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Does the NBA have a problem?

Maybe the game would become more interesting if they made a basket worth 3 points and shots from behind the 4pt line worth 4 points. Think of all the cool hand waving players could do with four fingers.
 
I think part of the reason for some of the big scores is that clean defending has been made really hard these days.

Like for instance I personally feel like situations that used to be 50/50 for charge vs blocking fouls are like 80% blocking fouls these days. Refs rarely make charge calls unless its completely blatant bulldozing. Small touch fouls are called much more frequently to rectify missed shots and give and-1s.

Also I remember the "Reggie Miller rule" that if you extend your leg during a jumpshot and hit a defender you can get called for an offensive foul. That was the point of emphasis at one point in time. Well now we are back to calling either defensive fouls or no fouls at all when players do that (and its getting more common again thanks to KD et al).

It all results in defenders playing much more passive, off-the-skin and stagnant, which gives more space and time to the plethora of talented offensive players in NBA.
 
I think part of the reason for some of the big scores is that clean defending has been made really hard these days.

Like for instance I personally feel like situations that used to be 50/50 for charge vs blocking fouls are like 80% blocking fouls these days. Refs rarely make charge calls unless its completely blatant bulldozing. Small touch fouls are called much more frequently to rectify missed shots and give and-1s.

Also I remember the "Reggie Miller rule" that if you extend your leg during a jumpshot and hit a defender you can get called for an offensive foul. That was the point of emphasis at one point in time. Well now we are back to calling either defensive fouls or no fouls at all when players do that (and its getting more common again thanks to KD et al).

It all results in defenders playing much more passive, off-the-skin and stagnant, which gives more space and time to the plethora of talented offensive players in NBA.
This. For me at least, it makes the game less interesting. For the same reason the all star game has become a huge joke. There isn't any pride in it, no challenging themselves to compete and battle on both ends of the court to win. It's just run down the court and shoot the ball. Whoever makes the most wins. Here, we'll even force the other team to just get out of the way with stupid rules. Excellent defense takes as much or more skill and training than scoring but it's been so badly neutered that we get a Marcus Smart winning dpoy. Granted he was a decent defender in today's NBA, but he was no Gary Payton. I'm not impressed by the high scoring games and all the 40+ and 50+ individual performances when you know it's because defense has just become a novelty, not a core part of the game any more. Kind of sad really. But it is reflective of the times, when we all have a constant-stimulation machine in the palms of our hands, if we aren't seeing something exciting every 3.8 seconds we lose interest and move on. We need constant scoring or we wouldn't know what to cheer for and wouldn't get that all-important dopamine hit. The NBA is rapidly becoming the tiktok of sports leagues.
 
This. For me at least, it makes the game less interesting. For the same reason the all star game has become a huge joke. There isn't any pride in it, no challenging themselves to compete and battle on both ends of the court to win. It's just run down the court and shoot the ball. Whoever makes the most wins. Here, we'll even force the other team to just get out of the way with stupid rules. Excellent defense takes as much or more skill and training than scoring but it's been so badly neutered that we get a Marcus Smart winning dpoy. Granted he was a decent defender in today's NBA, but he was no Gary Payton. I'm not impressed by the high scoring games and all the 40+ and 50+ individual performances when you know it's because defense has just become a novelty, not a core part of the game any more. Kind of sad really. But it is reflective of the times, when we all have a constant-stimulation machine in the palms of our hands, if we aren't seeing something exciting every 3.8 seconds we lose interest and move on. We need constant scoring or we wouldn't know what to cheer for and wouldn't get that all-important dopamine hit. The NBA is rapidly becoming the tiktok of sports leagues.

Great post dude.
 
it's almost as if guys can't wait to retire so they can bad mouth the current league and talk about how soft players are. dudes from the 50s said that about dudes in the 70s. dudes from the 80s said it about dudes from the 00s. now we have dumbasses from the 00s saying it about the 20s. tale as old as time and they are all dumbasses. the league is better than it has even been.
 
This. For me at least, it makes the game less interesting. For the same reason the all star game has become a huge joke. There isn't any pride in it, no challenging themselves to compete and battle on both ends of the court to win. It's just run down the court and shoot the ball. Whoever makes the most wins. Here, we'll even force the other team to just get out of the way with stupid rules. Excellent defense takes as much or more skill and training than scoring but it's been so badly neutered that we get a Marcus Smart winning dpoy. Granted he was a decent defender in today's NBA, but he was no Gary Payton. I'm not impressed by the high scoring games and all the 40+ and 50+ individual performances when you know it's because defense has just become a novelty, not a core part of the game any more. Kind of sad really. But it is reflective of the times, when we all have a constant-stimulation machine in the palms of our hands, if we aren't seeing something exciting every 3.8 seconds we lose interest and move on. We need constant scoring or we wouldn't know what to cheer for and wouldn't get that all-important dopamine hit. The NBA is rapidly becoming the tiktok of sports leagues.
this entire post is ********. defense in the nba is better and more advanced than it has even been. there is more emphasis, more scouting, more preparation on that side of the ball than there has ever been. the games are high scoring because the offense is so ridiculously advanced - everybody can handle, everybody can pass and everybody can shoot. you may not like the high scoring basketball where offense dominates and that's fair - we all have our unique tastes - but it isn't a result of poor defense or that defense is a "novelty" or not "a core part of the game". that sounds nice, you will get several thumbs up, it's narrative that people who don't understand the game like to trumpet, but it's patently false.
 
this entire post is ********. defense in the nba is better and more advanced than it has even been. there is more emphasis, more scouting, more preparation on that side of the ball than there has ever been. the games are high scoring because the offense is so ridiculously advanced - everybody can handle, everybody can pass and everybody can shoot. you may not like the high scoring basketball where offense dominates and that's fair - we all have our unique tastes - but it isn't a result of poor defense or that defense is a "novelty" or not "a core part of the game". that sounds nice, you will get several thumbs up, it's narrative that people who don't understand the game like to trumpet, but it's patently false.

I don't know man, we all watch the game just like you. The three point shot is being used to ridiculous effect. Run down...one pass...and chuck... rinse... repeat. Maybe they should do something to make the three less pervasive. Move the line back or change the point structure.
 
this entire post is ********. defense in the nba is better and more advanced than it has even been. there is more emphasis, more scouting, more preparation on that side of the ball than there has ever been. the games are high scoring because the offense is so ridiculously advanced - everybody can handle, everybody can pass and everybody can shoot. you may not like the high scoring basketball where offense dominates and that's fair - we all have our unique tastes - but it isn't a result of poor defense or that defense is a "novelty" or not "a core part of the game". that sounds nice, you will get several thumbs up, it's narrative that people who don't understand the game like to trumpet, but it's patently false.
Here's just one look at the best defensive teams in NBA history. Not one past 2013. There are a few lists like this, most showing the same outcome. None of the best defensive teams fall in the past 5 years and mostly even in the last decade. Defense has definitely been deprioritized by the league in general. The focus is on offense. As was stated, one pass, jack up a 3. There just isn't the same focus on defense there was in the past. It's a fact.

View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2185159-ranking-the-nbas-20-best-defenses-of-all-time

Here's another look that shows defensive rating getting worse by decade.

 
Here's just one look at the best defensive teams in NBA history. Not one past 2013. There are a few lists like this, most showing the same outcome. None of the best defensive teams fall in the past 5 years and mostly even in the last decade.
That evidence supports and @seattlejazzfan equally.
 
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