Grande: the "Big 3" of 2024-25 still hold 3 of the 4 most dominant road seasons in NBA history

[Gant]

Sean Grande:
https://bsky.app/profile/seangrandepbp.bsky.social/post/3lkf5yezw5225

A month to go in the season, Celtics and Cavs both get road wins Friday. So the "Big 3" of 2024-25 still hold 3 of the 4 most dominant road seasons in NBA history.

[bledredwine]

It’s a reflection of the trajectory of the game- starting with the lane opening up, less contact allowed on defense, eventually leading to a three point dominant game and scoring blowing up. Differentials are going to be larger as well.

2 teams from the 70s and the rest well after 2000 are all you need to know to see that this list transcends mere skill on the road of the squads listed.

[Godymas]

wow I had no idea Baylor retired in that 1971-1972 season to give the Lakers a roster spot and thus missed out on his best chance to win a ring. What a shame.

In his place was Jim McMillian who averaged 19-6-2 on 45% FG and put up similar numbers on their playoffs run too

[cgf]

They have been in a class of their own all season. Hopefully things change in the playoffs.

[bmurph128]

How are none of those Warrior teams in the top ten? Wild

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[BloodNinja]

How are none of those Warrior teams in the top ten? Wild

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Here's the list by record. Warriors of 2016 on top. https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/best-single-season-road-record-in-nba-history

Cavs could beat them if they go undefeated going forward, Celts & Thunder can match if they go undefeated.

[JujitsuFlip]

How are none of those Warrior teams in the top ten? Wild

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Here's the list by record. Warriors of 2016 on top. https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/best-single-season-road-record-in-nba-history

Cavs could beat them if they go undefeated going forward, Celts & Thunder can match if they go undefeated.

I doubt that is the Cavs aim.

[chilluminati]

These teams are incredible and you cannot deny that. You also cannot deny that these stats indicate that the current state of the NBA plays a role too.

[JonFromVA]

These teams are incredible and you cannot deny that. You also cannot deny that these stats indicate that the current state of the NBA plays a role too.

The current state of the NBA always plays a role, but there's something else going on. Just go check the box score from the Memphis Cavs game last night and check out Ja Morant's line.

Ja put up 44-8-7 with just 2 turnovers on just 22 shots and his team was -7 when he was on the floor?

No super heroics from Garland, and Mitchell didn't even play and the Cavs lead by 20 before garbage time.

[ItsDanger]

A third of the league is at least partially tanking at this point.

[Ice Man]

It’s a reflection of the trajectory of the game- starting with the lane opening up, less contact allowed on defense, eventually leading to a three point dominant game and scoring blowing up. Differentials are going to be larger as well.

2 teams from the 70s and the rest well after 2000 are all you need to know to see that this list transcends mere skill on the road of the squads listed.

Correct. Although it's worth noting that NBA scorers were highest of all during the 1960s, so it's kinda strange that no team from that era made the list. (Maybe the Celts of the Sixties weren't actually *that* good.)

[Nate505]

Sean Grande:
https://bsky.app/profile/seangrandepbp.bsky.social/post/3lkf5yezw5225

A month to go in the season, Celtics and Cavs both get road wins Friday. So the "Big 3" of 2024-25 still hold 3 of the 4 most dominant road seasons in NBA history.

Yeah, this is a reflection on the craptastic 3 point era more than historic dominance.

[JonFromVA]

It’s a reflection of the trajectory of the game- starting with the lane opening up, less contact allowed on defense, eventually leading to a three point dominant game and scoring blowing up. Differentials are going to be larger as well.

2 teams from the 70s and the rest well after 2000 are all you need to know to see that this list transcends mere skill on the road of the squads listed.

Correct. Although it's worth noting that NBA scorers were highest of all during the 1960s, so it's kinda strange that no team from that era made the list. (Maybe the Celts of the Sixties weren't actually *that* good.)

It was harder to win on the road in the 60's, not just the travel and conditions and racism, but Auerbach got away with hijinks to make visiting teams miserable as if visitor locker rooms weren't bad enough.

[bledredwine]

It’s a reflection of the trajectory of the game- starting with the lane opening up, less contact allowed on defense, eventually leading to a three point dominant game and scoring blowing up. Differentials are going to be larger as well.

2 teams from the 70s and the rest well after 2000 are all you need to know to see that this list transcends mere skill on the road of the squads listed.

Correct. Although it's worth noting that NBA scorers were highest of all during the 1960s, so it's kinda strange that no team from that era made the list. (Maybe the Celts of the Sixties weren't actually *that* good.)

I had a similar thought. You'd think that 30+% more possessions would influence that.

I suppose playing on the road was quite an exhausting experience? Who knows.

[Tor_Raps]

Scoring goes up because defense has become illegal to play, then of course point differential will be greater as a result.

The metric would hold more value if it was era adjusted. Until then, nothing to see here folks.

[jeeph]

There was a thread a while back that talked about how you can win with 9-10 very good players. Well that is OKC/BOS/CLE, with some elite players thrown in. They are built to win. The talent is deeper than it has ever been and these are the teams that have figured the new reality. Just like how the Warriors figured out the small ball 3 point vs. normal personnel 2 point equation. These 3 teams have figured out team ball and playing a system instead of being star driven.

I'll use the Cavs as an example. Look at the abilities more than the players. +35% 3 shooters - Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Wade, Merrill, Okoro, Mobley, Hunter, and Jerome. Movement shooters - Garland, Mitchell, Merrill, and Strus. Dribble creators - Garland, Mitchell, Jerome with Mobley getting there. Guys that can dribble well enough to take advantage of opportunities - Strus, Okoro, Hunter, Allen. Etc....

So it's not that the Cavs have a huge talent advantage like the 2017 Warriors. It's that they have a bunch of guys that can do a lot of NBA level skills. They have players that can run most offenses out of most personnel packages. The playbook is open to try and get players into spots to succeed.

So when you have to defend the Cavs, you can't have a concrete plan. You can't just take away plays or spots. Mitchell and Mobley are on the court, the play could be a Strus dribbling Merrill pick and pop to initiate the play, are you defensively planning on that in your pre-game? With a 10 man rotation, the Cavs need 3 player to be hot to win most games. And that's not only the starters, If Jerome, Merrill, and Hunter are hot, the Core 4 just have to play OK. 10 rotation players, 3 need to be hot, gives you a lot of ways to win.

You end up with a system that is looking for which players are hot on any given night instead of relying on your Big 3 to perform great every night. In the playoffs, a Big 3 has a better chance to win a 7 game series than playing 82 game series. The team play is going to out energy the hero ball.

So that's what you are seeing now. Teams that have been built on the older models have trouble with these teams that apply an NBA level offense for 48 minutes/82 games. If those teams stars have a normal lull in their play or their bench doesn't score, you get a Cavalanche. The newer model is more like hockey. If your 3rd and 4th lines are winning their shifts, your 1st and 2nd lines can just play with the burden of the stress of carrying the team. What's best for everyone is what's best for you.

Developing the bench is the new way to winning regular season records. OKC and BOS both have 1 player in the 6moy race, CLE has 2, that's not a coincidence. Their bench players play high efficiency offense. The have and understand their roles through developing the parts they can play in helping the team win.

The talent is out there, other teams will catch up. It's a copycat league. The main problem is after assembly, how long can these teams keep that depth they have built? CLE and BOS are going to be bumping up against the 2nd apron this off-season. Dynasties of more than 5 years are going to be harder to pull off than ever with the cap penalties.