LRB, that was a great post. And I agree with everything except one thing:
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The NBA is much more physical. International players almost always comment on this.
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The NBA is much more physical within the context of the rules. But international play is more physical outside the context of the rules. In other words, the NBA protects its players from "thuggery" and cheap shots even though there is more bumping, shoving, grabbing, etc. In international play, the opponent's always go after the stars and the refs rarely protect players. There is less bumping, shoving... but there are more dirty tactics to prohibit the international stars from performing.