attended a few united games

The NBL is a great product and, as a busy person who doesn't spend his life on the couch, IMO is easier to follow than the NBA. Having only 8 teams makes it very easy to watch most/all of the games and keep up to date with the news.

I think the standard of game is excellent. A few things are a bit bush league (like clocks running down when the ball hasn't been inbounded yet - happens so much) but still great entertainment.

I've attended games in a few cities and I find Uniteds game day experience really overpriced, inconvenient to get to and overall pretty shit. Just feels like a million screaming kids and bullshit loud music and DJ. Not much focus on the actual game.

The Perth experience although expensive is very good. Similar to what I felt in the NBA. Costs more to watch the wildcats than it does to go to most NBA games (that doesn't involve the Cavs or Warriors)

Haven't been for a few seasons but Adelaide, Sydney, Cairns are better watched on TV.

This is the first time in the past 3-4 years I haven't subscribed to the NBA league pass. Too many meaningless regular season games for me. I do read every box score and also play in a few fantasy leagues, but I watch a lot more highlights than I do full games... until the Playoffs anyway.

I've probably watched 80% of all NBL games the past 2 seasons. I get frustrated with the refereeing, but the overall standard of basketball is usually high, IMO. Not claiming it's near NBA level of course, but I'm definitely more emotionally invested.

I love the NBA but find it harder to follow. So many teams, constant changes and endless meaningless regular season matches. I occasionally watch a game here and there but only start seriously watching during the playoffs (being a Spurs fan helps. You know they'll be there).

NBL isn't as good a spectacle, but with only 8 teams I get drawn into the matchups, the playoff potentials, etc and it's interesting cos I watch all the teams regularly enough.

Love both NBA and NBL, sure the product is better in the US but I think our game holds up pretty well. The NBA i feel is more involving because there are so many story lines, draft, trade, free agency, etc that you get attached more. The hard part for me is that I follow the celtics, so watch all their games, then i try and follow our Aus boys and it just becomes too much. Cant tell you how much i wanted the C's to get Simmons just so it was one less game to watch ;-)

Unlike me I am really into the Nbl. Watch all games from Fri-sun on fox. It's great when they have 2 games on one day. If I can't watch on Fox will stream on NBL app. Use NBL app for all box scores. The league is so even, am a Sixers ticket holder, I am finding the Kings playing with a lot of chemistry and flair. Cairns have added some excitement with last lot of wins. Only really worry about Nba in playoffs. Lots of yawn games.

Being self-employed, having a life, a wife, and other interests, I only have time to follow one league. I follow the one that I'm passionate about, and is local.

@ROFLcopter, Cairns games better watched on TV? Mate, the atmosphere at games up here is electric. You don't know what you're talking about.

^ I don't doubt Perth games are amazing and I'd love to catch a game there. Merely stating that few ball fans that have caught a game in Cairns would leave disappointed with the experience.

I agree that a lot of other teams could do much better. Haven't seen a game in Bris for a few years, but we used to call Boondall "the library" it was so exciting there, and I've heard plenty enough about Sydney games.

Wait, did the OP just praise NBA's online presence?

Depends on why you're watching it I suppose.
And how much time you want to spend.
Also what you like to see in a game.

If you just like watching Basketball, with no vested interest in a particular team, and you're only going to watch online, I imagine the NBA probably have a superior product.
Nothing wrong with that. I know people who are avid followers of UK or European Soccer for the same reason.

I'm the other way, I like to support my local team, I will watch other sports with local content before watching an international league.
Whatever floats your boat really.

@freethrows - I didn't mean any offence. Maybe the game I went to in cairns in 2011 was just a bad night but I wasn't blown away with the experience. Hopefully they've stepped it up since.

Can I also just say this:
There are Perth Fans who moan/boo every call that goes against us, including when we get a "jump ball" and the possession arrow isn't going our way.
Who scream blue murder when we foul in the bonus and it sends the opposition to the line,
Who don't understand the "charge arc",
who think the "Singlets" hanging from the rafters represent the current players on the team,
who think every dark-skinned player is an import
but who will nevertheless scream and shout at the top of their lungs.
That's part of the fun.
If you're not into screaming & shouting, or can't at least tolerate it, then attending NBL games is probably not your thing. But if we somehow restricted ticket sales to "knowledgeable" Basketball fans, our numbers would probably drop by two thirds.

I think provided one sees it all as good clean fun, there's no problem. Its a great place to let your hair down and scream like an idiot.

I find the NBA game seems very slow to watch on Tv and it seems to go on for ever. Maybe they play too many games and so the players don't bring much intensity for most games. They have some amazing players but they don't play defense so open court dunks happen pretty often whereas in NBL teams hussle back and foul the shooter rather than let him make an uncontested dunk.
I think this is why most players who come to the NBL boasting of NBA experience don't dominate in what everyone expects to be a lower standard league.
NBL matches are generally more intense and team based where as NBA is all about letting the individual superstars shine.

"In nba they are crownbet and efficient which is why they Scott so easily. Pick and roll, diet the floor etc."

So true!

This might sound strange but I am the opposite. I just can't get into the NBA. I loosely follow it and watch most the finals but thats it. I've tried to follow a team but I found the inability to go to watch the game in person was a huge deterrent. There's just zero engagement for me.

I'm the same I started losing interest in the NBA about 10 years ago and over the last 5 years or so I've probably only bothered to watch ten games in total.

For me it's probably a combination of the lack of genuine starpower in the league now, long drawn out games that are mind-numbingly boring, an almost meaningless regular season of way too many games and playoffs that too would drag on forever.

The NBL certainly has things going for it with 40 minute games, not as many timeouts, faster pace and more team focused play rather than the usual NBA iso ball.

The ridiculously bad officiating in the NBA used to kill me too with one of set rules for star players and another set for the rest.

Even though I know the NBA is starting to move away from the superstar iso ball, no defence crap after following the league hard for about 20 years I'm glad I no longer really bother with it.