NEW DELHI:
Joe Dumars
, NBA's executive vice president and head of basketball operations, recently attended a game that, despite the
offensive
fireworks of recent weeks, reaffirmed the significance of
defense
in the league. The matchup between Denver and Boston, culminating in a close 102-100 score, showcased that in the midst of prolific individual performances, defense still plays a crucial role.
Dumars addressed the recent surge in high-scoring games, including notable instances of
Luka Doncic
,
Joel Embiid
,
Devin Booker
, and Karl-Anthony Towns putting up impressive point totals.
Despite these offensive explosions, Dumars emphasized that league officials aren't alarmed since the overall
scoring
average has only slightly increased compared to the previous season.
"The pace of the game, the amount of 3s being shot now – you're going to have some offensive eruptions like that," Dumars remarked, acknowledging the evolving nature of the game. Notably, there was a statistical anomaly last week, with two players achieving 60+ points in a single day – a rarity since April 1978.
While there has been an increase in high-scoring games, the season-to-season scoring rise is modest, with a 0.78% uptick from 114.7 to 115.6 points per game. Last season witnessed a more substantial increase of 3.7%. Dumars noted that offensive eruptions are expected with the current pace and prevalence of three-point shooting.
Despite the statistical anomalies, Dumars emphasized that there is no specific push from the league office to achieve certain scores. The focus remains on delivering exciting and competitive games that captivate fans. As Dumars stated, "Fans want to leave a game or watch a game and at the end say, 'that was incredible.' The score is secondary to that. Fans just want to see great games."
(Inputs from AP)
English (US) ·