A Brooklyn Culture Mafia

[IdleRich]

That doesn't sound like football.

 

[sus]

You mean fútbol? That's a weird foreign thing, apparently some people watch it but no one I care to know. Really really tremendously bad sport, probably the worst.

 

[IdleRich]

Futsal maybe? I've never played it but I think it's quite popular in Portugal.

 

[beiser]

What are you talking about Gus, people play foosball all the time in the US. Every company has a foosball table or two for blowing off steam.

 

[linebaugh]

I basically think about this like a game of football

There's the version where you toss lobs and hope someone is interested enough to grab and run with it, and if you're lucky they're skilled enough to take it to the endzone, and maybe that happens enough and people start consistently lookin for your lobs etc that you become a presence

And there's the version where you coordinate in advance with some runningbacks. That one's a lot more reliable.

this is the strangest description of football Ive ever read.

 

[linebaugh]

Ive never seen you less insightful and erudite.

 

[linebaugh]

Its ok, basketball starts in december and Ill need an amercian contingency on here. we'll whip you into shape. Youll love it, analytics are huge. it can be the tennis to your dfw.

 

[version]

I sometimes feel like the only Englishman with an interest in basketball. (Luka will no doubt being along shortly to say that's because I am.)

 

[linebaugh]

Ill make a thread come December and will it into existence. I thought basketball was huge in europe? the crowd videos Ive seen have an insane energy. though thinking about it the UK may be the only euro region without a strong basketball culture. not sure you have ever put a decent player in the nba

 

[version]

It's almost non-existent in the UK, but I think it's pretty big in Spain. Luol Deng's probably the only notable UK player to reach the NBA.

 

[luka]

It's interesting in that it only makes sense as a highlight package, you can't watch the game unedited, it makes no sense. It's like a trailer that makes the film superfluous. I used to play loads of basketball, I was a basketball genius but I never watched the games. I think Chanel four did a highlights package in those days. My favourite was Sean Kemp he played for the Seattle Supersonics. I also liked the San Antonio Spurs.

 

[IdleRich]

The game is the highlights isn't it? Put it in the basket, run to the other end and put it in that basket - repeat ad nauseum, although over the course of I don't know many hours with time outs and all that shit, one team pulls slowly and boringly ahead.

 

[luka]

It doesn't work as a sport in the true sense of the word. There's no tension, no drama, no story being played out. But it does provide a context for feats of grace creativity and athleticism

 

[IdleRich]

You can't deny how tall they are, how high they jump etc but what's weird to me is how in football someone does a piece of skill to beat a man or whatever, makes sense... in basketball you got a guy gonna score for sure and then he does some elaborate dunk and that's the highlight. It doesn't gain anything, just looks good... it's kinda like figure skating or sonething.

 

[luka]

Yes that's true. It's not functional in the slightest.

 

[Leo]

being from Massachusetts, I grew up watching John "hondo" Havlicek, Dave cowens, jojo white, don nelson and Paul Silas win championships with the Celtics. some classic clashes against Willis Reed/Walt Frazier and the Knicks, Wilt the Stilt/Jerry West and Lakers, a young Milwaukee Bucks center then known as Lew Alcindor.

one time back in the early 2000s, a friend got free access to his company's season tickets seats for a Nets game when they were still playing in NJ...courtside, front row (even back then, the face value printed on the ticket was something like $500). it was unreal to be that close to the action, you could hear players talking to one another. all the players are huge but so amazingly quick, that doesn't come across the same way when you watch on TV.

 

[Leo]

It's almost non-existent in the UK, but I think it's pretty big in Spain. [/MEDIA]

brothers Marc and Pau Gasol from Barcelona were both NBA stars.

 

[Leo]

You can't deny how tall they are, how high they jump etc but what's weird to me is how in football someone does a piece of skill to beat a man or whatever, makes sense... in basketball you got a guy gonna score for sure and then he does some elaborate dunk and that's the highlight. It doesn't gain anything, just looks good... it's kinda like figure skating or sonething.

but some of those elaborate dunks are all psychological, about sending a messages to the opponent. when Lebron slams one down right in an opponent's face and then stares at him, that's about dominating the other team and crushing their spirit.

 

[Leo]

I once read that man-for-man in terms of playing time and pounds of protecting equipment, basketball is the most physical team spot. you'd think it would be American football, where they smashing into and tackle one another, but a football play runs for a few seconds and then play stops, you have half the players go off the field for awhile since they play only on offense or defense, and they have pounds of protective pads and helmets.

whereas basketball players are constantly running up and down the court for both offenses and defense, there is no stop in play after each score, and they wear literally not protective padding. more equivalent to non-americas football, except each team in that sport has a goalie who just stands in front of the goal and doesn't move much for probably 90% of the match.

 

[luka]

I once read that man-for-man in terms of playing time and pounds of protecting equipment, basketball is the most physical team spot. you'd think it would be American football, where they smashing into and tackle one another, but a football play runs for a few seconds and then play stops, you have half the players go off the field for awhile since they play only on offense or defense, and they have pounds of protective pads and helmets.

whereas basketball players are constantly running up and down the court for both offenses and defense, there is no stop in play after each score, and they wear literally not protective padding. more equivalent to non-americas football, except each team in that sport has a goalie who just stands in front of the goal and doesn't move much for probably 90% of the match.