being that its basketball, and height and length and general goonish-physique of the players can have a big effect on outcomes .... and these traits displace a lot of the explosiveness, coordination, speed that would otherwise be inherent to a sport ....not fully so, but somehwat. So this is what you wind up with. Its. Just. Ick.

Women's gymnastics, figure skating, soccer, softball, track and field .... 10 times a better watch then WNBA.

Weird: womens volleyball, a "tall person" sport, is a much better watch. But then again, in Vball, you have to be able to be tall AND jump high, so in my opinion, more explosive/better athletes in volleyball.

[DanCR]

I don’t watch the WNBA, but I do watch a lot of women’s college BB. I was living in Baton Rouge during last year’s championship run and it was impossible not to get into it. If you enjoy it, the clunkiness is a feature, not a bug. Folks cared far more about this past women’s tournament than they did the men’s not just because of the more media ready personalities, but also because the chicks played like animals. It’s a trade of finesse for heart and (ironically) balls.

[aurelius]

I don’t watch the WNBA, but I do watch a lot of women’s college BB. I was living in Baton Rouge during last year’s championship run and it was impossible not to get into it. If you enjoy it, the clunkiness is a feature, not a bug. Folks cared far more about this past women’s tournament than they did the men’s not just because of the more media ready personalities, but also because the chicks played like animals. It’s a trade of finesse for heart and (ironically) balls.

Another thing to consider is the WNBA a player gets 6 fouls to use in 40 minutes versus 60 minutes. This lets them play very physical. As Clark is finding out, other teams can just bully her for 40 minutes to slow her down.

[hector]

I don’t watch the WNBA, but I do watch a lot of women’s college BB. I was living in Baton Rouge during last year’s championship run and it was impossible not to get into it. If you enjoy it, the clunkiness is a feature, not a bug. Folks cared far more about this past women’s tournament than they did the men’s not just because of the more media ready personalities, but also because the chicks played like animals. It’s a trade of finesse for heart and (ironically) balls.

I don’t get to watch any sport much, but if you attend a live women’s college game you’ll have a good time. Definitely fun to watch.

[conssam]

I get what you’re saying. I haven’t watched a full NBA game in years—probably about 7 years like you said. The constant flopping, reliance on the 3-pointer, and all the ref interruptions just killed it for me. Caitlin vs. Reese might just be what people need to see that it’s not just a WNBA problem but the same stuff happening in the men’s game too.