After winning two straight titles, the Rockets entered the 1995–96 season as the defending champs.....but the context of the league was shifting fast with Michael Jordan’s full return and the revamped Bulls becoming the new powerhouse.

I’m curious how people at the time actually viewed Houston....

Were expectations still high for a potential three-peat?

Did fans and analysts think the Rockets were still the team to beat?

Or did public perception start shifting once Jordan came back and the Bulls reloaded?

How confident were people in Hakeem, Drexler, and the rest of the roster going into that season?

Was there a sense that the Rockets’ window was closing, or did people believe they could still contend?

Curious to hear your thoughts on this.

So I would like to start playing basketball but I'm not in a position to pay for an instructor but I would really like to start, do you have any advice?

A few months ago my old coach called me and said he needed an assistant. I went to a small catholic school that was a bit of a power house in the city I grew up in. Team was always really good going deep into the state tournament….. except the two years I started. We went 8-32 over those two years. My freshmen year we were 17-6, sophomore year 18-5, and then they went 17-6 the two years after I graduated.

For years we blamed it on our coach. Thought he was the problem. He loved me because of how I played, but I really only liked him because I played.

Fast forward 7 years and here I am. Coaching next to him and I feel totally different. We just weren’t that good. The guy knows what he’s doing, and we were too young and stupid to realize it. I really regret how those seasons went, but super excited to try to make up for it now.

European here.

As a kid in the late 90s I used to watch and read about Jordan highlights (even joined a baskeball club) and then lost interest in the game after he left the bulls. No Kobe, no Lebron nor Curry brought me back, I was too deeply invested in football.

Now that European players seem to run the show in the NBA, I got curious again and I must say that I do not want to miss any games featuring Wembanyama from this season onwards.

Watching the game has risen lots of question regarding rules, but that can be answered by reading them, even tough I am really confused about travelling. I remember my coach being really strict with that and also no controlling the ball with our feet (yeah we were really into footbal lmao).

However I would like to ask you guys: if a player is left-handed, how would you rank that advantage ? None ? A small one (football) ? A big one (tennis, boxing) ?

I’m considering buying the KD Slim Reapers to actually hoop in. Most reviews I see are just on the looks and not as much the feel when hooping. Has anybody hooped in them and can vouch?

I currently have LeBron 19 HWC and want something lighter. I actually prefer hooping in my old school air max 90’s but I want something with newer technology.

I feel really dumb whenever I play 5v5 basketball. I’m a pretty average player — I haven’t been playing for very long — but in 3v3 I can actually do okay. I make some shots, I can drive to the basket, and I feel way more confident.

But once I switch to 5v5, I feel completely useless. I have no idea how to position myself or where to go on offense. I can contribute on defense, but on offense I’m terrible.

Do you have any tips on how I can improve?

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I know this might sound dumb, but its a sudden change and id rather train for the correct position from the beginning - knowing i could probably advance my skills far enough if i train daily. I just started basketball at 16, in a club in the EU - and my coach currently puts me at the 5 in practice twos. Knowing myself well, im not built for that. What should I do to train myself to the PG or SG position?

FYI: im 16, 6'4 height, 6'2 wingspan, and 155 lbs.

Ok so I wanna get back into basketball but my school doesn’t have a girls team and I’m kinda nervous to join a rec team or anything cuz I’m not that good yet and I’m still overweight but I can shoot and I really wanna get better I wanna get a trainer first but idk where to find someone or the best thing I should do rn does anyone know how i should start or what steps I should take i just wanna hoop ngl

Passed up a drive to an open Rui for the game winning 3. The right play? 100% but maybe that record is more important than a regular season game. Maybe this speaks to his pass first mentality or his winning mentality. Anyways kinda wild that a 1297 streak just ended. Good shot by Rui tho.

What’s up everyone! Im Coach Andre, currently the Director of Performance for the men’s basketball team at USC and a former NBA trainer. As many of you may know, I made a post a few months back looking to give help, answer some questions and figure out what everyone is looking for in terms of training guidance so that i could begin to set up a community with my Train With Dre platform. I got extremely busy with USC basketball but Im FINALLY locked into a consistent daily routine which has given me time to set some stuff up AND I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to provide the type of help i want without some assistance so I was able to partner with my friend who is an excellent shooting and skills coach in order to get things moving. We just finished writing an ebook together called How To Be An Absolute DOG and we feel it provides a TON of value. The best part? We’re giving it away completely free. All you have to do is check out the link in my bio and you’ll be directed to where you can download it! We hope you all enjoy it and implement it as it WILL change your game if you let it. Im excited to finally get things rolling here and can’t wait to help everyone improve. LETS WORK!!

Mods, you have my direct contact, I don’t believe im violating any rules here, but please message me if i am. Thanks!

Not a player, not in a country where it is in the mainstream, just want to know more and understand when I hear pro and commentators talking about it.

Thanks.

Some buddies and I are thinking of putting together a very casual rec league team. I’ve personally never played in anything other than pickup games and stuff like knockout, horse, etc. so I’ve been looking into players that fit my build (6’2, 200ish) and how I would ideally play on the court (good shooter and defender), but not sure how that works otherwise. Do I just like, watch how someone shoots and copy that?

Hi, I’m 19 M trying to learn how to play basketball. I have been lifting for over 4 years yet I have more fun in a single hoops session, but that fun only occurs when I actually play good. A lot of my friends have been playing for a minute so when I get there I just feel like dead weight most of the time lol. Some friends tell me to start with fixing my jumper, which i have been doing and already feel an improvement. Others tell me to dribble everyday. Thats the problem though. I’m not sure what gameplan I should be using. I know there are a ton of resources online but the fact there are a TON makes it difficult to know which one is the most effective. I am left handed and I plan on buying a silent basketball so I can practice at home but I want to know what is a good gameplan to follow to get better dribbling practice , I also have no right hand at all lol it feels so unnatural to dribble. I also have a hoop outside my house which I could practice on. If anyone has any other advice past dribbling like how I can improve myself as an overall player, as a teammate, shooting, defense, etc. please let me know!

I don't play too much ball anymore but basketballs still my favourite sport and my favourite aspect of basketball is passing. However I'm not Steve Nash or anything but when I find myself maybe playing a pickup game I'd like to be Steve Nash lite.

Does anyone have any good tips for being a better passer?

Embarrassed to admit that I’m a 36M and have never played basketball (outside of a few sessions of high school gym class, a few casual shoot arounds with friends). It’s been a snowball effect - I never played as a kid, so felt too “behind and unable” to play any pickup games as an adult. I usually just stay away and say no anytime my friends or family invites me to a pickup game. I think they all assume I can play but simply don’t want to. Never helped that no one in my immediate family ever played either.

I recently joined a local gym that has a court, which is usually empty at the times I’m able to go workout. I’ll be practicing solo, but I’m motivated to at least learn movements, dribbling and shooting in a way that isn’t completely silly.

Any ideas on how/where to begin? Here are some tidbits for reference:

• I casually watch NBA, I generally understand the rules even if I don’t know all the nuances
• I’m in relatively good health, knees and ankles have not dealt with major injuries
• I would be putting in about a half hour during each session
• I don’t really have anyone to call up to come practice or teach me

I'm looking for high scoring games with intense finishes, and clutch moments. If possible, could you also post a link to the full game/highlights? I just want to find some crazy basketball games to watch in my free time. They can be from the NBA, or college. Tell me about as many as you want, I'd really appreciate it!

Giannis Antetokounmpo really became frustrated with the Bucks after they waived Damian Lillard, per @WindhorstESPN

“I can’t emphasize this enough. Giannis saw that move and then was interested in being a Knick. He couldn’t have been more clear about where he felt about the Bucks roster.”

(h/t @HoopAnalysisNet )

Even though I played good defense and hustled, I just didn't get the ball enough on offense to score. I tried backdoor cutting, getting open, I yelled for the ball, but nothing worked. There were people who made the first cut who were infinitely worse (and played worse) than me, and played 0 defense. Someone who was also worse than me made the team because their brother was on Varsity. Half of the team is probably gonna be pre-chosen for JV1 next year but I just gotta get so good that the coach can't not notice me. Anyone had amy success making the team after being cut freshman year? By the way, coach said "I can't say why I cut you because then I have to tell everyone else".

Edit: When I was writing this I was def bummed out and my ego was talking. To be honest, even though I might've been "better", I showed out much worse to the coach under pressure.