The NBA has overcooked the recipe. In their attempts to make a perfect meal, they started doing too much, got out of their pocket in the kitchen, and now the meal tastes horrendous.
That meal they were cooking up is offensive-led entertainment value, the seasoning they used too much off is pro-scoring rule changes, and the horrendous meal they cooked up is a league where scoring has become too easy that fans don't care anymore.
Have you ever heard the saying too much of a good thing is bad? Well, the NBA is proving that.
In three months, the league had two players score 71 points, and the 42 players averaging at least 20 points a game is twice the amount of the 2010-11 season. Then you have the statistic that the two best offenses in NBA history are from this season with the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets.
It has become so easy to score in the NBA that most fans no longer care about big scoring nights, a nightmare scenario for the NBA.
I say nightmare scenario because points are the way to capture the casual NBA fans' hearts. And say what you want about how annoying casuals are, but the truth is, just like with any sport, the overwhelming majority of people who follow it are casuals who don't know or care for the deep intricacies of the game; they only want to be entertained. So I understand why the NBA allows some of what they do, like palming, illegal screens, and flopping. It all led to more points, which made the game more entertaining to the casual.
The problem the NBA faces is its entertainment value loses its strength if fans feel the sport is too easy. The NBA has passed its point of equilibrium. 50-point nights becoming commonplace means people care less and less every time it happens. There's a reason the All-star game has become an unwatchable mess. No one is interested in watching a version of basketball that looks more like a video game than a competitive professional sport. People want high-level sports to look challenging.
You want the big games and performances to occur rarely- it makes it more enjoyable when it finally does.
And the vital part is I don't think the NBA needs to start allowing hand checks, three seconds in the paint, or anything like that. All they need to do is be more specific in regulating rules that players abuse. Call palming violations more often, strictly enforce flopping so defenders feel they can be physical again, and stop illegal screens. The list is long.
The point is the NBA needs to do something or risk its product losing its entertainment value. The modern NBA player is much too skilled and intelligent in maneuvering the rules as is to continue allowing this to happen. You want big games to be rare and celebrated, not casual and ignored.
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