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When John Havlicek was a kid, all of his friends had bicycles. Havlicek's family was so poor that he could not afford a bicycle. The only way he could hang out with his friends was to run when they rode their bikes. This actually became a blessing in disguise for Havlicek because he built up an incredible amount of stamina. Havlicek translated this stamina onto the basketball court. He would run and run and run some more throughout the game. He was constantly in motion. By the end of the game, his defender was so tired that he could not keep up with Havlicek and consequently he got a lot of easy shots.

This would not happen in the NBA today because all of the teams have a deeper bench, you rarely see a player play 40 minutes in a game anymore. While Havlicek would be running for 45 minutes, he would have 2 or 3 different players rotate on him throughout the game. By the end of the game, the man guarding Havlicek would still be fresh. This is not to take anything away from Havlicek, he would still be an excellent player today, however, his numbers would not be quite as impressive.

Another change in the NBA is the money. Players today are getting paid astronomical amounts and go on the disabled list if they get a cut on their finger. That may be an exaggeration, but players don't seem to play near as many games or minutes as they used to. From the beginning of the league through the 1970's, you would see many players playing 40 minutes per game, 80 games per year. Today the "workhorse" of most teams plays about 36 minutes per game and 75 games per year. Most teams only have 1 player playing that amount of time today as opposed to several players doing that in the past.

In the past teams used to hang out a lot together after the games. That is rare these days. As soon as the game is over, players get in their limousines and go home or to a bar or hotel with their "posse". In the past teammates would either hang around the arena or maybe go to a bar as a team. If you see a team hanging around together today, you had better try to keep them together because you have good team chemistry.

Free agency seems to have helped diminish the rivalries of the past. There used to be Boston and Bill Russell against the Lakers and Wilt Chamberlain. Boston and Larry Bird against the Lakers and Magic Johnson. Chicago and Michael Jordan in the 1990's against various opponents like Detroit, Indiana, New York and Houston. The battles of New York against Indiana and Reggie Miller. That's just to name a few.

On the good side, a rivalry may develop between Cleveland and LeBron James against the Lakers and Kobe Bryant.

Learn more about this author, Art West.
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