Jordan: 'I could have scored 100 points' in today's NBA

To be honest, I'm not sure you understand the concepts. The way you focus on averages, it seems like you believe that the mean precludes the outliers.

Also, I said this earlier, and I'll repeat it since you appear to have overlooked it. You need to realize that if Jordan were to score 100 pts, a lot of different variables would have to occur. His teammates would have to willingly defer to him. He'd have to face a scrub team. He goal would be to score 100 pts instead of winning the game. And he'd have to sacrifice his defensive efforts to conserve energy on offense.

As I've said many times, why are you so focused on averages? We're talking about outliers.

In 1987, the highest scoring teams were Portland, LAL, Denver, and Dallas. 1987 is part of the fast paced, high scoring era you're referring to, right?

Well, in 1987, their single game highest point totals were 145 (Port), 155 (LAL), 142 (Den), and 147 (Dal).

Following your train of thought, there should be no way that a current team could have a comparable scoring output. Yet in the 2010 season, Phoenix's highest scoring game was 152 and GSW's was 146.

 

Agreed you point in his area and the whistle blew.

 

It's not that it can't happen theoretically, it's that the odds is smaller when the mean is lower. In other words, if he could do it today, it would be easier to do in 80s.

Now MJ didn't get 70 in his days, let alone 100, so he's talking nonsense.

 

Absolute garbage.

This era has easier rules, more fouls called, and inferior competition.

In this era, Jordan was able to score 45 pts in a game as a 40 year old man.

 

That's just your religious belief, it didn't explain why 80s had higher shooting %, way more points per game, the same FTA/FGA. All pointing to lesser defense.

It's easy to say "easier rules". But in reality, fastbreaks are "easier points".

 

GREAT response. But even with Pippen he'd fall short. Jordan just likes to hear himself talk.

 

This is a better question. If Dream played today he would be in the conversation of greatest basketball player ever. He's close as it now, but probably not in the Top 10. There just isn't anyone who could defend him today.

I'd also like to see if anyone will ever average 15 plus rebounds a game ever again. That to me is more impressive than averaging 30 points a game.

 

Same FTA/FGA but more points and a higher shooting %?

Sounds like the 80s/90s were better offensively than today's players are. It's not surprising though. The fundamentals of the 80's were far superior to today.

Back then, if a center had an open 15 ft jumper, he'd normally take it b/c it was within his skill set. Nowadays, with a few exceptions, if a center has an open 15 foot jumper, he looks for help.

Simply put, the players of the 80's/90's were more skilled than the players of today.

BTW, I'm still waiting for you to address how Jordan was capable of putting up 45 points in a game against this era's defense.....a defense you find much more effective than the 80/90's defense.

 

So you're saying he would only score six more points without hand-checking? Doubt it.

He would go completely off on today's defenses. I have no doubt that he would be capable of putting 100 on some poor unsuspecting team.

 

What needs to be addressed? MJ did get 51 in 2001. But that's one game, not an entire season. He averaged 22-3 and got a 51 game in a season is normal. Just like when averaging 37 he got a few 60 points game too.

He's shooting lower % in his Wizards years. Of course he's old, but that didn't prove he's going to be more efficient if he's in this defense younger.

It's easy to say the 80s have better shooters, but in reality they just have more fastbreaks and no defense is good at that. The 3pts% gets much higher today, and FT% is mostly similar. FT is not contested, 3pt is the least contested of all shots. There are also higher % of 3pts taken today. All pointing to tighter defense inside the arc and players are forced to have more range.

 

The most points he scored without OT was 61.
And he'll average less points in today's league, that's a given.

 

You just cant argue this point and as much as you want to say Jordan could have done it! You are crazy all the stats and way the game is played it points against him. I know people want to say no one will ever compair to Jordan...... blah blah blah i have watched basketball my whole life and i can say Kobe is the next Jordan he has done things Jordan couldnt of done and there are things Jordan did that Kobe will never do. No one will ever score 100 ever again... Kobe had his chance but Phil pulled him out after the 3rd quarter and kobe will never get over 80 again.

 

Isn't that what we're talking about? Just 1 game. No one is saying he could consistently score 100 pts. Just 1 game.

You're intentionally ignoring data that hurts your argument. The focus should not be on his scoring average but on the fact that he was able to score 51 points as a 39 year old man at the most unathletic point in his career.

That should speak volumes on the difficulty level in today's game.

Logically, it does. Instead of the slasher he was in his prime, he was primarily a jump shooter with the Wizards, and the closer the shot is, the more efficient it is.

It's easy to say that there were more fast breaks and the defense was poor, but in reality, the 80's simply had better shooters.

Players today like Rip Hamilton, Kobe, and Tony Parker are heralded for their midrange game. In the 80's, players weren't praised for having a great midrange game. That was the norm.

 

You can't see the correlation? He never shot over 60 without OT other than that 37ppg, 110ppg league average year. Let's say he shot 30ppg when the league averaged 100. That's what happened in late 90 and pretty close to today. He didn't get another 60 without OT, let alone 100, why now?
He's shooting 45,46% in Wizards, way less than 50% he put for the career, logically he could shoot better, but 5% is a lot to make up, in any way it's not a given he's going to be as efficient, particularly when the overall efficiency in the league is down.

It's easy to see this league has more athleticism, more dedicated wing defender. I don't know if you are old enough to watch 80s games, it's a lot of fastbreak and the tempo is much higher, you can't get that kind of paces without many fastbreaks. Are you denying the fact?

 

He never made it his objective to take 65 shots in a game. Just because he never did something doesn't mean he couldn't.

B/c now, he'd be playing in a league with no handchecking, less physical play, and inferior big men.

And keep in mind that I said for him to get 100 pts, he'd need his teammates to totally defer to him (i.e. no one else taking more than 5 shots) and for them to be playing against a scrub team.

Logically, he could shoot better? 45% is pretty good considering he was 40 yrs old, had lost virtually all of his athleticism, and was being defended by players half his age.

Btw, Kobe's career average is 45.5%.

Athleticism is useless without the basketball IQ to use it properly. Gerald Green was pretty athletic. So was Stromile Swift.

There might be more dedicated wing defenders today, but they wouldnt be playing for the team that Jordan would score 100 against.

Yes, I'm denying it. It's an untrue statement.

If pace is measured by the number of possessions per game, then you can increase pace by playing weaker defense and taking shots earlier in the shot clock. You don't necessarily need to have a lot of fastbreaks.

 

Today's game has zone, that's the best way to take away an individual player. You can talk about physical play, inferior big men all day but in the old days, there're many teams that ain't physical and big men were worse, Jordan didn't score 70 on them either, and that's a fact.

And the so called physical bad boy Pistons gave up 107 points a game in 1987, Raptors in 2006 only gave up 104. You can boast about physical all day, but it's not really making scoring more difficult. Are you denying the numbers too?

 

I'm not convinced the 1987 Pistons were the "Bad Boy" Pistons. Rodman was just a rookie in 1987, and in 1988, both Rick Mahorn and Rodman both played 10 more mpg than in 1987.

Nevertheless, in 1988, the Pistons allowed their opponents to score 104 ppg. The 2006 Raptors also allowed their opponents to score 104 ppg.

Are you saying that the 1988 Pistons and 2006 Raptors had a comparable defensive effectiveness?

 

This is from an interview with Stu Jackson, NBA VP of Basketball Operations, in 2007 regarding the increase in scoring:

http://www.nba.com/features/stujackson_bogpresentation_070503.html

So in other words, this era's rule changes were intended to benefit players who penetrate and move without the basketball. Jordan was the epitome of such a player yet you don't think his numbers would improve in this era?

 

104 points is 104 points, it's as easy to score against that team. Be it higher pace or higher efficiency, it didn't matter. We are talking about if Mj could score 100 points, shooting 80% or 20% doesn't make a difference.

 

Figured you'd say something like that. This is as good a time as any to stop arguing with you.