WITH the NBA season off to a hot start, there are indications that seem to reveal a new trend in the league. Very noticeable are the scores of the games.
The highest scoring game is the Lakers against Spurs game last October 22 with a final score of 143-142 won by the Spurs. The highest team score thus far is 149 points by the Pelicans made last October 19 against the Kings who also managed to score 129 points.
As per ESPN.com, the New Orleans Pelicans are leading the league with 124.8 per game with the San Antonio Spurs rounding up the Top 10 in team points per game at 113.8 ppg. The lowest scoring team in the league is the Orlando Magic with 100.8 ppg.
This validates the average NBA score of 112.0 ppg as listed at basketball-reference.com which is really up by almost six points from last year’s average of 106.8 ppg. With teams on scoring binges, it feels like watching All-Star games all the time.
Not only that, if we check the Points Allowed by teams, it is only the Boston Celtics holding opponents down to less than a hundred points at 96.3 ppg. If it’s any indication, defense may seem to take the back seat in favor of a more offensive style of play.
It’s not only the game that has changed but the players as well. It was only very recently when Kobe Bryant had his farewell tour after 19 grueling seasons with clear signs of wear and tear. However, Lebron James, entering his 16th season which is three seasons less than Kobe’s, shows no signs of fatigue with the way he is playing. This can be attributed to the change in training regimens being employed by these athletes to sustain their physical conditioning which may not have been present in recent years.
In an ever-evolving landscape, it is inevitable for these changes to happen. Looking back at how the game has evolved, from the inception of the 24-second shot clock, the installation of the three-point line, changes in the officiating and how the game is being conducted then and now, we can say that all of these have made the game more exciting and fun to watch.
Change is inevitable. It is just assuring that even with these changes, the value of providing for exciting and fun-filled games has never changed and this speaks a lot about the culture of the NBA as an organization which the teams and players have embraced as their own values as well.
When the organization and the members are in sync in their values great things happen.