2:03 Booker travels in the clip. Uncalled traveling, carrying, and moving screens probably explain a lot!

“And while we all can’t get enough of it…” Speak for yourself. I’ve seen more than enough. Game needs to be rebalanced.

I remember in the 2000s and early 2010s a 40 point game was amazing. 😂

David Robinson's 71 points was quite impressive as it was during the physical handcheck era and he didn't shoot 3s.

Officiating that is allowing carrying, travelling, gather steps, etc. and not allowing defense is what's causing the explosion in offensive numbers. That's what makes Kobe's 81 even more impressive. It was clean.

No Hand checking, 3 point shooting over post or mid range plays r contributing factors. You have to keep things in perspective, to adjust for today’s rules to compare past eras scores. Can you imagine MJ without hand checking?

Fun fact: 2002 Lakers vs Nets Game 4. There was a total of 28 3-pointers shot between both teams, 15 were made. Lakers win. Fast forward 20 years later 2022 Warriors vs Celtics Finals Game 6. There was a total of 74 3-pointers shot between both teams. 30 were made. GSW win. That’s 46 extra 3 pointers lol

Rules changes that only favor the offense is what changed

Simple. Lack of ball pressure in defending on the ball, hands on their side, backpedaling and reacting to the offense instead of defenders being the agressors and teams in the regular season run the same defensive scheme in the regular season and don’t adapt their coverages to

Unless something changes, we will see someone break 100 points, and a team surpass 200 points in a single game within the next 3 years.

The lack of Defense is not actually the "problem". It's that ever since GSWs reign, teams have been copying that brand to the point that no team has identities anymore. There's no Grit and Grind Memphis or Lob City Clippers anymore. Every team is a watered down version of Golden state

I started watching nba games again after a long break a few weeks ago. The lack of defense really stands out. Watching ncaa games it makes it really noticeable,they are so much better.

It was outlawed when the realized lebron would likely average 14 points without the help. He gets away with so much shit it's crazy. He should be getting at least 3 technical could ever game the way he acts

Perhaps more defense highlights from ESPN etc. Scoring is cool, but fans can appreciate good D. One of my favorite moments in a close game is when there’s seconds on the clock and all defenders are locking up.

Between the disparity of fouls called, free throws awarded and "judgement calls" (usually in favor of specific players and teams) there can be no cohesive defense strategy in today's game. It seems to depend upon the referee's feelings, the players playing and the teams playing.

I can't help wondering if this is a result of players sort of mentally checking out or simply pacing themselves out in the regular season and then tightening up for the playoffs (ex. Nugget's Defense went from meh' to pretty good in the last years post season). Either way, seeing a team like the Pacers (not that I think they're bad) score 140 or more points routinely enough for me to notice is kind of messed up for a kid that grew up in the 90's.

Rigged and magnet balls, simple as that

Personally i think it's just current officiating. Really lame from a competitive perspective, but also i feel like refs are doing some tomfoolery in the regular season games, which is allowing some of the super talented stars to pull of these numbers against some of the lower rated teams.

I think it comes down to 3 things… 1. Offensive schemes and player development has changed… everyone is shooting 3s as opposed to mid range plus there’s less post ups and more uncontested layups 2. The league favors offense far too much with its rules… you can’t even contest a jump shot anymore without an offensive player kicking their legs out or falling down and getting 3 Fts… plus they let guys like Harden or Trae Young travel, carry and then bail them out with ticky tack foul calls 3. The evaluation of players has evolved and the league values scoring more than defense. Think of the lineups that were played in the 2000s… you played 2 7 footers that rarely could shoot past mid range. You had freak athletes on the wing who rarely were shooters or the exact opposite. Now everyone has to shoot… everyone has to be able to score or they are not considered valuable… this inherent shift along with the rules changes and evolution of offensive schemes have made it nearly impossible to play defense I also feel if I had a 4th bullet it would be that a lot of players don’t put in the effort in defense anymore… they’re in it for the long haul and aren’t selling out night to night

I would like to know the playoff stats vs the season stats, most of these players dont play hard and risk injury on the defensive side because the season doesnt mean anything. But in the playoffs you see a completely different game of basketball.

When people say todays players don’t play defense i just think about these players Rudy Wemby Ad Jackson jr Brook Giannis Kawhi PG Jrue Holiday Mikal Bridges Pat bev Draymond Jarrett Allen Vando Chet Bam Antman SGA Derrick white Embiid Smart Fox Evan Mobley Myles turner Jimmy Tatum J brown Nic CLAXTON I can name more

They're scoring more in many of the games this year (in regulation!) than a lot of the All Star games over the past 20 years. I was telling someone that some of the games seem like exhibition games. I don't think the Globetrotters even scored as much. Once the playoffs begin, games will back to the old "normal" probably?

It’s also telling how on the other side of the coin where even if your defense is exceptional, if you can’t shoot, you won’t see the floor. You will be subbed out. A lot was made about Jarred Vanderbilt being a sort of modern Rodman. His role has varied and while you can blame Darvin Ham for that his value on defense doesn’t supersede his lack of shooting, kind of crazy.

You lost me on this channel soon as you said todays defense is exceptionally better than 60s and 70s 😂😂😂

There are more skilled players in todays NBA. If defense were the problem then majority of the players would score 25ppg.

It’s completely out of control it won’t be long before we scores in the 200s

What defense?..when the worst team in the NBA is scoring 110pts per game, it's basically 2k on easy mode..

I don't think defense is completely dead, once the playoffs come around then that level of effort comes back. But I do think the league defense is trending in the wrong direction, especially in the regular season. I really don't want to watch games consistently end 140-138. That's a little ridiculous. With that said, I'm not sure what can be done, because I also dont want a return to early 00s basketball where games frequently ended with scores under 80.

Bring back hand checking and abolish def 3 second rule.

Defense does not sell jerseys, arena tickets or network contracts. It's purely a business decision orchestrated by the ownership group of the association. The legitimate competition aspect of the NBA has been dead for quite some time now.

Men’s College Basketball is objectively a better product nowadays. Variety of team strategy, a good mix of offense and defense, parity across the board. Even then, college basketball had a major issue with the three point shot a few years ago. They changed the distance on the shot and the games been much better since.

Defense Strength Rankings since the 90s : 1 > 2 ≥ 3 > 4 >>> 5 1. early 00s : Zone defense + defensive 3 seconds + still 90s hand-checking rules + no gather step 2. 90s : illegal defense + no defensive 3seconds + 90s hand-checking rules + no gather step 3. Mid-00s : Zone Defense + Defensive 3 Seconds + Enforced hand-checking rules + no gather step 4. Late 00s to mid 10s : Zone Defense + Defensive 3 Seconds + enforced hand-checking rules + Gather step implemented 5. Late 10s ~ : Zone Defense + Defensive 3 Seconds + enforced hand-checking rules + Gather step + 3-point shooting era + no Traveling + no Carrying + no offensive fouls

I think the ability of everyone from 1-5 position that can shoot makes it hard to play defense. There is so much positionless basketball like Pacers for Instance doesn't even have true Center. Myles is more of Power Forward than a center same with Segun. There are so many players that don't play their position oldschool way now that makes it hard defend. Especially players that can shoot the ball beyond 27ft away from basket and hit those shots with ease

The NBA should start by calling the obvious travels, carries, moving sceens, and stop favouring the offensive end more often than not. It has quite frankly gotten boring watching some of these in-season all star games where teams just go up and down, trading baskets with little resistance. 40 point quarters are not even worth mentioning anymore. NBA players are already shooting better and scoring more easily than ever, we don't need the refs and league as a whole to further put fuel into this dumpsterfire. Teams used to have different styles and identities, now it's a giant melting pot of "who can score even more". The Knicks and Wolves might be the only teams with a true defense-first approach.

Of course, scoring percentages are gonna go up when it's easier to get a shot off. People are not as worried as they used to be about getting blocked

The NBA has seen a surge in talent while also a surge in watering down the quality of the game. It used to be special and rare when players would get a triple double. Now it’s just expected

i already find the lack of defense.. or to be more clear.. how much defense is being hampered by rules it makes the nba boring

i think a lot of it is the younger teams ability to run the court, especially a team like the Pacers, who are loaded with players. They are young, can run and gun, with zero effort on getting back or being physical on defense.

Seems like everyone’s default response is “there’s no defense anymore”. We’re just in a phase, and the game will evolve. Someone or someones will figure out a new way to exploit the weaknesses of the game in its current state, and the evolution will continue.

I guess we could see the results of this trend on FIBA World Cup, where USA gave too many Offensive Rebounds and show some lack of defensive teamwork... maybe having some FIBA rules might reverse this trend.

I’d like to see the 3 second defense rule go to 10 seconds. Let big guys just hang around the rim and block shots and mug dunkers. Foul baiting sucks. should penalize offensive flop heads like Harden and LeBron by letting the other team shoot 3 FTs. Eliminate 3 pointers on the sides, 26 feet at all angels.

I think we have to also factor in the fact that the best players on these teams are the people running up the court with the ball. It used to be the point guard trying to facilitate to do whatever, but now it’s Giannis, or just whoever is the best player getting the ball. And I mean, why can’t these guys get 70? Teams get to 120. If Luka just gets the ball all the time and isn’t missing, then he’s gonna get 70. The stars nowadays are basically like Kobe and will just score and probably ask their teammates to get the ball. So what’s the difference from 2 years ago when a player got 50 points, and another got 20? Well the 50 point player got all the shots the 20 point player has now. Team might as well be 2014-2018 Argentina, since all they do is pass the ball to Messi (Luka, Embiid, Devin Booker) and they basically just hope they can create something out of it. Which obviously Messi can, these guys can. But in the play offs, they’ll have a bad game or two, and they’ll lose. This is a one time thing. These guys barely get more points than their average in the playoffs. So yeah, Messi can score 5 goals back in the day, but Argentina only actually got good, when they didn’t solely play through him. So why do we even care? The teams they are scoring these massive numbers against are really bad teams. They probably are never getting close to 70 in the playoffs because it’s better teams that are trying harder.

No charges, travels, and carries explains a lot, and is very understated. Even if you're hand-checked, an extra step would negate that advantage anyway.

Personally, I think it's only a matter of time until someone beats Kobe's career high of 81. It's crazy to think that we have had four 70+ point scorers over just the past two seasons.

Absolutely Correct! That's my thoughts on this.

I won’t say the nba is trash. I grew up on it. I love the game. But…. Talent hasn’t increased. Defense has decreased. Drastically. No way you have 3 players score 50+ in the same week. This is ridiculous. It’s all start weekend every game. Ok… I won’t say this for every team. Nuggets are monsters, gsw do fight provided that had a hand in inadvertently teams to “just shoot 3s”. Defense is married to offense… I just don’t really see it these days.

I blame Steve Nash and D'Antoni. Or should I say "Antoni" with no D.

todays NBA is soft, unwatchable & at its lowest rating bcoz of LeFraud James & his gf Adam Silver.. flopping, whining, no defense, load managing, the refs, the rules, player self entitled, super teams..etc.. miss the 80s 90s & early 2000 eras

@And.One.Hoops1 Pet peeve of mine: at 8:19 you start a sentence with: "Now, for me personally, I". Who is 'me'? Who does 'personally' mean? Who is 'I'? See where i'm going?

The NBA went to far when it got rid of Hand checking. The game has been a boring scoring show ever since. Defense doesn't matter, and traveling isn't called worth a damn either now. Bring back hand checking and defense, and maybe I'll tune back in after all of these years of boring basketball.

It makes sense to intruct a player to focus more on offense because offensive talent is too good for defenses now. You should check out LOWs video on this if you havent yet. This isnt just teams prioritizing offense with who they hire. Offensive talent is just progressing so quickly that defenses cant keep up. The players arent worse on defense

What happened to NBA basketball as a whole? No strategy, tactics, imagination, skill, intelligence... just frantically running, jumping, and shooting as soon as you see the basket. If there was no Jokić, it would be unwatchable.

You can watch euroleague and btw, great Kobi score on shity Toronto defense to.

While lack of defense is a thing, the offensive schemes of today are incredible. When the 2nd guy off the bench can still hit 3s at 40%, a lot of games is simply P&R to kickout. Swing a few times to the open man while the broadcasters and fans complain about your team not defending that...as if it isn't literally the strat every team runs. The proliferation of 3pt ball has made it so that even reinstituting some old rules won't necessarily change player behavior. We see Memphis have most of their starters go down with injury...how does the 2nd tier guys stay in games? Run up the court and jack a 3. I knew when 3 on 1 fastbreaks still led to a 3pt attempt that there was no going back to 90s'-early 2k ball.

Kobe didnt have anyone playing stong defense on him in that 81 point game. Jalen rose only guarded him for a few plays. And jalen was a terrible defender regardless. That 81 point kobe game was impressive, but no one was playing great or good defense on him thats for sure.

U can’t really play defense because spacing it’s way harder to play defense than ever

The NBAs Rating Were Down So They Turned Defence Off and Turned Fouls For Nothing On Too :)

Adam silver is to blame. Everything is a foul everything is a technical. Everything is not a travel.

“Transition take foul”

You can thank the golden state warriors for why it seems like there’s no defense

People have to stop lumping in Luka's game with Towns and Embiid. Both of them played in a game where nobody on the other team was playing defense (except in the 4th quarter with Towns......which stopped him cold). Luka was just hitting RIDICULOUS shots under heavy pressure. He was beating double-teams and every individual defender they could throw at him. The man shot 75% from the field. If he was standing alone out there that would be impressive. The layups he did get were under heavy pressure. That was a legit all-time great game.

Good defense takes a lot of effort, grit, and determination, not to mention the fact that the more you try on defense, the worse it looks if you get put on your ass or dunked on. None of those things fit 98% to 99% of NBA players today because they just ain't cool.

Defense has been legislated out of the league

Shit like this is why LeBron scoring record don't mean shit

Yeah it’s just due to ZERO D and unlimited floor spacing . It has nothing to do with this “ amazing “ talent that’s the best ever . Bring back some Hand checking and you won’t be seeing this often . It’s actually embarrassing seeing what the nba has become .

How much of defense essentially pulling its punches is fear of injuring another player? All the players are in a kind of wealthy players club which makes it a shared insider club against the world perhaps.

Absolutely goated content creator. Speaks facts

We don’t enjoy it. It’s not basketball. They travel all the time, they carry it and get away with it. Nobody can play tough defense. It’s trashketball

Still waiting for footage of Wilt’s 100 pt game

They fucked defense up with putting a condom my guy.

All the fuckery with the rules over the last decade or so turning every modern game into a boring shoot 300 3s. They've completely ruined the game

You are not allowed to play defense in the NBA. Everything is a foul

You could see the "attention to detail" defense on playoffs

No defense in NBA.

There is no problem with the NBA.. An entertainment/ highlight reel product is what they're going for.. They know most people don't watch the regular season anymore! If you want to watch a real basketball game than go and watch Fiba or Euroball..

I don't knwo what gae you're watching but it already is boring to watch because the game lacks balance. It ISN'T impressive when these guys score 70 as they slowly trot around the 3 point line and take their time to take a jump shot or clumsily take 4-5 steps to the basket without putting the ball on the floor. Today's game is a disgrace.

Shooting 3’s over the last 5+ years or so is like the steroid era in baseball when anyone in the lineup could go yard. It took away every other aspect of the game. In baseball during that era, basic fundamentals disappeared. Teams relied on the home run, or bust. The same goes for basketball. Everyone can shoot and make 3’s. Seven footers shoot 3’s like SG’s. Just like baseball, basketball has become a boring, one dimensional drag.

What are you watching if you not willing to say...... ZITS ALREADY OUT OF CONTROLL. And if Regular season Pro basketball was not already effort lacking enough, well now its just becoming a pickup game with the greatest pñayer in the world playing in them...., SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE

Nba hurting the American players go watch last year's fiba team USA giving up 130pts in a 40 mins game. Even guys like Luka Jokic avg less stats in international games with playing basically the same mins

Yes defense is the primary problem of this league, next to it is the entitlement of these brats. Take away these player flowers and femove Silver ears that's the first step of how to fix this crap league. They think they can foo the people by just having 70 points a lot in a season. But the NBa's problem is their target audience are the kids and Kiddo minded aint working for the mature once.

When you give the players too much power, they'll get together and not care about the product. And just rake in the money while poor fans have to fight just to get to a game that they're probably gonna sit out of while we pay our 😢money

they built a league for ratings and LeFraud was the propaganda poster child

Did any of you actually watch Luka’s game? There were 1 or 2 bad defensive breakdowns. That does not mean the hawks didn’t play defense. Luka was just on one.

Yeah I stopped watching the nba after Covid. It’s just not the same no more. MMA is far more exciting and competitive now so I watch that

Same as Poole in life OK ✨️

EVERYTHING IS FINE IN THE NBA!! I know this due to the MANY videos telling me so. No conspiracy/script/mass email instructions here...

They perfected scoring simple

8:09 the integrity and competitiveness of the game is already ruined, it's just getting worse now. Professional basketball will never return to its peak or former glory.

Defense left the chat many years ago, the nba is a f*cking joke 🙃

It's almost unwatchable. I think I'd rather watch hockey, football, baseball, or NASCAR over basketball.

Players are not better it's just easier to score

NBA has become boring af. Look at NFL games yday, Chiefs defense ATE. It was super fun to watch. Nowadays, people just run around and shoot 3s,....thinking of getting into NHL instead.

Those high-scoring games are boring to watch. No hand-checking, no 80s, 90s basketball style - just offensive display - boring...... Players like Curry, Harden, Embiid, Doncic, Towns, Booker are overrated. The traveling violation of these players like LBJ, Harden (worst offender of them all) are insufferable.

Come on, man, you all know the answer to this question. The game sucks😢

A team scoring 145 is a yawn these days. The legendary run & gun Suns of old would be a bottom team in the modern game.

Blame the ref

Bring back defense.

What happen with defence?when Wilt Chamberlain?

Simple answer players are better lol defense has no changed

To me? All these recent records are simply a way to show the NBA is bleeding terribly and trying a last ditch effort to keep fans engaged. And it's not working. As long as Lebron is allowed to ruin this beautiful game, it will continue to deteriorate.