POLL: OT: NHL or NBA, who do you prefer?

[PJR1]

If you don't follow hockey, could you please explain your reason? I'm curious, that's all. If you prefer college basketball to both, you can put that under "neither league." Thanks in advance.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

I haven't watched a full NBA game since Michael Jordan retired. I would rather watch Southern Utah play McNeese State before I would watch any NBA game. Heck, I would even watch golf or soccer before an NBA game.

 

[superfan01]

NHL fan here.

 

[Beancounter88]

Haven't cared about NBA since Ewing/Oakley Knick days. Too many stoppages, too many prima donna's with no passion, individual sport pretending to be a team sport. Big NHL fan.

 

[ClassOf02v.2]

Massive NHL fan, and I could care less about the NBA. The professional basketball game has evolved to a point that no longer interests me. I've been a hockey fan my whole life, but with each passing year I get more and more into it. And when the playoffs start, forget it -- best postseason is all of sports, hands down. An NHL overtime playoff game is about as intense as sports can be.

 

[jmc11201]

Originally posted by Beancounter88:
Haven't cared about NBA since Ewing/Oakley Knick days. Too many stoppages, too many prima donna's with no passion, individual sport pretending to be a team sport. Big NHL fan.

The games certainly seemed more important back in the day when you had Jordan and the Bulls, Thomas and the Pistons, Ewing and the Knicks, Bird and the Celtics, Magic and the Lakers, and others. The biggest problem I have with the NBA is that the talent differential is too great in the league where you generally know which 4-6 teams have a real shot at winning. This season is a bit different with the Hawks rising up and the competitiveness in the Western Conference, but you still have too many teams desperate to be bad to win the draft lottery.

I also think the 'one and done' players have hurt the NBA tremendously. I do not begrudge the guys that make the leap to the NBA after a year in college (and personally I would prefer no college requirement), but back in the day, you had mostly superior talents make the leap (Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett for example) straight from high school to the NBA. Now, anyone with a good vertical leaves school after one year for the NBA, which makes the casual fan much less knowledgeable about who these players are that are coming into the league since you haven't seen them in college and since there are so many of them. The other thing is that the talent level in the NBA is watered down as you have too many guys in the league taking up roster spots that don't yet know how to play the game.

The last issue for the NBA is that I think the growth of college football has hurt basketball disproportionately relative to hockey. Hockey has always been more of a regional/tribal sport, while college basketball used to (based on my recollection) be just as important as college football. Outside of March Madness, college basketball has seemed to have lost its luster...so again, the guys in college aren't well known and when the go to the NBA, no one is following them the same as you would have 15 years ago when Patrick Ewing left Georgetown after his senior year and you were curious how he would translate to the NBA.

 

[tico brown]

NHL fan. All I know with all the BS in the NBA, I rather watch soccer.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[mdk02]

Hockey

Lost interest in the NBA during the 90's. Too much of a 1 on 1 league.

College basketball is hurt with the respect to the regular season by the never ending increases in the number of teams making March Madness. I go back to the days of 16 teams, which admittedly is too small a number. But the ACC regular season, and especially their tournament, was big news because only one team from the conference was going to The Dance. Same for the B1G and the PAC-10(12)

 

[MozRU]

I couldn't think of a worse sport = NBA. Awful. I guess college is ok.

When soccer become the #3 sport in my lifetime, behind football and baseball, the NBA will be a side show.


NHL = Fantastic but a niche sport. Plus they need to move to Olympic size ice.

 

[LC-88]

I would watch figure skating before the NBA.

NFW, just seeing if people are paying attention. Westminster Dog Show, NBA, Figure Skating.

 

[RUfinal4]

The NHL is more identifiable with the suburban fan. The NBA has become an a 1 on 1 inner city type game.

Also, the NHL salaries, while high, are not anywhere near the NBA salaries. Bench players in the NBA earn like $5 mil a year.

Nets:
3 players making more than $10 mil a year
8 players making between $1-10 mil a year
5 players making under $1 mil a year

Devils:
12 players making between $1-5.75mil a year
12 players making under $1 mil a year

All the guys are making over 500k a year (with only a couple of exceptions) so none of them are poor in either sport. But the NBA stars make insane money.

 

[mikefla]

I watch Cornell hockey and Olympic hockey.

NHL has no appeal to me

 

[RUaMoose_rivals]

Originally posted by RUfinal4:
The NHL is more identifiable with the suburban fan. The NBA has become an a 1 on 1 inner city type game.

Also, the NHL salaries, while high, are not anywhere near the NBA salaries. Bench players in the NBA earn like $5 mil a year.

Nets:
3 players making more than $10 mil a year
8 players making between $1-10 mil a year
5 players making under $1 mil a year

Devils:
12 players making between $1-5.75mil a year
12 players making under $1 mil a year

All the guys are making over 500k a year (with only a couple of exceptions) so none of them are poor in either sport. But the NBA stars make insane money.

I wonder if part of that inequity is due to the fact an NHL roster is twice the size of the NBA. So if you have the same pie, you have twice the number of players to divvy it up to in the NHL

 

[gordel1]

Hockey and soccer both suck. When a high scoring game is 2 to 3 , it's a problem for me .

 

[RUPete]

If your team isn't doing well or reasonably competitive, you won't care. Right now my interest in both is low because the Knicks are awful and the Devils are pretty much out of contention for a playoff spot. I like both leagues though.

 

[The RUT]

I love NHL playoff hockey, but IMO there's nothing like playoff basketball.

There's just something about guys hitting big shots in big moments.

KD hitting a 4 point play, the Ray Allen 3 a couple years ago vs the Spurs, Damian Lillard hitting the game winner against Houston.

There's nothing better than stuff like that.

Also love when the stars go head to head and just battle it out each trip down the floor. Like two PG's trying to take the game over, who's going to give in first?

Just awesome stuff, people say they don't like the NBA because there's no parity in the league, but that's simply not true. 1-8 in the West could all win the Championship. There's a solid amount of team in the East that could make a move for it well.

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

Originally posted by gordel1:
Hockey and soccer both suck. When a high scoring game is 2 to 3 , it's a problem for me .

But you prefer a game where you can miss all but the last 5 minutes and see literally the entire game?

I just watched the Davidson LaSalle game on my computer at work, because my buddy texted me. In 3 minutes I saw the entire game for all intents and purposes (Davidson won on a buzzer beater)

 

[RU Mike73]

Wouldn't walk across the street to watch an NBA game with free tickets. Tremendous athletes but game is unwatchable.

 

[NY AGENTMAN]

NBA basketball has very gifted athletes but the brand of basketball they play blows! How many isolation plays and Pick and Pops can you watch for 48 minutes.

 

[bac2therac]

love college basketball but have not watched one minute of NHL or NBA in years

 

[RBS05]

Originally posted by RUaMoose:

Originally posted by RUfinal4:
The NHL is more identifiable with the suburban fan. The NBA has become an a 1 on 1 inner city type game.

Also, the NHL salaries, while high, are not anywhere near the NBA salaries. Bench players in the NBA earn like $5 mil a year.

Nets:
3 players making more than $10 mil a year
8 players making between $1-10 mil a year
5 players making under $1 mil a year

Devils:
12 players making between $1-5.75mil a year
12 players making under $1 mil a year

All the guys are making over 500k a year (with only a couple of exceptions) so none of them are poor in either sport. But the NBA stars make insane money.

I wonder if part of that inequity is due to the fact an NHL roster is twice the size of the NBA. So if you have the same pie, you have twice the number of players to divvy it up to in the NHL

Not quite. NBA revenue was about $5 billion in 2013, NHL was about $3.7B so there's still a big difference and it will be growing because the NBA has a new TV deal coming in 2016 I believe. NBA also dwarfs the NHL on max salary...Kobe is making $23.5MM, tops in NHL is $10.5MM.

Answering the question...I haven't watched a single second of the NBA this season, and I'll watch as much playoff hockey as I can, even if I'm up to 2am everyday during the week.

 

[RBS05]

Originally posted by gordel1:
Hockey and soccer both suck. When a high scoring game is 2 to 3 , it's a problem for me .

Geez. What does your husband think?

 

[Zombo NJ]

enjoy the NHL....especially the playoffs...a lot

grew up loving NBA more than any other sport.... MANY years ago

now the NBA is a plate of gruel...and I have turned down free tickets
quite a few times....I don't think I've see a game live in well over 10 years

 

[zealott]

Needless to say, the poll above, not unlike those run at Fox News are for entertainment only. But it is true that the average household income for NHL preferring fans is the highest of the four major sports. Don't know what that says.

 

[HeyHuey]

I've followed the NBA since the 70s. I've never been a Hockey fan. These days I am a casual viewer of both but amp it up during the post-season. I listen to Boomer and Carton in the morning and Boomer does have a knack for getting me more interested in Hockey. I would put my tepid interest down to the over-saturation of available sports programming in the digital world. I can cherry-pick events and never have to watch any one sport to the point that I get subconsciously connected to it.

 

[JerseyPride13]

I have always stated that one of the biggest myth's is that New York is a basketball town. This poll only further confirms my opinion. Hockey is just as big and might be even bigger in this town than basketball. The state of New Jersey especially is a big hockey state. This area has supported at least 3 hockey teams while barely supporting 2 basketball teams at times.

 

[BoroKnight]

Originally posted by MozRU:
I couldn't think of a worse sport = NBA. Awful. I guess college is ok.

When soccer become the #3 sport in my lifetime, behind football and baseball, the NBA will be a side show.


NHL = Fantastic but a niche sport. Plus they need to move to Olympic size ice.

Don't hold your breath on soccer. MLS is making nice strides, because they have chosen to grow slowly and steadily after years of losing millions. But catching the NBA?

Demographically, basketball will remain popular even as MLS grows. Baseball will remain what is -- a huge deal when the local team is doing well and an afterthought when it's not.

Soccer will (I think) eventually pass the NHL as 1. the Latino population continues to grow and 2. people continue to abandon areas the NHL is strong in. But even that might take longer than our lifetimes.

I don't watch the NBA (I voted for "neither league") but you can't deny it is the big sport for a lot of people.

 

[miketd1]

I think guys had more passion in the 80s-90s. The stars literally tried to win every game. We all know Jordan did and it elevated everyone else.

Honestly, analytics ruined basketball -- teams are now built around transition (layups) and the 3. Consequently, PFs and Cs are devalued and overall team defense has suffered accordingly.

 

[RUMcMahon]

NHL - LETS GO ISLANDERS!

 

[RUMike410]

Today's NBA game is the definition of unwatchable. It is awful.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Originally posted by RUMike410:
Today's NBA game is the definition of unwatchable. It is awful.

This. I love hockey because it's the ultimate team sport and EVERY SINGLE PLAYER gives 100% and is held accountable. Whether it's a pre-season game or game 7 of the finals, hockey players would put their teeth in front of a stick if it meant blocking a shot.

 

[Rokodesh]

NBA was my favorite above all else as a kid in the 90's. Around 2000 it went downhill when they started drafting all these 18 year olds who were human highlight tapes without any real skills. It was good again when the Lakers and Celtics were playing in the finals, but I can't stand the lack of defense and hustle in an average NBA game. I can watch any NHL game, give me Carolina vs Edmonton and I'll watch, you will never see players dogging it.

 

[RUnion]

Have never had any interest in Hockey. Played Football and Bball in High School and once HS was over have continued to play Bball in pickup and structured leagues in the 30+ years since. The reason I dont follow Hockey is that since I have played BBall all my life... and still now play in a mens league well into my 50's ,.... any interest I have ever had in watching a sport in the winter has always been exlusively limited to the sport I play and have great interest in. most of teh guys I have hung with over the years are hoop players and no one really has any interest in hockey so there was never any influence there.

 

[MozRU]

I hear ya Boro.

 

[Terry_2426]

NHL for me. I love watching college basketball and I don't mind NBA playoff games but I can't stand the NBA during the regular season. So many teams don't play any defense until it's time to lock it down in the final 5 minutes of the game to try to secure a win, and the end of a lot of basketball games is painful to sit through with the nonstop fouling and timeouts called in the final minute.

 

[Graduatedayear2early]

nhl hands down

playoff hockey is incredible to watch. And there is scoring, unless the team you follow doesn't score (devils)

I've been a ranger fan since i was 9 and i've followed them even when they stunk and had high priced guys...i guess the present is my reward. First place team and have been putting puck in the net. I'd say NYC is more pumped up about rangers lately than the knicks.

 

[rutger80]

Definitely prefer the NHL, adding as many above posters have said the playoffs are the best thing going.
Without a doubt the best thing in all sports is overtime playoff hockey.

The worst thing that happened to the NBA is when it became 'star' driven. Team ball was devalued and 1 on 1 play became the norm.

However, I'm hoping that the style of play re-introduced by San Antonio and brought to Atlanta will spread and bring back the 'team' game. The difference between watching the Hawks with Joe Johnson dribble around by himself and shoot and 5 guys involved in the offense is striking.

 

[brianoc]

NBA no doubt, no interest in watching a tiny puck on ice like most of the USA.

 

[brianoc]

Originally posted by RUfinal4:
The NHL is more identifiable with the suburban fan. The NBA has become an a 1 on 1 inner city type game.

Also, the NHL salaries, while high, are not anywhere near the NBA salaries. Bench players in the NBA earn like $5 mil a year.

Nets:
3 players making more than $10 mil a year
8 players making between $1-10 mil a year
5 players making under $1 mil a year

Devils:
12 players making between $1-5.75mil a year
12 players making under $1 mil a year

All the guys are making over 500k a year (with only a couple of exceptions) so none of them are poor in either sport. But the NBA stars make insane money.

Based upon the salaries what is your theory for the NFL and MLB ?

 

[ru109]

Prefer college ball to NBA or NHL. I can't remember the last time I watched a hockey game. As to why I guess I see it as a lot like soccer on ice. A whole lot of skating (or running) up and down but no scoring. It's kind of like watching speed skating in the Olympics but with the rare goal.