So Do We Like the Amount of Scoring in Today’s Game?

[Bum Adebayo]

The problem is separating good basketball vs popular basketball. What we have right now is popular basketball for the masses or casuals. But the game is not good from a reffing and defense standpoint, however there are many good and great players that help keep the perception that the product is still great.
What we have now is a product catered for the majority and the casuals, but not catered to most of the more hardcore fans.

[JonFromVA]

Forcing teams to play a faster pace = more possessions which =‘s more points. And I disagree I think the increased scoring was caused mostly by the rule changes and the influx in three point shooting.

We've seen changes in pace over the years, though. An increase caused by a rule change is simply an aesthetic. It's an improvement to the game - more action. If you don't want to consider pace, we have ways to do that.

If just firing up more 3pters was some sort of an answer to being a better team and scoring more with higher efficiency, then those Jim O'Brien Celtics teams would have had better success.

Honestly those Jim O’Brien Celtics weren’t that bad and they had there share of success playing that way, they just didn’t have enough defense. And I’m not sure where you are going with that first paragraph I’m not understanding your point.

The offensive and defensive rating of those teams indicate the opposite is true, but those stats do account for pace and those teams were pretty fast paced.

The Celtics led the league in 3pters made and attempted in back to back seasons, but only generated the 18th and 24th best offense. They tried spamming 3pters, but it was nowhere as effective a strategy as it's become.

[matt6715]

The problem is separating good basketball vs popular basketball. What we have right now is popular basketball for the masses or casuals. But the game is not good from a reffing and defense standpoint, however there are many good and great players that help keep the perception that the product is still great.
What we have now is a product catered for the majority and the casuals, but not catered to most of the more hardcore fans.

Personally I think us "non casuals" don't appreciate what guys like Jokic, Luka + Harden (minus FT/ref issues which are totally valid), Lebron, KD, etc. etc. are doing offensively. It's essentially as impressive and technical as what some of the all time greats from yesteryear have done. If you threw Jokic onto some grainy 1980s Celtics film people would be drooling all over him. The hand eye coordination, footwork, balance, etc. needed to do what these guys do is incredible.

[Hussien Fatal]

We've seen changes in pace over the years, though. An increase caused by a rule change is simply an aesthetic. It's an improvement to the game - more action. If you don't want to consider pace, we have ways to do that.

If just firing up more 3pters was some sort of an answer to being a better team and scoring more with higher efficiency, then those Jim O'Brien Celtics teams would have had better success.

Honestly those Jim O’Brien Celtics weren’t that bad and they had there share of success playing that way, they just didn’t have enough defense. And I’m not sure where you are going with that first paragraph I’m not understanding your point.

The offensive and defensive rating of those teams indicate the opposite is true, but those stats do account for pace and those teams were pretty fast paced.

The Celtics led the league in 3pters made and attempted in back to back seasons, but only generated the 18th and 24th best offense. They tried spamming 3pters, but it was nowhere as effective a strategy as it's become.

Ok thanks for that history lesson I stand corrected. I remember them washing the Sixers in a game 5 in 02 setting a record for 3 pointers in a playoff game. The sixers were a good defensive team and they really exploited the reigning DPOTY in that series.

[Hussien Fatal]

Late 90's- early '00s basketball is generally agreed to be terrible basketball. Just a ton of inefficient 1-on-5 iso-scoring. Thank god for Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash for saving us all.

Flip side, the scoring these days is ridiculous. You literally can't guard guys at all. EVERY type of contact goes in favor of the offensive player, and refs are whistling everything.

Agree with the earlier poster who said 2008-2015ish was the pinnacle of balanced basketball.

I enjoyed the iso heavy ball back then it really highlighted the best players as they were able to show their full array of skill each possession. But I also enjoyed the period of 2009-15 as well.

[hege53190]

I mean it is just smart basketball. You can blame the scoring on no hand check but really it is just coaches became a lot smarter. 3 point shooting is much much more efficient than long 2s plus it opens up the offense for drives and people to work underneath. Would I rather go back to John Paxson spotting up 1 foot inside the 3 point line and the announcers gushing about smart basketball? No.

If a pace and space coach today was transported back to the 1990s or any era he would be a perennial contender because it is just a smarter way to play basketball.

[Raps in 4]

It's all relative, so it doesn't really matter to me. As long as the games are competitive, i enjoy the product.

[wutevahung]

I find modern basketball to be very aesthetically pleasing. Have no problem at all with teams shooting 35-40% of their shots from three, that seems fine to me.

My only complaints are the constant creep towards getting away with more and more traveling, and more and more carrying. If you want to shave a point or two off scoring totals, all you have to do is get a little stricter on those, to give defenders more of a fighting chance. No need for more drastic moves like court proportion changes.

I think traveling/carrying sometimes are a little too much, but at least they are basketball moves. The real thing that gets me is the ref baiting. Harden is the best scorer in a huge part is because 40% of his game is based on foul drawing, and some parts of that are just straight up trash. Like years back when he runs a PNR he would slide his non shooting hand under defender and put up a shot, it’s straight up garbage. Same thing with CP’s Break dancing moves.

[pr0wler]

yes it has become too extreme. the ratings reflect this. i dont see the general trend of falling ratings reversing when most games are trackmeets to see who can hoist the most 3s. the skill is at an all time high, the actual product debateble

Generally the ratings of sports in general aren't as big as they used to be. There are too many other forms of entertainment that have progressed exponentially over the past couple decades. Average viewership of NFL has gone down in absolute value over the past 10 years for instance, despite the fact that the population has increased. When everyone has limitless alternatives to watch at any time on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and YouTube, it's not super hard to see why ratings have declined.

[draftnightsuit]

The problem is separating good basketball vs popular basketball. What we have right now is popular basketball for the masses or casuals. But the game is not good from a reffing and defense standpoint, however there are many good and great players that help keep the perception that the product is still great.
What we have now is a product catered for the majority and the casuals, but not catered to most of the more hardcore fans.

What people consider “good basketball“ is completely subjective.

The fact that people are reminiscing for ‘00s basketball is proof of that. It was filled with inefficient iso ball, no passing, and horrible defense outside of a handful of teams. Ratings were also way down then. It wasn’t good or popular.

To each his own, I guess.

[GusFring]

I'd prefer 2009-2015 levels of scoring and play.

This is the sweet spot, I hate the league currently.

[Brofessor24]

I love the current NBA. No complaints at all.

[RunOKC]

Took some time to adjust to the higher scoring but not many complains now. I do wish they would let more contact go on the perimeter, but kind of hard not to make calls when every guy rises/shoots/exaggerates at the slightest touch of contact coming off screens etc.

[HomoSapien]

We’re in the global warming of basketball. I don’t necessarily want games to be an 80 point slugfest, but the scoring has gotten so easy that it’s hard to be impressed with much.

[JayMKE]

No, I think the quality of games have gone down as the game has become monopolized by 3 pointers & FTs. These 3 point chuckfests are just ugly basketball, I hate the stat nerds that ruined baseball and now basketball.

[The4thHorseman]

Scoring was higher in ‘80s and people call that the golden age.

Yep, it wasn't uncommon to see 4 of the 6 games played on any given night have a Final score where both teams scored 120+ points. And that was when teams would combine for maybe two 3PA for the entire game.