On Tuesday night, we had the pleasure of watching two all-time basketball greats fire on all cylinders on the same evening. In Memphis, iconic sharpshooter Steph Curry dropped 52 points (with 12 3-pointers!) in a win for the Golden State Warriors. Later, the Denver Nuggets' masterful Nikola Jokic put up a 61-point triple-double — the highest-scoring triple-double in league history — in a double overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But look around the landscape of NBA fandom after the fact, and you might have thought that these transcendent performances never happened. Or they happened and were not nearly as celebrated by people who say they enjoy NBA basketball as they should've been. Either way, something felt off about it because these were not "normal" games from "normal" players.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was in disbelief about this apparent disconnect between fans and the unavoidable greatness presented by modern NBA stars.
In an interview with The Bay Area's 95.7 The Game, Kerr asserted that there was a time when NBA fans would've gone absolutely bananas over monster games like the ones Jokic and Curry enjoyed. It's all everyone would've talked about. But now? He thinks people are taking for granted just how talented the league is overall and how players like Jokic and Curry, among others, make a difficult game seem much simpler than it actually is.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Kerr's point here comes at a time where it feels like people (fans and former players) are constantly criticizing the NBA's product, often without any logical rationale.
"You know what I was thinking while watching Steph [Curry] last night [Tuesday] and watching [Nikola] Jokić? If these type of games had happened 10 years ago, honestly, I think NBA fans would have been absolutely losing their minds. And I think what's happened is the players have gotten so skilled and they're doing such amazing things, and I think our game is being taken for granted right now.
"What these guys are doing is so spectacular. I could have never survived the NBA if I were playing today. I couldn't have survived. These guys are so talented, they're so good, and it's like you read these articles (saying) 'The NBA product isn't that great.' Are you kidding me? Are you looking at these guys? They're just spectacular and they've never been more skilled and I'm just blown away by what I see night after night."
Honestly, it's hard to disagree with Kerr's frustration. Does the NBA have its fair share of problems that need to be addressed, like any other major American sports league? Absolutely. No one's denying that. But saying the NBA's general play has gotten worse without credible evidence doesn't sit right with me. ...
