05/12/2023 20:12hs.
The NBA It is recognized, in many parts of the world, as the league that offers the best basketball on the globe. The one where the most influential stars demonstrate, night after night, that in addition to the competition, the show is guaranteed. Now, the form of the game underwent a great change and Ole He set his sights on the transformation that generates matches in which there are plenty of points and, sometimes, too many…
This is nothing more and nothing less than a basketball trend which seeks to break all records with very high scoring games based on the repetition of the triple as a main weapon. I mean: more bombs and less dunks. Is it better, worse? A matter of taste…
The triple as a way of living in the NBA
The constant ‘threat’ of knowing that at any moment a great goal worth three could fall caused the defenses to choose, in many cases, to free the famous painted area that, on repeated occasions, It ends up being a transit to score with a layup or a spectacular dunk.
At one time, the NBA was the mecca of the pick and roll, the pick and pop, where the center had a great influence on the teams’ offenses. On these days, It is even a requirement that big men be able to attempt shots that were not even in the repertoire before.
Jokic is the trend-setting center. (AP)
Curry transformed the game
In the video you can see today’s basketball summarized in a single play. Stephen Curry cleans up the young Wembanyama as a result of his great skill and the time to face the rim, He decides to go back as far as he had advanced to finish the play with a triple that made everyone stand up from their seats.
It is true that if he had launched, the Frenchman could have covered it with his long arms, but it is also seen that before his eyes, the Chef has the Serbian Dario Saric, who already had his position won, to assist him and he still gave up to get his way.
Curry dominates the league with his three-pointers. (AP)
Popovich’s criticism of triples
In relation to this decision that most teams have made to prioritize the perimeter and leave the paint for specific situations, Gregg Popovicha more than authorized word in the NBA world, acknowledged being against this game philosophy.
“I’ve hated the triple for 20 years. That’s why I often joke, ‘If we really want to change the game, let’s invent a four-point play.’ Because if everyone likes the triple, they will like the four-player more. People will jump out of their chairs if you make a five-point play. It will be something big… There is no more basketball, there is no more beauty in basketball. It is very boring. But it is what it is, and you have to work with it.”commented the San Antonio Spurs coach.
And he also added: “Now you see the statistics of a game and the first thing is to see the three-pointers. If you score from three and the other team doesn’t, you win. You don’t look at rebounds or losses or offensive transitions. They don’t even matter . “That is the impact that the three-point shot has developed.”.
Popovich against triples. (EFE)
This same season, there was a match that set a historical precedent. The Atlanta Hawks faced the Indiana Pacers and between them, They reached the line of 309 points after Indy’s 157-152 victory. Crazy.
Of course, it was a match that featured 37 three-pointers scored by both teams. The result was worthy of an All Star Game, if you take into account that, for example, the 2020 All-Star Game ended with three more points on the scoreboard (157-155) than the match between the Atlanta boys vs. those from Indiana.
The union of all the parties has generated that, those late 90s in which Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz with results like 87-86, 86-82 stay behind Without going any further, in the latest definition of the league, Miami Heat won one of the games against the Denver Nuggets by 111-108which shows a great difference in scoring, also, in definitive instances.
It is now more than normal to see games in which both teams easily exceed 100 points. The flow of three-point shots is very close to that of two-point shots and, in order to continue contributing to the show, the games provide a spectacle day by day. Where are they going?
2023-12-05 20:12:24
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