Scoring today vs. in the 80's

[Real Deal]

I was doing a bit of research, and I found this interesting:

From 1979-80 TO 1988-89 (10 seasons), games where a team scored under 70 points: 5 games
In the 2012-13 season (half of ONE season), games where a team scored under 70 points: 6 games

Now, I started watching ball in the late 80's...and I remember teams being able to hit 130 without fans thinking it was a big deal.

But, I didn't realize that the impact of zone defense, and increased athleticism, was THAT big today.

Crazy to see the difference.

Last season, alone, there were 20 games where a team scored under 70 points.

[DunkinDerozan]

Wow. Kind of makes you wonder what some of the leagues top offensive players of today would do in a league with much worse defensive players and schemes

[Real Deal]

Just to add on to that:

 

There were 142 games where a team scored under 70 points, from the 1989-90 season until the 1998-99 season.

Only around 23-24 of those instances came in the first half of that decade.  You saw it more often in the second half of the 90's.

Just for fun...it happened in 273 games from 1999-00 to 2008-09 (last decade).

So far, in this current decade, we're at 50 games.  That's on pace to hit the 150 mark.  

Defense is back down a bit, probably due to the lack of defensive anchors + the dominant scorers in the league today, but not even CLOSE to how low it was back in the 80's.

[Nitro]

It's not the defense that causes that...it's the pace.

 

League averages this season: 105.4 Ortg (points per 100 possessions), 91.8 pace (possessions per 48min), 49.2% EFG

 

League averages in '84-'85 (Jordan's 1st season and the primes of guys like Magic, Bird, Nique etc..): 107.9 Ortg, 102.1 Pace (!!!), 49.6% EFG

 

As you can see, the difference in offensive effectiveness really isn't much different, it's just that in the '80's there were a lot more possessions to eclipse 70pts than today's era.

[Real Deal]

It's not the defense that causes that...it's the pace. League averages this season: 105.4 Ortg (points per 100 possessions), 91.8 pace (possessions per 48min), 49.2% EFG League averages in '84-'85 (Jordan's 1st season and the primes of guys like Magic, Bird, Nique etc..): 107.9 Ortg, 102.1 Pace (!!!), 49.6% EFG As you can see, the difference in offensive effectiveness really isn't much different, it's just that in the '80's there were a lot more possessions to eclipse 70pts than today's era.

Come on, man...a lot of that has to do with defense.  Pace is lowered partially because of defense.  Open shots, at the rim or mid-range, were easier to snag back then because zone defense was illegal, and when players doubled, there was always a man open, and they had to commit to that.

 

Against bad defensive teams, today or in 1986, you're going to get more possessions because you're going to score quicker. They aren't going to hold you for 24 seconds of the shot clock.

 

Are you telling me that the fastest teams in the NBA today (Houston and Denver, at 96 and 95) aren't playing fast enough to score 120 every game?

 

The 2013 Rockets (96.3 Pace) average 105 PPG.  The 1990 Lakers (96.3 Pace) averaged 111 PPG.

 

That Lakers team shot 49% from the floor...which was SIXTH in the NBA.

 

Houston is shooting 45.6%, which is TENTH.

 

Defense is much tougher these days.  I'm not even sure how that can be debated.

[Nitro]

 

Come on, man...a lot of that has to do with defense.  Pace is lowered partially because of defense.  Open shots, at the rim or mid-range, were easier to snag back then because zone defense was illegal, and when players doubled, there was always a man open, and they had to commit to that.

 

Against bad defensive teams, today or in 1986, you're going to get more possessions because you're going to score quicker. They aren't going to hold you for 24 seconds of the shot clock.

 

The actual scoring efficiency and productiveness per 100 possessions is basically the same now as it was then. You can argue that offenses now are also better than they were then, but the dominance of offenses over defenses back in the '80's were basically the same as they are today.

 

Are you telling me that the fastest teams in the NBA today (Houston and Denver, at 96 and 95) aren't playing fast enough to score 120 every game?

 

The 2013 Rockets (96.3 Pace) average 105 PPG.  The 1990 Lakers (96.3 Pace) averaged 111 PPG.

 

That Lakers team shot 49% from the floor...which was SIXTH in the NBA.

 

Houston is shooting 45.6%, which is TENTH.

 

Defense is much tougher these days.  I'm not even sure how that can be debated.

1) Not one team in '84-'85 averaged a pace lower than 98. So no, I don't feel they could score 120PPG, or even 110PPG with their current roster and pace.

 

2) Looking at raw FG% is faulty. EFG ajdusts for 3 pointers, which teams barely took back from '70-'90. Besides shots at the rim, they are the most efficient shot attempt in basketball, even though it brings down basically every team's raw FG%.

 

 

Defenses are better now than they were from '70-'90, however the main culprit for the stats you posted are from pace.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Nitro