Are high individual playoff scoring totals getting out of hand?

[W8ting2McHale]

It seems like almost every game this playoff season someone is going off for 35-40 points or more. Sometimes multiple players in the same game are reaching that level. Isn’t this unprecedented?

Years ago Larry Bird or Michael Jordan scoring 35 or 40 in a game was a super human achievement. Now it’s common place. I know the game has changed, but is it sustainable?

Someone said earlier this week (possibly Moranis, but I could be wrong) that they preferred watching a player with triple-double type stats: 20-10-10, to a guy with high scoring stats: 40-5-5. (I think it came up in a discussion on Tatum scoring 40-50 so often).

Is it just the result of iso heavy offense systems or does the league just have a bunch of superstar scorers now? Do you like watching one guy just take over a game?

[BudweiserCeltic]

You can barely defend without fouling in this day and age, that's one of the main reasons.

[bopna]

Playoffs is where the stars shine and because of the very high usage rate..its quite common to see a 40 point scoring burst from each teams 1a.

Thats why its almost unfair that Brooklyn has 3 players capable of such iso heavy offense and can easily score 30 in their sleep.

[Tr1boy]

Playoffs is where the stars shine and because of the very high usage rate..its quite common to see a 40 point scoring burst from each teams 1a.

Thats why its almost unfair that Brooklyn has 3 players capable of such iso heavy offense and can easily score 30 in their sleep.

Yes but if that star is off...

I'm a fan of the Spurs "way"  vs relying on a few players to do most of the scoring

[W8ting2McHale]

Meanwhile, Donćić is going to reach 30 before halftime, but at least he gets others involved.

[gouki88]

It's the officiating + increase in minutes. It is incredibly hard for guys to defend well without "fouling" - fouling being in quotations because what constitutes a foul is so fluid with modern refs.

[W8ting2McHale]

It's the officiating + increase in minutes. It is incredibly hard for guys to defend well without "fouling" - fouling being in quotations because what constitutes a foul is so fluid with modern refs.

Yes, I guess between the league wanting superstars and the refs constantly rewarding those guys with calls, then that’s what we’re going to get?

I still prefer watching a balanced team with 3 guys scoring 20-25 over a team where one guy scored 45 and then there’s two guys around 15 each. It’s not so bad when a guy has to carry a team because no one else can get going, but it’s different when one guy is the focal point every game. It gets boring. At least to me. If I were playing I would be bored standing around while someone else scored most of the points too.

[gouki88]

It's the officiating + increase in minutes. It is incredibly hard for guys to defend well without "fouling" - fouling being in quotations because what constitutes a foul is so fluid with modern refs.

Yes, I guess between the league wanting superstars and the refs constantly rewarding those guys with calls, then that’s what we’re going to get?

I still prefer watching a balanced team with 3 guys scoring 20-25 over a team where one guy scored 45 and then there’s two guys around 15 each. It’s not so bad when a guy has to carry a team because no one else can get going, but it’s different when one guy is the focal point every game. It gets boring. At least to me. If I were playing I would be bored standing around while someone else scored most of the points too.

I agree. There also seems to be a lot of stagnant offence in the modern NBA. It's why I like watching teams like Utah, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Denver. They run some aesthetically pleasing offence.

[Moranis]

Usage is a thing.  I mean Luka's usage was 40.7 against the Clippers.  He played just under 41 mpg.  You are going to score a lot when you play that minutes and have type of usage.

[Roy H.]

I've gotta say, I love seeing the stars erupt for big nights.  I wish teams were allowed to actually play defense more, but a guy who basically dares the other team to stop him is special. 

It's why we still talk about Larry vs. Dominique decades later.  Larry scored 20 in the fourth, taking over individually.  Dominique finished with 47, with 14 in the fourth.  If those guys had shared the ball more and gotten open shots for lesser players, do we still talk about the game?  Do the Celtics even win that game if Bird is more deferential?

[Tr1boy]

I've gotta say, I love seeing the stars erupt for big nights.  I wish teams were allowed to actually play defense more, but a guy who basically dares the other team to stop him is special. 

It's why we still talk about Larry vs. Dominique decades later.  Larry scored 20 in the fourth, taking over individually.  Dominique finished with 47, with 14 in the fourth.  If those guys had shared the ball more and gotten open shots for lesser players, do we still talk about the game?  Do the Celtics even win that game if Bird is more deferential?

Bird is more like Lebron or vice versa

Bird was really good at the balancing act of getting teammates involved/light shine on them.  VS taking over when he was feeling it/team needed it

And he knew how to balance since college...

[furball]

I've gotta say, I love seeing the stars erupt for big nights.  I wish teams were allowed to actually play defense more, but a guy who basically dares the other team to stop him is special. 

It's why we still talk about Larry vs. Dominique decades later.  Larry scored 20 in the fourth, taking over individually.  Dominique finished with 47, with 14 in the fourth.  If those guys had shared the ball more and gotten open shots for lesser players, do we still talk about the game?  Do the Celtics even win that game if Bird is more deferential?

The problem is that it's becoming like the Triple Double.  It's no longer special.  We talk about Larry and Nique because it was a special night.  Now it happens all the time.  It's not special when every team has a guy that can do it.  Luka went for 46 last night and lost by 15.  Tatum went for 40 and lost by 15.  It's not even keeping teams in games anymore. 

[Who]

It is awful. I find today's game hard to watch. I prefer watching older games on youtube than today's league.

Scoring should be difficult. That is what makes it special. Take away the difficulty and it is meaningless. The rules are too far against the defensive players / teams. It is not fun anymore.

[slamtheking]

It is awful. I find today's game hard to watch. I prefer watching older games on youtube than today's league.

Scoring should be difficult. That is what makes it special. Take away the difficulty and it is meaningless. The rules are too far against the defensive players / teams. It is not fun anymore.

agreed.

not that I want to go back to the rock throwing fights that was the NBA in the late 80's and through most of the 90's but defenders are almost getting whistled for fouls just for being on the court and in Daniel Theis' case, it was just for being on the court.

[Roy H.]

I've gotta say, I love seeing the stars erupt for big nights.  I wish teams were allowed to actually play defense more, but a guy who basically dares the other team to stop him is special. 

It's why we still talk about Larry vs. Dominique decades later.  Larry scored 20 in the fourth, taking over individually.  Dominique finished with 47, with 14 in the fourth.  If those guys had shared the ball more and gotten open shots for lesser players, do we still talk about the game?  Do the Celtics even win that game if Bird is more deferential?

The problem is that it's becoming like the Triple Double.  It's no longer special.  We talk about Larry and Nique because it was a special night.  Now it happens all the time.  It's not special when every team has a guy that can do it.  Luka went for 46 last night and lost by 15.  Tatum went for 40 and lost by 15.  It's not even keeping teams in games anymore.

Is this a new thing do you think?  Haven't stars always had giant games in the playoffs?

Jordan, Malone, Barkley, Robinson, Hakeem, Shaq ...

And even today, I don't think some of the amazing individual games we've seen have been a factor of bad defense.  Remember IT against Washington?  He *earned* those points.  Tatum with his recent 50+ point games, did you get the impression that the defense was giving him bunnies?

I haven't watched most of the games in the playoffs this year, so I can't necessarily weigh in on the total phenomena that you're seeing.  But is this any different than superstars doing superstar things?