Watch a game on ESPN Classic from the 1980s and you'll know what I mean. Teams fly up and down the court. Players fire away before 20 seconds run off the clock. The defensive intensity drips off the TV screen. There is a pace and fury to the action that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Every possession is crucial.
Then tune into today's NBA, if you can bear it. It's slow-motion basketball, with coaches constantly diagramming plays, a glaring absence of tempo and games that rarely break 100 points. It also isn't very competitive, at least to this point in the playoffs. That's not merely a perception. It's supported by the numbers.