Former players, it seems, love nothing more than disparaging today’s NBA greats. Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, and others have insisted that their eras were more physical, harder, and less forgiving than today’s NBA.
It’s easy for fans to counter that in the 20th century, there weren’t players who moved like Giannis, shot like Steph, or took care of themselves like LeBron, but that logic often falls on deaf ears.
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Former San Antonio Spurs are rarely involved in any sort of debate or discussion on any matter with the media, unless they can’t avoid it. However, George Gervin was happy to give the current generation their flowers.
“These guys are so much better than them guys,” he said of the current NBA compared to his era.
“I had my turn,” he continued. “It’s these guys’ turn, and let them enjoy it like I enjoyed it when I had my turn.”
Gervin is an all-time great, making 12 All-Star Games and winning four scoring titles. His famous “finger roll” is still replicated in practice gyms and park games to this day, and he made the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
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If there’s one part of the modern game he will criticize, it’s the surge in 3-point shooting. At his peak, Gervin attempted only 1.3 3s a game, and he encourages modern guards to get into the paint and either take easier shots or draw fouls.
“I shot a lot of 2s,” he said of his game. “I got my three-pointers: ‘and one!'”
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