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Bob Ryan Thinks Basketball Was Better Without Three-Pointers

Bob Ryan

(Yoon S. Byun/Boston Globe Staff)

Bob Ryan
(Yoon S. Byun/Boston Globe Staff)

Bob Ryan Thinks Basketball Was Better Without Three-Pointers

Listen, I recognize that Bob Ryan has probably forgotten about more basketball games than I have ever watched. He’s been around the game a long time and deserves his due for that. But it is mind-boggling to me how this take didn’t get him ratio’d into oblivion. The comments under his post are full of older guys actually agreeing with him, pining for a time where players cared about fundamentals and the midrange shot. Something like that. It’s hard not to go through the thread and recoil at the “boomer takes.” The three has killed some basketball skills that used to be widely practiced, but it has ushered in new ones that make the game just as enthralling.

Better? Worse? Different?

Because if we’re being honest, basketball players have gotten more skilled over time. That’s just how sports evolve. Gradually, people learn how to play the game better. Not to say that guys like Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich, Willis Reed, Sam Jones, etc. weren’t skilled, because they certainly were. I’m just fairly certain Kyrie Irving would be burned as a witch if he played in the 1960s.

https://twitter.com/k3ithjam3s/status/1522047992642957312?s=20&t=r-cjICQ8qf_MP4GuKT8ibA

Bob Ryan is right in some respects. I have not known a time without the three-point line. However, I know enough about how basketball has changed over the years to question whether the game is truly better without the long-distance shot. For one, the three-pointer has given us some of the most iconic moments and performances in basketball history. There’s no way to possibly list all of them, but think of Klay Thompson’s 37-point quarter, Ray Allen’s shot in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, even Larry Bird’s incredible 1988 Three-Point Contest victory. So many moments in basketball history have been shaped by the three-pointer.

Secondly, three-pointers have created careers for guys that would not have been valued without their perimeter shooting. Would we still care about Kyle Korver, Reggie Miller, STEPH CURRY if the three didn’t exist? Probably not. Stretching the floor comes with the sacrifice of the traditional big man, and maybe there’s something to be said for losing that, but this doesn’t make the game fundamentally worse. The basic foundational skill of basketball is shooting: the ability to put the ball in the basket. Naturally, the game could be expected to evolve such that this skill is a priority.

Three-Pointers Have Drawbacks, But That Doesn’t Mean They Make for Worse Basketball

I understand how exhausting it can be to watch teams endlessly hoist up perimeter shots, especially if they’re cold. It might not be as aesthetically pleasing to some viewers as a good midrange or post game, but it’s a plain fact that threes are a more efficient way to score points and teams are going to want to take advantage of that. Being frustrated with how teams prioritize the three and saying the game is worse because of the growing perimeter game is a bit much. Basketball has evolved, mostly for the better, and people like Bob Ryan should accept that and enjoy it for what it is.

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