In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA-record 100 points

In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA-record 100 points Mar 3, 2021 13:31:38 GMT

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Post by Rey Kahuka on Mar 3, 2021 13:31:38 GMT

Mar 2, 2021 20:07:52 GMT Mulder and Scully said:

Mar 2, 2021 18:11:39 GMT screamingtreefrogs said:

I just pulled up Basketball Reference.com to check out how good that team was and my jaw just dropped at the final scores during that year

They scored 169 points that game - but routinely scored in the 130s - opposition routinely scored in the 130s, 140s, 150s - I expected to see something more like 90s basketball

I can see 3 times combined where either they or the opposition scored less than 100 points - for the entire season

This is the complete opposite of what I expected to see

I guess there was no defense back then

Scoring was actually at it's peak in the 60s. In 62, the average scoring was 118 and for the decade, it was on the higher end.

Even the so-called "tough" 80s, the average scoring for the decade was 109. They scored a lot.

The so-called "physical" defense during these eras was exaggerated.

Nobody said the 60s was the era of physical defense-- but you had more leeway in terms of physicality in those days than you do today. The Celtics routinely averaged in the 120s back in those days, and they had the best defensive center ever. The game was more up tempo overall compared to what it became in the late 80s/90s. The bully ball style made popular by the Bad Boy Pistons made basketball a slog at times in the 90s. If you go back and watch games from even ten years ago you'll see an enormous difference in style of play compared to today. Terms like 'no layups' or 'playoff foul' didn't come from nowhere. You sent messages back then, today you might get tossed if your arm hits the guy in the head after you block his shot.

Things only got uglier when they moved the 3 point line closer, in 94-95 through 96-97. The idea was to open up the game with more threes, but it backfired. Shooting percentages plummeted because now every backup center thought he should shoot threes; and with the line being closer, it was actually easier for the defense to rotate out to 3 point shooters.

The so-called "physical" defense during these eras was exaggerated.

Look at the final scores from the 1998 Finals. These were the best two teams in the league featuring multiple Hall of Fame players on both sides. Bully ball, and then collecting big men to hack defenders became the trend once Shaq came into the league. It was almost like hockey, you had guys who were there to score and guys who were there to collect fouls and slow down the other team's offensive flow.

There isn't any exaggeration about the physicality of those eras. Go back and watch the games. The Pistons were insane. Watch the Pistons/Bulls in their heyday. Hell, watch McHale clothesline Rambis in the 84 Finals and not get thrown out. Watch Parish literally punch Bill Laimbeer multiple times in the middle of the game, and they didn't even call a foul. This was revenge for this, by the way. You can easily fall down a rabbit hole on youtube of hard fouls and brawls that erupted in those days. Still think the physicality is exaggerated? Can't wait to see Steph Curry mixing it up like this.