Thank you to the posters who are pointing out the positive aspects of this season so far. I don't get, however, why so many people have to balance anything they say that it positive with a "But" to show that all is not great. I know this team - like every team in America - is not perfect. However, Pitt fans are truly the most negative group on earth. For years - more than a decade in fact - there have been countless posts on this board whining about not having a go-to scorer, not being able to keep up offensively, the games are boring, waah waah waah. Now we finally have a team that can score, has more than one option as the go-to scorer and is playing the most entertaining hoops I've seen in 30 plus years of having the privilege to own season tickets. Sure better defense would make this team even better but geez-us. Can't we ever just enjoy the ride for a few days? When the team loses because it can't defend, then go for it.
A positive approach?
- Thread starter jd99
- Start date
What I don't get is why in the hell do a few negative comments bother anybody!? Overly sensitive are we? If there is something negative to point out, I definitely want to hear it! I don't want it covered up, I want it SHOUTED FROM THE ROOF TOPS! To me, they are finally playing basketball the way it's meant to be played, i.e. having SCORING AND SHOOTING be Priority #1, but if there is something bad to say, people should be free to say it.
For me, at least, the issue isn't that people have negative things to say. it's that for a long time before this season the only voices were the negative ones and those voices were absolutely incapable of making negative comments rooted in any sort of substantive analysis.
Go ahead, shout from the rooftops about what sucks. But actually add something to the conversation instead of just telling me something sucks.
Discussing both the positive and the negative in a normal, rational manner is fine with me. I don't need anything shouted from the roof tops.
Be careful you don't fall off.
The goal is to win a national championship. If you do not keep getting better than will never happen.
There are those that don't seem to care about this and that is fine.... EXCEPT when they start to criticize those that DO care.... and that is pitiful.
Of course the goal is to win the ultimate championship of your sport .However the way college athletics is currently structured is that a realistic goal to hold for the University of Pgh ? Is Pitt really trying to do everything it can do to win a national championship in bb or Fb ? The coaches and players will say yes ,but the answer is no to both. Everyone can argue their point of view on this subject ,but money seems to be the way to win national championships and Pitt just doesn't have enough or isn't willing to commit enough to compete. This season is going better than just about anyone would have thought and this team is without a doubt the most exciting Pitt team to watch that I can remember,but anything past the Sweet 16 has to be considered an excellent season . If your only goal is to win the national championship your going to be one unhappy camper for a long time. I'm not saying it's impossible ,but highly unlikely unless something radical changes in the administration view of the importance of a national championship. Enjoy the good play of a vastly improved team just keep things in the proper perspective .
That is because you use an unrealistic expectation to trash the program, coach, and team.
The other issue is that many people only tend to post negatives, and only list in earnest after a loss. They also tend to display all the emotional maturity of a two year old whenever something goes poorly during a game.
There are some people that are just like that. I always wonder if they hold themselves to the same goals in life that they do their team.
Pirates' fans after this year were the worst....calling the season a failure based on one game. Ignoring the fact that the team got more unlucky than anything else to be in that WC game and who they faced.
This team has a 1% chance of winning a NC. I am having a blast watching this team and will consider this season a success if we continue playing like we are, regardless of a crown or not. But to each his own, everyone has their own reasons for watching.
WE WILL CONTINUE POSTING ILLOGICAL HYPERBOLE AND YOU CAN'T STOP US!!!!!
The question I'd have to ask you is , how would your life change if Pitt won the NCAAs ? Mine wouldn't change one bit I'd enjoy the ride then wake up the next day and continue on with my life. Somehow your placing way too much importance on a game that your not even playing. If your not earning your living from this ( JD does by the way ) the game is for entertainment , relax and enjoy it for what it is . And you heard it here first Pitt will improve as the year continues ,but will not win the NCAA .
What a stupid post. Being realistic about Pitt's chances of winning a NC is not accepting mediocrity and being a "mediocre... person." It's putting sports in a proper perspective. Of course Dixon is going to say the goal is to win a NC. Every coach will. But I guarantee coaches are pretty damn realistic about whether or not that's realistic.
No. It really doesn't.
Reading through this thread just proves my point. Egad no one is ALLOWED to be positive, lest they be called a name. Well like Fsgolfdr and Kiwi UPitt129, Ski and some others, I want to enjoy the ride. Period. If that makes me mediocre, so be it. But I'm a happy mediocre guy.
Sports for me is fun and for entertainment only. Really, what else could it be for? aS I have gotten older, moved ahead in my career and had a family, I just don't have time to watch as much as I used to, and I don't miss sports one bit.
If going in you know the only thing that will make you happy is a championship, and there is like a 1% chance of winning it, that means there is a 99% chance you will be unhappy. Why on earth would anyone do something that 99% of the time makes them unhappy? That's insanity. How does ones entertainment and fun make them mad? This is why I stopped golfing.
Isn't there enough strife at work and home (as I listen to my 3 year old whining)? Why get yourself so jacked up about something you can't control. I love Pitt hoops, I love coming here to shoot the crap. But if this became something that pissed me off, I would just stop doing it.
Really, if your main thing is championships, I guess the best thing is to pick a team with the best chance to win it (and even they have like a 6% chance of winning it).
If going in you know the only thing that will make you happy is a championship, and there is like a 1% chance of winning it, that means there is a 99% chance you will be unhappy. Why on earth would anyone do something that 99% of the time makes them unhappy? That's insanity. How does ones entertainment and fun make them mad? This is why I stopped golfing.
Isn't there enough strife at work and home (as I listen to my 3 year old whining)? Why get yourself so jacked up about something you can't control. I love Pitt hoops, I love coming here to shoot the crap. But if this became something that pissed me off, I would just stop doing it.Really, if your main thing is championships, I guess the best thing is to pick a team with the best chance to win it (and even they have like a 6% chance of winning it).
Sports for me is fun and for entertainment only. Really, what else could it be for? aS I have gotten older, moved ahead in my career and had a family, I just don't have time to watch as much as I used to, and I don't miss sports one bit.
If going in you know the only thing that will make you happy is a championship, and there is like a 1% chance of winning it, that means there is a 99% chance you will be unhappy. Why on earth would anyone do something that 99% of the time makes them unhappy? That's insanity. How does ones entertainment and fun make them mad? This is why I stopped golfing.
Really, if your main thing is championships, I guess the best thing is to pick a team with the best chance to win it (and even they have like a 6% chance of winning it).
What a loser post from an (obviously) loser person who has their priorities completely wrong. Without the highest of high expectations from fans the team will settle and be losers.
WINNERS take frequent naps so they don't get never too tired to compete in life (or a basketball) game. WINNERS also know to avoid vacations to tropical paradises because such a trip will leave them tired for YEARS after the trip. MEDIOCRE people don't understand the importance of napping or proper travel locations.
I really like to think I am a truly "fair and balanced" poster (oh I hate that phrase). OK, maybe not balanced, but fair. I have been hard on Jamie. Especially this past recruiting season. I have been hard on the program the past few years. But I also have been fairly effusive in my praise this year and I have admitted to being wrong in worrying about stars as far as recruiting is concerned, and that One and Dones may not be our best route to success.
As for the National Title? Only 1 team wins. And you can all say what you want, but to me the season is far from a failure if you don't win it.
As for the National Title? Only 1 team wins. And you can all say what you want, but to me the season is far from a failure if you don't win it.
I'm most always more positive than negative and pretty realistic too. So far, this team has exceeded my expectations. It is a long season, so l'm hoping we continue to improve. I love the team, just wish they would commit to playing a little better defense. If they do, we may be around for a few rounds.
I am a good example of what happens when the negativity reigns unchecked.
I have been a huge Pitt fan since the Eastern 8 days of Roy Chipman. Been on these boards since they started. Normally I don't miss more than 3 or 4 games a season, and spend up to 8 hrs a week reading the basketball boards.
Last year got so bad here, I lost all enthusiasm, completely abandoned the boards, and missed almost the whole non-con. I did not attend my normal 2 or 3 games early in the season. Did not add my viewership to the TV ratings.
It took a really great team to pull me back in. Keep in mind the constant bitching and minimalizing of Pitt's accomplishments does have an impact, it wasn't just the team being on a little downswing - you people drove me away.
I have been a huge Pitt fan since the Eastern 8 days of Roy Chipman. Been on these boards since they started. Normally I don't miss more than 3 or 4 games a season, and spend up to 8 hrs a week reading the basketball boards.
Last year got so bad here, I lost all enthusiasm, completely abandoned the boards, and missed almost the whole non-con. I did not attend my normal 2 or 3 games early in the season. Did not add my viewership to the TV ratings.
It took a really great team to pull me back in. Keep in mind the constant bitching and minimalizing of Pitt's accomplishments does have an impact, it wasn't just the team being on a little downswing - you people drove me away.
You mean like you??? Haha!! All you do is try to make slanderous comments about one kid after anoyher and make any attack on the Coach that you can. You could give a rat's a$$ about Pitt winning a championship. you have an anti Pitt vendetta and that is all that you cares about. There are scores of valid criticisms about Dixon and the program. You have never made one of them
YES IT DOES! I don't want to hear cheerleading, I want to hit hard hitting analysis even if it hurts your feelings.
Show me where I said we should only have cheerleading. I called for substantive commentary. i don't know how you find that hard to understand. Simply saying "so-and-so sucks" adds nothing to the conversation.
Internet tough guy alert. The next time you offer "hard-hitting analysis" will be your first.
You just don't understand because you aren't a REAL MAN like Pitt79, who obviously expects constant excellence in ALL THINGS at ALL TIMES!
Not being critical of you, but I don't feel this way at all. Negativity on a message board doesn't diminish my enthusiasm at all. In fact, it gives me a little extra sense of satisfaction when the whiners are proven wrong. It's interesting to me to see how a few supposed fans can be constantly miserable, because this board would be a little boring without their nutty comments.
I don't expect anything. But if I see a screw up or something stupid, I see nothing wrong with pointing it out. I honestly don't get people being upset about negativity? If somebody says, "this guy sucks at X" or "they made this mistake..." and I sit back and objectively think, "Yes that is TRUE", I see no reason why the negativity should upset anybody?
Like in most years of the previous few, Pitt has totally sucked as a shooting team, 3s, FTs they've been horrid and I constantly bashed them for it! Everyone told me that it doesn't matter ONLY defense and rebounding matter. Now all of the sudden, we can shoot for %, 3s as well, lead the nation in FT% and we're ranked and 14-1 and they're 83rd in defense and 196th in rebounding, so I guess shooting and scoring does matter.
No one has ever said that offense never mattered. Ever. Are you drunk already? On a Wednesday?
To win the NCAA requires both an elite offense and elite defense - both finishing in the top 20 at end of the tournament. Dixon has rarely produced both but has on numerous occasions produced an elite offense. In fact both the 2009 and 2011 versions both had the elite offense required to win it all - 2nd in 09 and 4th in 11. But not the defense. Those defenses were very close but could not find the gear to turn it up during the tournament. Again, this Pitt team is approaching the elite offensive level, the big question is will the defense find it's stride in time for the tournament. Recall that Butler slogged through their 11 season until about mid February and then found a new defensive level. Ditto UConn both in 11 and 14.
No team has won the NCAA being worse than 21st in DE in Kenpom and unitl UConn in 14 no teams' OE was worse than 18th. Florida in 07 had the worst defensive 2-pt% at 46% with all other winners being in the under 45%. And and ORB% at or above 37%. Pitt has the ORB% but is slowing falling in stopping the 2 pointers.
So yes, sign me up for wanting to talk about defensive improvement over offense until Dixon starts putting out teams with the Ville's profile then we can switch the discussion to how to improve the offense.
No team has won the NCAA being worse than 21st in DE in Kenpom and unitl UConn in 14 no teams' OE was worse than 18th. Florida in 07 had the worst defensive 2-pt% at 46% with all other winners being in the under 45%. And and ORB% at or above 37%. Pitt has the ORB% but is slowing falling in stopping the 2 pointers.
So yes, sign me up for wanting to talk about defensive improvement over offense until Dixon starts putting out teams with the Ville's profile then we can switch the discussion to how to improve the offense.
Plenty said it doesn't matter that much, many even touted our "offensive efficiency" as a way to prove our inability to shoot didn't matter, the difference was 14-1 vs. 19-15
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...nds-are-readily-apparent/stories/201601130119
Right. We need to focus on defensive improvement, because that is where there is the most room for improvement right now. Our offensive efficiency is off the charts - we're pretty close to a ceiling for how good we can be there. So that is why so many of us are talking about defense - it is the area where there is the most room to improve.
And the good news is.... it is much easier to improve at defense than it is to improve on offense. Shooting touch and offensive skills can't really be improved during the season by a whole lot. You can improve offense buy cutting down turnovers and by taking higher percentage shots - but you can't really get better at the basics of putting the ball in the hole. You have that or you don't. You can only improve it significantly in the off season.
But defense is often about "want-to" and "heart".... or whatever other term for "desire" you want to have. Individuals who are good athletes, which describes the majority of scholarship basketball players, can get better at defense by ramping up the effort.
You can't shoot better by "trying harder". But you *CAN* defend better.
That's why this year's team is such an intriguing possibility. A team that is awesome defensively, but challenged offensively, can't really do much to improve their scoring. They are what they are. Pitt 2004. UVa 2015.
But a team that is awesome offensively, but challenged defensively, CAN improve their defense as the season progresses and the games get more intense. Duke 2015 and 2010. UNC 2009.
But that was the focus for many in previous years when the shooting and offense was horrid! Some where harping on D then saying shooting and offense didn't matter.
I was really down last year too.
That being said, like you I just stopped tuning in..
Anonymous bitching on the Internet is a meaningless catharsis.
