tmh8286 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 "As the physical play increases with the stakes, four bruising--and bruised--teams arrive for a showdown in Motown, determined to be the last men standing" So reads the title and subtitle of an article about the latest rounds of the NCAA tournament in the latest Sports Illustrated. As I read that I couldn't help but contrast it with something I heard recently, while watching "Hardwood Heavens" about the University of Kansas and Allen Field House. Brent Musberger was talking about the first coach at Kansas, James Naismith, who, as all know, was also the inventor of the game of basketball, and that he'd hardly recognize the game he invented. He went on to say that in Naismith's day, to make contact with an opposing player was considered a foul (Rule 5 - No shouldering, holding, striking, pushing, or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next basket is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed[!].). Today, by the time teams have made it as far as the Final Four, the old saw "No blood, no foul" takes on legitimacy. My question - do you think the physicality of today's game is a good thing, or do you think we've gotten away from the true meaning/purpose of the game? Do you like watching a more physical game, or more finesse? Has the game gotten as physical as it can, or will teams continue to find ever larger, stronger players to out-tough other teams to the championship? Where will it end? Personally, I like the refs to let the teams play - too many fouls take away the flow of the game. But without control games can quickly get overly physical. I'm really not sure which type of play is better from a fans perspective. All I know is, it's not the same game as the one played by the 1974 Titans, who, as the article in today's paper stated, averaged 94.8 points per game. And it's doubtful that the game will change back in that direction any time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Let's Go NOVA!!.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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