Why did teams in the past average such high ppg if defense was tougher

[jzek]

I was the other day watching some YouTube vids because back then it was unheard of that you dribble using the opposite hand They were so baffled when they saw Cousy doing it.

[Euroleague]

Bron wouldn't be able to handle the physicality though. John Stockton could, but 6'8 250 pound Lebron would get punk'd by monsters like John Starks and Isiah Thomas.

If LeBron gets a hangnail he's crying.........are you kidding me? Without the refs coddling him, he's the biggest baby ever.

What the hell does his size have to do with anything?

[atljonesbro]

Lol at all the old school fans being proud of not actually playing defense and just physically attacking the offensive player . Dat weak minded defense.

[JT123]

Lol at all the old school fans being proud of not actually playing defense and just physically attacking the offensive player . Dat weak minded defense.

This.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Everyone knows the most effective defense is to just give the player two free throws.

[Bandito]

because the offense was even tougher [/thread]

[Rose'sACL]

in the 80s, if you drove to the basket, you'd get punched in the neck. The great players of those eras had great neck muscles. You can't work out and have better neck muscles, you are just born with them.
Today's players hare malnourished and lack strong necks. As CavsFTW will tell you, players have gotten weaker since the 60s. The 60s which had less than 50% black players in a 8 team league( source fplii) was clearly not racist against whites like league is right now. Just imagine if the league was not close to 80% non-white right now.

[gts]

In the 80s, it was impossible to dunk or layup. From what I hear, centers would "take your head off" anytime you went to the basket.

Utter bullsh*t

[cltcfn2924]

Knicks would've put Mason on him and the Pistons would've had Rodman on him. But I'm sure the guy who couldn't do a damn thing against the likes of Bruce Bowen, Shawn Marion, or Boris Diaw in an era where physicality is outlawed would be able to do big things against the Pippens and Rodmans of the world.

Yeah, bowling over people in the lane back then would not have worked well for him. Laimbeer, Oatley, both Malones, Barkley, jeez he would have been on his back all night.

[JebronLames]

Offense and defense are better now. Read about Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. It will explain everything.

[ILLsmak]

rofl paul bunion

hahahaha...

Nothing else in this thread is worth commenting on.

-Smak

[diamenz]

cuz they weren't busy chucking and missing 3's 4 secs into the shot clock.

[Prometheus]

Offense and defense are better now. Read about Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. It will explain everything.

Please tell us about environmental selection pressures and genotype variations, and how these concepts apply to the National Basketball Association.

[aj1987]

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...NBA_stats.html

1985: 102.1 pace - 49.6 EFG% - 107.9 ORTG

2011: 92.1 pace - 49.8 EFG% - 107.3 ORTG

More possessions, same scoring efficiency.

The numbers in that link are actually very interesting. The pace of the league has been going up massively. The highest since the '94 season. Also, the league average PPG has increased as well. Highest since the '95 season. The FT attempts have also dropped a lot since the '90's, even with the pace being the same. Higher pace today and fewer FT's, compared to a couple of the '90's seasons.

[Nuff Said]

I ask, what if the eras were reversed and we started out with this iso-dribble-the-ball-all-clock one-on-one game then revered to the back-to-the-basket post game. How would we all feel? I could imagine something like "all they do is back up their opponent and lob it in for an easy basket doesn't take real skill."