Never before have teams in the league been better at scoring than they are today.
Although such remarks have appeared almost every year in the past ten years, this season is really convincing.
From the team to the individual players in the league, they are experiencing a scoring explosion.
So far this season, the league’s teams have averaged 114 points per 100 possessions, which is a bit higher than last season’s 112.3 points, reaching the highest level since the league’s history.
At the same time, the stars in the league also started their own scoring performances. Before halfway through the season, 12 players in the league have scored 50+ points in a single game, a total of 14 times.
While Kobe Bryant’s 81-point feat in 2006 has yet to be broken, Mitchell’s 71 against the Bulls made it possible.
The well-known basketball media the Athletic invited several sports experts to discuss this issue. What caused this era of big scoring?
Joe Varden: It’s the referee’s problem!
I was lucky enough to watch the game when Mitchell scored 71 points. The referees did not call Mitchell’s early line violation on the free throw at the end of regulation.
We all know what happened next, Mitchell magically equalized the score, the Cavaliers completed the reversal in overtime, Mitchell scored 71 points alone.
If the referee whistled Mitchell’s early goal according to the rules, then Mitchell would only score 56 points in this game, and would not break the Cavaliers’ scoring record.
I’d love to see what each team’s scoring average will become in the playoffs, when physical confrontation is more emphasized and penalties are looser.