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Article: FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL Upsets keeping this game hot Cinderella stories are common every season; FLAWS OF THE NBA What's wrong with the NBA 1. Too predictable: Ask four people who will win this weekend's NCAA championship, and you may get four different answers. The Chicago Bulls will win the 1997 NBA championship. Cinderella doesn't dress for the NBA playoffs. 2. Regular season means little: College basketball's season is compact and serves made-for-TV matchups that decide conference races. The NBA season does little aside from jockeying for playoff seedings. 3. Man-made stars: The NBA peddles young stars prematurely. Despite averaging a measly six points, you can find full-color Kobe Bryant ads in nearly every basketball or hip-hop magazine. 4. Marathon season: Players can't play at peak levels each night because of the lengthy 82-game schedule. The worst stretch is from the All-Star break until after the NCAA tournament when NBA fans are offered basketball that is more like a death watch. 5. Emphasis on defense: The Detroit Pistons back-to-back titles in the late 80s triggered a defensive trend in the NBA that hasn't subsided. We are left with bland basketball and low-scoring games. On Tuesday night, Cleveland and San Antonio combined for 123 points in the Spurs' 64-59 win and fans weren't offered a refund.; FLAWS OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL What's wrong with the college game 1. A tournament that while exciting, doesn't necessarily produce a champion that is the best team. 2. A three-point line that is too close (we will concede that it needs to be moved back in the NBA, also). 3. Zone defenses. 4. Bobby Knight's sweaters. 5. Dick Vitale, Billy Packer, and other announcers who cultivate the myth that the coach is everything.
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- March 30, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1997 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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My name is Rodney, and I'm a college basketball junkie. I became
addicted at an early age growing up in the Chicago suburbs in the
early 80s. Back then, I was offered an assembly of De Paul,
Marquette and Notre Dame hoops.
I can still remember in the 1979-'80 season when 15-0 De Paul
hosted Louisiana State as the Blue Demons were threatening to crack
the No. 1 slot. A pudgy forward named Mark Aguirre started that game
with a windmill dunk off a jump ball play.
I even remember the next season when De Paul, the No. 1 seed in
the NCAA tournament and riding a 23-game winning streak, lost to St.
Joseph's in the first-round after the Hawks' John Smith hit a layup
as time expired. I recall how a ...