I love watching old games, especially games from the mid 80s and early 90’s. With ESPN classic I can get my fill of nostalgia. 
As I jogged on the treadmill tonight I watched the game 5 of the 1993 Western Conference Championship that pitted the Seattle Supersonics against the Phoenix Suns. Here are a few things I noticed:
- I miss the days when the centers and forwards players looked like like athletes. Barkley and Kemp weren’t these grotesque muscular freak shows who could only rebound and who shot 30% from the foul line. Players like Ben Wallace and Shaq are just not interesting to watch today.
- I’d forgotten about Dan Marjle who never met a shot he didn’t like. Anything past half court was game. He was a white “Downtown” Freddie Brown of the early 90’s. Game 5 is where he hit eight three pointers and many were a good 5-6 feet beyond the 3 point arc. He was in a zone!
- The NBA needs a fun personality like Charles Barkley. I love how he’d fight for position under the boards and come up with offensive rebounds against guys who had four inches on him. Remember when power forward could actually shoot the rock? Barkley was such a bruiser at times that it’s easy to forget he had a very soft jump shot. He seemed to be enjoying himself and fed off the crowd.
- Why didn’t Sun’s point guard, Kevin Johnson, shoot more often? He had a fantastic crossover dribble and such a quick release that was able to get off a shot anytime. He probably got used to feeding Barkley and Marjle first and looking for his own shot as the 2nd or 3rd option. Granted, he did have a way of just killing the Jazz at crucial moments of the game.
- It’s sad to think of the amazing talent Shawn Kemp had and he threw much of it away. Back in ’93 he was a machine and clearly the best player on the court when he on his game. Coach Karl let him handle the ball out front like a guard much of the game and he would either post his man up or take a few dribbles and drain the jumper. There were a few years there where he was simply amazing.
- I loved the movement of the games back then. Lots of passes on the perimeter and screens away from the basket. Not every possession included a pass inside while 4 guys watched a big man operate away from the basket until a foul was called. BORING! I don’t care how good the “Big Fundamental” is or how many rings he earns. He’s boring to watch. I’d much rather watch Barkley filling the lane on a fast break and dunking over a trailing guard. The game just seemed to move at a faster clip back then. The Suns today are one of the few teams that’s a lot of fun to watch.
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