Legendary basketball players Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond have hailed the NBA’s current excitement value as the league returns to China with this weekend’s pre-season matches in Macau.
Speaking to the Post in the casino city during the NBA China Games, Richmond said the sport was experiencing a peak in terms of entertainment, although Hardaway felt it was both a “good and bad” thing to see players nowadays focusing more on shooting from the outside.
“The score is up, it’s exciting, but players are taking too many bad shots,” said five-time NBA All-Star Hardaway, who made his name playing for the Golden State Warriors between 1989 and 1996. “If they make three in a row, they want to make four, five, six, instead of playing regular basketball.
Mitch Richmond (left) in action for the Washington Wizards during his playing days. Photo: Reuters
“I enjoy watching movement, passing movement. I don’t like just standing still and letting one guy dribble the air out the basketball and make a play.”
His former Warriors teammate Richmond, who spent most of his career with the Sacramento Kings, added: “A lot of people have complained about how the game is going, but let the young players enjoy the time they are playing.
“The game has evolved. I wish we would have had the technology, all of the stuff that could keep us healthy, when we played. So no criticism, just continue to keep playing. It’s a beautiful game.”
A former NBA All-Star MVP, Richmond said the league needed to “get it right” with the annual All-Star event.
“We’ve been struggling with trying to figure out how we can make that game more special, like it used to be,” the six-time All-Star said. “But I do like what they’re talking about now, having the European players play against the American players.”